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
Why ‘Cookie Cutter’ Public Schools Don’t Cut It For This Mom of Seven
Liz Robbins was caught off-guard when a Washington, D.C., area code appeared on her phone. “I apologize,” she said. “With the surgery … I had been emotional right before you called.” Robbins was answering the phone from Henderson, Nev., a short drive from Las Vegas. When the 202 area showed up, she thought it was…Kelsey Bolar -
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Why This Iowa Principal Is Thankful for School Choice
WELLSBURG, Iowa—For this coming fall, Timothy Christian School will welcome just 45 students in kindergarten through 8th grade—the fewest to begin an academic year since the school opened in 1941. In a state where 30 entire school districts have been eliminated in the last decade and more than 4,000 have been wiped out since 1950,…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
How to Make the Government Pay for the Perfect Education for Your Kid
Imagine being able to create a tailored, made-to-order education for your child. Perhaps you know that the private school one neighborhood over has an excellent high school mathematics program. It allows students who don’t attend full time to take individual courses there, so your daughter takes an Algebra II class there three days a week….Lindsey Burke -
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Chris Christie: ‘There Are Solutions’ to Education Reform
AMES, Iowa—New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie laid out his education platform at Iowa State University this morning. If America wants to remain a force in education, Christie told a crowd of about 200 people, policy should be centered on three things. Christie said: “We need accountability. We need competition. And we need choice.” Christie, who…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
Nevada Education Accounts … Not Your Father’s School Choice Program
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval made education reform history last week when he signed the nation’s first universal education savings account program into law. The accounts are designed to give every Nevada student who has been enrolled in public school for at least 100 days an opportunity to have an educational experience tailored to their individual needs….Lindsey Burke -
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Eyeing Supreme Court Gay Marriage Case, Mike Lee Unveils Bill Protecting Religious Schools
In anticipation of the Supreme Court’s impending decision on the gay marriage case, Sen. Mike Lee is attempting to protect religious non-profits by passing legislation that would prohibit the federal government from “discriminating” against faith-based institutions. “Discrimination by private parties against private parties—that’s one issue,” Lee told a small group of reporters today in a…Kelsey Bolar -
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Michigan Bill Would Add to Regulations on Homeschooling
Legislation has been introduced in the Michigan Legislature that would enact stricter regulations on homeschooling in the state. The legislation follows the deaths of two Detroit children whose mother explained their absence from a traditional school by claiming they were being homeschooled. Michigan’s House Bill No. 4498 would require homeschooled students to meet in person…Kate Scanlon -
- Opinion
Nevada Becomes Fifth State to Enact Groundbreaking Education Savings Accounts
The Silver State just struck gold. Nevada has just become the fifth state to enact groundbreaking education savings accounts (ESAs), which will enable families to harness the funds that would have been spent on their children in their assigned pubic school to craft a customized education plan. The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice earlier this…Lindsey Burke -
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These 4 Graphics Tell the Story of School Choice
Earlier this week, professor Patrick Wolf of the University of Arkansas made the case for school choice in Washington, D.C. Based on his research, The Daily Signal pulled out data to tell the story visually.Kelsey Lucas -
- Opinion
Here’s the Data to Prove School Choice Is Working
Private school choice initiatives have become increasingly common across the United States. Far from being rare and untested, private school choice policies are an integral part of the fabric of American education policy. In the United States today, 56 different school choice policies exist in 28 states plus the District of Columbia, and the number of…Patrick Wolf -
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Congress Goes to High School: Students Get a Firsthand Look at Debate Over School Choice
Archbishop Carroll High School, a private Catholic school about four miles north of the U.S. Capitol, today took center stage in the debate over school choice. “When parents have better choices, their kids have a better chance,” says @SenatorTimScott More than 100 students joined teachers and parents in the high school’s auditorium to watch members…Robert B. Bluey -
- Opinion
Allowing States to Opt Out of NCLB Through APLUS: Empowering Parents and State and Local Leaders—Not Teachers Unions
The Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act (APLUS) proposal would allow states to completely opt out of the programs under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), but would it also empower teachers unions? This argument is being made against the APLUS approach by proponents of the massive rewrite of NCLB moving through Congress. For example,…Lindsey Burke -
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Should Religious Organizations Be Allowed to Worship in Schools? NYC Mayor Reconsiders City’s Policy
The same week a national debate swept through the nation surrounding Indiana’s decision to adopt a religious freedom law, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a historic lawsuit regarding a New York City policy that plaintiffs say is discriminatory toward religious organizations. The case, Bronx Household of Faith v. Board of Education…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
Education Savings Accounts Sweep the Nation
Education savings accounts (ESAs) have become the way forward for states wishing to adopt innovative school choice measures. ESAs enable parents to completely customize their child’s education to his individual needs. According to the Foundation for Excellence in Education, 22 state legislatures are considering ESAs for the 2015 school year. That is serious traction for…Lindsey Burke -
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True or False? Jeb Bush’s Education Reforms Boosted Florida’s Schoolchildren
It's not every governor who can say the record shows his state's schoolchildren did better because he applied conservative principles of choice and accountability. Jeb Bush can and does. “The aggregate improvements we’ve seen in Florida really can’t be ignored,” Marcus Winters, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado’s College of Education who has studied what Bush…Ken McIntyre -
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Should Catholic Schools Be Forced to Fund LGBT Student Groups?
Religiously affiliated schools in the nation’s capital could soon be forced to formally fund and recognize student groups like LGBT organizations, whose mission conflicts with the schools’ religious beliefs. The measure in question, called The Human Rights Amendment Act of 2014, is one of two pieces of legislation passed by the D.C. Council that supporters…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
This 11-Year-Old Boy Was Suspended … for Bringing a Leaf to School
A school in Virginia suspended an 11-year-old boy for 364 days after he brought a leaf to class that resembled marijuana. One problem: It was not marijuana, and the school knew this—but still suspended him for almost a year anyway. The sixth-grade son of Bruce and Linda Bays attended Bedford Middle School and was in…Jordan Richardson -
- Opinion
Alabama Supreme Court Declares School Choice Program Constitutional
In the latest vindication of school choice, on Monday the Alabama Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling by upholding the constitutionality of the state’s Accountability Act of 2013— which created two tax credit scholarships for children trapped in failing schools. As of 2013, individuals have been able to benefit from a tax credit for…Brittany Corona -
- Opinion
What This Homeschool Mom Thinks About How the Government Regulates Homeschooling
If millions of Americans are doing it, the conventional wisdom among government bureaucrats is that somebody ought to regulate it. Look no further than the growing movement known as homeschooling. It’s estimated that upwards of 3 million school age children in America are now foregoing the traditional schoolhouse, public or private, and getting their education…Genevieve Wood -
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An Education Issue That Has the NAACP and Republicans Working Together
Conservatives in Virginia have teamed up with an unlikely ally to lobby for legislation that would allow parents of disabled children to design an à la carte education tailored for their child’s specific needs. The bill, proposed by Delegate David LaRock, a Republican representing Virginia’s 33rd District, has the backing of the NAACP Virginia State…Kelsey Bolar