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
Trump ‘Skinny’ Budget Blueprint Puts Department of Education on a Diet
For the first time in decades, an administration is significantly trimming the budget at the Department of Education. The Trump administration’s budget blueprint, or “skinny budget,” cuts $9 billion from the agency’s $68 billion budget, trimming spending at the department to $59 billion. That represents a 13 percent reduction in discretionary spending, demonstrating a commitment…Lindsey Burke -
- Opinion
Congress Takes Important Steps to Lessen Federal Footprint in Education
In the span of 24 hours, the Senate successfully overturned two sets of regulations finalized by President Barack Obama’s Department of Education late last year. Using the oversight authority granted to it by the Congressional Review Act, the Senate passed resolutions of disapproval for accountability regulations under the Every Student Succeeds Act and regulations for teacher…Anne Ryland -
- Opinion
My Local School Board May Begin Silencing Parents Over Transgender Agenda
In Fairfax, 10 parents have just three minutes each to give their views to the county school board each meeting. Earning one of these coveted slots is like buying concert tickets: You get up early on the Monday before the meeting and click frantically, hoping to be among the first 10 when the school board opens its sign-up line. Since…Bethany Kozma -
- Opinion
It’s Time for Millennial Women to Reject Campus Feminism
In honor of International Women’s Day, the organizers of the Women’s March on Washington this week coordinated “A Day Without a Woman.” Women were asked to not engage in paid or unpaid work, avoid spending any money (except at small, women- or minority-owned businesses), and wear red in solidarity. Undoubtedly, some college women chose to partake in…Mary Clare Amselem -
- Opinion
How Close-Minded Liberals Have Ruined Higher Education
While college administrators and professors accept disgraceful behavior, we as taxpayers, donors, and parents should not foot the bill. Let’s look at some of that behavior. A University of Washington Tacoma Writing Center press release told students that expecting Americans to use proper grammar perpetuates racism. The University of Nebraska Omaha will host a workshop…Walter E. Williams -
- Opinion
We Hear You: The NAACP, Political Correctness, and School Choice
Editor's note: Today your letters include thoughtful responses to a commentary by school choice activist Virginia Walden Ford and to a Daily Signal supporter's appeal about making a difference on important issues. Want to write us? You'll see how below. —Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: I agree with Virginia Walden Ford’s commentary article. The NAACP has…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
On Education, the Left Protects a Miserable Status Quo
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement, “The president’s decision to ask Betsy DeVos to run the Department of Education should offend every single American man, woman, and child who has benefitted from the public education system in this country.” Expressing similar sentiments, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond said, “I expect…Walter E. Williams -
- News
College Students Reveal the Crazy Things Happening on Campuses
At last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., The Daily Signal asked college students about what’s happening on their campuses. From sanctuary campuses to free speech zones, conservative students detail some of the spectacles they’ve witnessed lately. Watch our video to hear what’s happening.Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
Dispelling Myths About This Inexcusable School Meal Policy
A Washington Post article argues that a recently implemented federal school meals policy, the Community Eligibility Provision, is largely responsible for increased participation of low-income children in the school breakfast program. In reality, the Community Eligibility Provision turns welfare on its head by making it possible for children from middle-class and wealthy families to receive…Daren Bakst -
- News
Protesters Block Betsy DeVos From Entering DC Public School
Protesters effectively blocked new Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos from entering a Washington, D.C.-area public school, according to a local NBC News affiliate report. The trip to Jefferson Middle School Academy was supposed to be DeVos’ first trip to a school in her official role, but protesters critical of her appointment blocked the entrance; security was forced…Phillip Stucky -
- Opinion
Americans Should Not Have to Subsidize Campus Lawlessness
In 1964, students at the University of California, Berkeley joined together to fight for their right to free speech. Last night, a group of over 1,500 protestors showed up on that same campus to shut down a speaker with whom they disagreed, and about 150 of them started a riot. Clearly, the culture of tolerance…Mary Clare Amselem -
- Opinion
Fossil Fuel Divestment Foolishness on Our College Campuses
Students at dozens of academic institutions across the country have called for their university endowments to divest equities in the fossil fuel industries. When University of Denver trustees voted this week against fossil fuel divestment, many students walked out of their classes to bring awareness to this cause as the meeting took place. Fossil fuel…Richard Sigman -
- Opinion
Another College’s Speech Code at Odds With First Amendment Values
In the words of Supreme Court Justice William Brennan Jr., America serves as a “marketplace of ideas.” A state-funded college campus, of all places, should epitomize this function. But restrictive policies on campuses across the country are silencing certain viewpoints and limiting speech on campus. Take Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Michigan. This college…David Rosenthal -
- Opinion
Before Leaving Office, Obama Administration Admits It Got Student Loan Data Wrong
In case you ever had any doubts about the inefficiencies of the Department of Education, look no further than the recent revelation that the agency has been vastly overestimating student loan repayment rates. On the last day of the Obama administration’s tenure, the College Scorecard the department established has been quietly revealed to have serious…Mary Clare Amselem -
- Opinion
Why Betsy DeVos’ Support for School Choice Will Help America’s Schoolchildren
According to her opponents during Wednesday’s Senate confirmation hearing, Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of education, is guilty of wanting to privatize the public schools. To be sure, the nominee’s critics are entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. Here are the facts: DeVos believes that all children are…Jim Daly -
- Opinion
Betsy DeVos Hearing Highlights the Need for Less Government Control in Education
On Tuesday night, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a confirmation hearing for Education Secretary-designate Betsy DeVos. Devos, a longtime proponent of school choice, also fielded questions about her positions on higher education and preschool. The hearing turned into a vibrant debate among the senators about the merits of education choice,…Lindsey Burke -
- Opinion
What Went Wrong in US Higher Ed? Harvard Tells the Story
In 1636, the first college in our nation was founded for Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae (for Truth, for Christ, and for the Church). Since then, Harvard has had a profound—and sometimes profoundly bad—impact on the American system of higher learning. With the start of a new academic semester and 381 years of history, now is…Abigail Doty -
- News
They Grew Up in a Poor Neighborhood. How School Choice Changed These Brothers’ Lives.
Carlos and Calvin Battle grew up in the poorest neighborhood of Washington, D.C., where nearly two-thirds of children are living in poverty. In 2016, only 42 percent of students attending the local public high school graduated. In an attempt to get her sons a better education, their mother, Pam Battle, enrolled Calvin and Carlos in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
Campus Disinvitations Hit Record Number in 2016, Report Says
The number of speakers who faced opposition or disinvitation this year reached a record high, according to a report from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. FIRE, which has been tracking the number of incidents involving campus speakers since 2000, found that in 2016, at least 42 separate incidents occurred—double the number that occurred…Ashe Schow -
- Opinion
Middle School Girl Gets Suspended for Possessing a Butter Knife
Who would have thought a butter knife could become the center of a school controversy? Last month, officials at Silver Trail Middle School near Miami, Florida, suspended an 11-year-old honors student for violating a county policy strictly prohibiting weapons on campus. The girl’s weapon of choice: a butter knife fit for a toddler. To highlight the…David Rosenthal