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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- News
President of National Teachers’ Union Cites Holocaust in Comments on Trump
The president of one of the nation’s largest teachers’ union cited the Holocaust in comments she made about President-elect Donald Trump while speaking at an LGBT event in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. “After what happened in the 1930s and ’40s, we used to have a saying called ‘never again,’” Randi Weingarten, president of American Federation…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
Thomas Jefferson Now Politically Incorrect at the University He Founded
A group of students and professors at the University of Virginia want to give the founder of their school the shaft. In a letter to the university’s president, Teresa Sullivan, they asked her to remove Thomas Jefferson quotes from messages to students, according to the Washington Examiner. “For many of us, the inclusion of Jefferson…Jarrett Stepman -
- News
California Voters to Decide Whether Schools May Teach Students in Spanish
Voters in California will weigh in Tuesday on a decades-old debate about bilingual education in the state’s public school system. The outcome ultimately could determine whether California schools will continue to be required to teach in English, or may use Spanish or another language. Although largely overlooked in a crowded election season, the issue has…Kelsey Bolar -
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John Oliver Wonders How to Improve ‘Segregated’ Public Schools. Never Mentions Vouchers.
John Oliver, a comedian and political pundit, blasted what he called “racial segregation” in modern public schools. However, several school choice advocates took issue with the host’s rhetoric. In a sketch on his Sunday show “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” Oliver said there is significantly greater racial homogeneity in public schools than there was…Jamie Gregora -
- News
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Transgender School Bathrooms Case
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether a federal order requiring public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom corresponding to their gender identity is lawful. The Obama administration issued a directive earlier this year requiring public schools to accommodate transgender students. The case before the Supreme Court originates in Gloucester County, Virginia. The…Kevin Daley -
- Opinion
Student Loan Forgiveness Won’t Solve the $1.3 Trillion Problem
With outstanding student loan debt now exceeding $1.3 trillion, it is no wonder that the sticker price of college tuition has gotten a lot of attention in 2016. Yet few proposals have gotten to the root of the college cost problem. Despite overwhelming evidence that more federal subsidies for higher education increase tuition prices, policies…Mary Clare Amselem -
- News
Student Sues Over Iowa State’s ‘Speech Code’
A 34-year-old student at Iowa State University is suing the school over what he calls an “unconstitutional speech code.” The student, Robert Dunn, says the university is forcing him to compromise his First Amendment rights by complying with “overly broad and vague” anti-discrimination and harassment policies. Failing to agree to abide by the policies, he…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
University Threatens to ‘Silence’ Professor Protesting Genderless Pronouns
A psychology professor at the University of Toronto who is protesting a law that would force him to use certain pronouns for transgender and other gender nonconforming individuals says the school is trying to “silence” him. “The university, yesterday, basically told me to silence myself,” Jordan Peterson told The Daily Signal. “That's the second warning…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
How Education Savings Accounts Changed the Life of This Child With Down Syndrome
Giving parents control over their child’s education through personalized education savings accounts has transformed the lives of numerous underserved students. The story of Faith Kleffel exemplifies the promise of enabling children to access the type of education options that meet their learning needs. Faith, who has Down syndrome, uses an education savings account (ESA)—known as…Lindsey Burke -
- Opinion
Millennial Cluelessness About Communism’s Massacres Demonstrates the Need for School Choice
American education is failing thousands of students every year. But this crisis is not just about poor scores in math and reading. It is a deeper failure, leaving entire generations of Americans without the most basic knowledge of the country’s past and its civic institutions. As The Daily Signal reported, the Victims of Communism Memorial…Jarrett Stepman -
- News
Backlash Ensues After NAACP Ratifies Charter School Ban
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) ratified its stance against charter schools on Saturday, passing a resolution that calls for a halt to the growth of any new charter schools throughout the U.S. The position put the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization at odds with many inside its own…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
This Lawsuit Isn’t Answer for Detroit Students Wanting a Decent Education
Detroit school students, represented by the Los Angeles-based public interest firm Public Counsel, filed suit last month against the state of Michigan, claiming a legal right to literacy based on the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Ninety-three percent of Detroit’s predominantly black public school eighth-graders are not proficient in reading, and 96 percent are not…Walter E. Williams -
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Group Claims YouTube Is Restricting PragerU Educational Videos
YouTube is restricting educational videos from a well-known conservative advocacy organization, prompting the nonprofit website to petition for restoration of the content. PragerU, an institution that, according to its website, “presents the most important ideas in free, five-minute videos,” is currently being restricted by YouTube. YouTube has restricted 21 of the organization’s videos. Videos are…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
Why This Black Lives Matter Supporter Still Wants Charter Schools
Twenty minutes outside the U.S. Capitol, 10-year-old Aniyah Maddox gets ready for school in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the District of Columbia. She puts on her uniform—a pleated skirt that falls below her knees, socks, shoes, and a white collared shirt—and says goodbye to her 8-month-old sister, whom she begged her mother to…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
What a Middle Schooler’s Arrest for Stealing 65-Cent Carton of Milk Says About America’s Justice System
Teenager Ryan Turk faces criminal charges for disorderly conduct and petit larceny for allegedly stealing a 65 cent carton of milk from his middle school cafeteria in Virginia. That’s right, the criminal justice system is utilizing the time, expense, and effort needed to adjudicate a criminal matter in a dispute over a carton of milk….David Rosenthal -
- Opinion
How Native American Schools Can Be Revitalized
“When you have a 50 percent graduation rate, you need to think outside the box,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., declared about his proposal to rehabilitate some of the poorest performing schools in the country. McCain introduced the Native American Education Opportunity Act, which recently passed out of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The proposal…Ansley Braden -
- Opinion
I’m a Black Woman Whose Relatives Fought for Civil Rights. I’m Disappointed in NAACP’s War on School Choice.
Thanks to a lawsuit, over 92,000 kids, many of them children of color, from low-income families are at risk to lose their privately funded scholarships to attend the private schools of their choice. And to add insult to injury, the NAACP is one of the plaintiffs in this lawsuit. Last week, the Florida Education Association—the…Virginia Walden Ford -
- News
Black Education Leaders Fight NAACP on Charter Schools
A group of 160 black education and community leaders from across the country are pushing back against an attempt by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to halt all future charter school growth. The coalition, organized by the Black Alliance for Educational Options and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, sent…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
High School Boy’s Case Against LGBT Policy Goes to Virginia Supreme Court
A male high school student in a Virginia suburb has told the state’s highest court that he became “distressed,” “nervous,” and “terrified” after the school board instituted a policy for transgender students. The student and his parents unsuccessfully sued the Fairfax County School Board, and last week the Virginia Supreme Court agreed to take up their appeal….Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
How to Talk School Choice and Win
“Choice” always seems to be a winning argument for the left, except when it comes to education. Liberals repeatedly cry foul as soon as someone champions school choice at (what they perceive to be) the expense of public education. Conservatives claim the opposite is true—school choice empowers students by giving their families educational options. So,…Beverly Hallberg