Education News
Reports on education reform, school choice, and classroom policies. The Daily Signal provides conservative commentary and opinion alongside education news.
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opinion
Podcast: Teachers Could Make More Without Unions’ Interference
As the West Virginia teachers strike continues, Mary Clare Amselem joins us to explain how teachers could make significantly higher salaries if the unions would stop preventing performance pay. Plus: We discuss the unsurprising fact that left-wing groups are getting involved with the Parkland students, and Sen. Marco Rubio’s new proposal on school safety. -
opinion
Memo to West Virginia Teachers Striking: Union Policies to Blame for Lower Pay for Good Teachers
If you see thousands of children in West Virginia out of school this week, rest assured they are not playing hooky. In fact, it’s their teachers who are. Last week, a massive strike of almost 20,000 teachers occurred in the state, leading to widespread school closures. On Tuesday, every single public school in West Virginia… -
opinion
Escape Through Bankruptcy Is Not a Solution to the Student Loan Crisis
As Congress turns its attention to the problems facing higher education, the Department of Education announced last week that it will seek public comment on possible relief for students with outstanding student loan debt. One proposed option is discharging student loans in bankruptcy court, as is done with other types of loans when borrowers are… -
news
Schools Safer Now Than They Were in 1990s, According to New Study
According to a new study, school shootings have declined since the early 1990s. “There is not an epidemic of school shootings,” said James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology, law, and public policy at Northeastern University. “The thing to remember is that these are extremely rare events, and no matter what you can come up… -
news
Fact Check: Did Broward Sheriff’s Department Get 23 Calls Beforehand About School Shooter?
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said his department received only 23 calls involving shooter Nikolas Cruz or his family before the attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Verdict: False Records show that the sheriff’s department received 39 calls requesting service from authorities at Cruz’s family home since 2011, though it is… -
news
Ben Shapiro Weighs in on School Shootings, Masculinity, and Campus Free Speech
In wake of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that left 17 people dead, conservative commentator and Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro isn’t just offering “thoughts and prayers”—he’s offering a list of steps policymakers, the media, and the general public can take to prevent another mass tragedy from occurring. We interviewed Shapiro on this, how society… -
news
Facebook Beats Up Lawmaker for 10-Month-Old Photo About Prayer After Florida School Shooting
Facebook users attacked Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., for a post about his hand-delivering a bag of prayer cards to President Donald Trump nearly a year ago, apparently believing it was Bost’s response to the Florida high school shooting. Those faulting Bost on Facebook said the bag of prayer cards—cards with handwritten prayers and passages from… -
opinion
Don’t Punish People With Delinquent Student Loans by Revoking Their Work Licenses
Nearly one-third of Americans today must be licensed by the government in order to do their jobs. Many of those people are among the 44 million Americans who have outstanding student loans. For that group of people, falling behind on student loan payments can mean that the state will strip them of their occupational license… -
news
Betsy DeVos Urges Americans to Embrace ‘Education Freedom’
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is calling on Americans to embrace a vision of “education freedom” that empowers students and parents with a “multitude of pathways” toward new opportunities. DeVos, speaking during a question-and-answer session Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference, said one such pathway would be educational savings accounts to benefit military families who… -
news
Newt Gingrich: America Should Arm Teachers to Stop School Shootings
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said America should begin arming schoolteachers and administrators to protect their students from mass shootings. The first step is to arm people within the schools and give them a fighting chance, Gingrich said Tuesday on "Fox & Friends," in response to a question on what can be done to… -
news
Must-See Moments: Media Politicizes Florida School Shooting
The Daily Signal’s Facebook Live show “Top 10” features the top news stories of the week—many of which went misreported by the mainstream media and some weren’t reported at all. This week, the left was quick to politicize the horrific school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida—we break down the misinformation… -
news
In Wake of Florida School Shooting, Trump Calls for Culture That ‘Embraces the Dignity of Life’
President Donald Trump, saying he will travel to Parkland, Florida, following a deadly school shooting there, vowed Thursday to meet with leaders across the country to address school safety and mental health issues. “Each person who was stolen from us yesterday had a full life ahead of them,” @RealDonaldTrump says. “Our entire nation with one… -
news
Education Department Won’t Investigate Transgender Bathroom Complaints
After much speculation pertaining to the Trump administration’s official policy on transgender restroom policies, a White House spokeswoman indicated that the U.S. Department of Education won’t investigate any complaints regarding transgender restroom policies. Spokeswoman Liz Hill told BuzzFeed News that specific kinds of transgender complaints may be investigated, but no bathroom complaints will garner the Department of… -
news
Georgetown University Pro-Family Group Gets Back Money Wrongly Given to LGBT Organizations
A pro-family student organization at Georgetown University has received its donations back after an investigation of faculty and others who the group accused of misappropriating funds contributed to it. The group, Love Saxa, said that Georgetown officials had taken private donations intended for it and deposited them into other student organizations’ accounts. The organizations who… -
opinion
How Ending Student Loan Forgiveness Will Help the Poor
A college education offers many advantages. Graduates enjoy the benefits of their university’s alumni network, and the diploma can give grads a leg up over non-degree-holding competitors in the job market. College graduates are generally likely to out earn non-grads over time, and those with postgraduate degrees improve their earnings potential even more. But college… -
opinion
School Loses Dad-Daughter Dance Because of Gender-Neutral Policies
Kids see plenty of offensive things at school—but when did fathers become one of them? Ask New York’s Department of Education. As far as its officials are concerned, nothing can damage a child more than hosting a special event for dads. And now, with the state’s “gender nonconforming” guidelines on the books, they can put… -
opinion
Puerto Rico’s Bold School Choice Plan Mirrors New Orleans’
In the months following the devastation of Hurricane Maria in September, Puerto Rico has struggled to find its footing and rebuild. Unfortunately, dysfunction was already rampant in the debt-ridden territory before the storm. Now things are worse, but perhaps there is an opportunity to finally make some badly-needed changes. Bailouts and federal meddling are unlikely… -
opinion
Podcast: Why School Choice Matters
Lindsey Burke, an education expert at The Heritage Foundation, joins us to discuss why parents love school choice options like education savings accounts, and her push to allow military families to choose their children’s education. Plus: As the good news about tax reform keeps coming, liberals are saying $1,000 isn’t that much. -
opinion
Red States Drop the Ball on School Choice. Here’s Why That Needs to Change.
Fixing our country’s system of education needs to be a priority, especially for those who have an opportunity to do something about it. In a speech Monday proclaiming National School Choice Week, President Donald Trump said, “By giving parents more control over their children’s education, we are making strides toward a future of unprecedented educational… -
opinion
School Choice Helped This Girl Escape a Broken School, Then Become Valedictorian
The right to choose where your kids attend school should be common sense. But for too long, it’s something too many parents have been denied for their children. Thankfully, we live in a day when access to education choice is gaining ground. More kids across our country are now being freed from broken schools and…