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
Former Catholic School Teacher Fired for Violating Catholic Teaching Awarded $1.95M, Mostly for Hurt Feelings
It is no secret that the Catholic Church teaches that birth control, abortion and in vitro fertilization are morally wrong. It is also no secret that many Americans who self-identify as Catholic also see no moral problem with these things. While regulated, these things are legal throughout the United States. But can a Catholic diocese…Andrew Kloster -
- News
This College Will Pay Student Loans of Alums Making Less than $37K a Year
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com For many college students (and their parents), there’s a lot of concern that future salaries won’t be enough to cover the huge student loans many students today take on. In Michigan, Adrian College is tackling that fear head on: they’re offering to pay all to some of student loan…Daily Signal Staff -
- News
‘I Wouldn’t Eat It Either’: These Wyoming Schools Abandoned Federal School Lunch Guidelines
Seven Wyoming schools have said "no" to the federal school lunch guidelines — and the money that comes with them. According to Wyoming Public Media, seven schools have decided to forego the federal standards instituted by the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act and decide what to feed their students themselves. The district’s business manager, Jeremy…Kate Scanlon -
- Opinion
‘Public Education’ Should Fund Any Education, Not Just Government-Run Schools
“Are you saying public education is just a funding mechanism? … Is all education now public [and parents] can just choose?” asked Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nancy Rice during oral arguments over the constitutionality of Douglas County’s Choice Scholarship Pilot Program. The case has brought forth a question that has been at the forefront…Brittany Corona -
- News
State-Run University Spent $96,000 on First-Class Airline Tickets
LINCOLN, Neb. — The University of Nebraska has been dinged by the state auditor for allowing employees to spend nearly $96,000 on 20 first-class flights around the world, book $300-a-night oceanfront resort rooms for a week and get reimbursed for alcohol while traveling, in violation of state law. While digging through travel records, auditors found…Deena Winter -
- News
Did Unqualified Students Get Favorable Treatment at University of Texas?
Supporters of University of Texas President Bill Powers have for months worked mightily to deny or to marginalize evidence lawmakers were pulling strings to get unqualified students admitted to the university. A new trove of public records demonstrates that many of Powers’ most vocal defenders — key alumni association members, an education coalition, politicians and…Jon Cassidy -
- News
Watch This 10-Year-Old Explain Common Core to Her School Board: ‘It Stinks’
Elizabeth Blaine, a 10-year-old from New Jersey, doesn’t like Common Core. Why? “Because it stinks,” the fourth-grader told school board members Monday night in Montclair, N.J., during a meeting on the national standards. Silencing everyone in the room, Blaine was critical of the assessment group known as PARCC, arguing that she should have the option…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
Pakistani Nation Must Unite Against Terrorists Following Attack on Schoolchildren
Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership must do what is necessary to rid the nation of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, the Pakistani Taliban), the group claiming responsibility for today’s abominable attack on a Pakistani school that left more than 100 children dead. Nine TTP gunmen stormed the Army Public School and Degree College in Peshawar Tuesday…Lisa Curtis -
- News
How Savings Accounts Are Providing a Tailor-Made Education for Students
Kami Cothrun was a frustrated public school teacher when she decided to open a school of her own. She “saw a need” and decided to act. What started out as a small endeavor with just six students has blossomed into three Arizona campuses with 200 special-needs students. "I really wanted to offer something different to…Kate Scanlon -
- Opinion
Parents Fight Back Against Teachers Union Suing Nation’s Largest School Choice Program
Teachers’ unions in Florida continue to threaten the educational opportunity of thousands of the state’s most vulnerable children. But there is some good news: Last week, Leon County Circuit Court Judge George S. Reynolds III granted parents of these children the right to intervene on behalf of their children’s scholarships, which are awarded through the…Brittany Corona -
- News
This State Made It Legal to Say ‘Merry Christmas’ in Public Schools
Merry Christmas, Texas! A Texas lawmaker wants to remind students and teachers in the state’s public schools that they may wish others a “Merry Christmas” or a “Happy Hanukkah” without fear of legal ramifications. State Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston, the author of the Merry Christmas Law, held a joint press conference with state Rep. Richard…Kate Scanlon -
- News
Minn. Schools Held GMO Awareness Day
MINNETRISTA, Minn. — Just when the backlash over First Lady Michelle Obama’s school lunch menu leveled off, students in a handful of Twin Cities schools got a taste of what could be another controversial food fad. The main course? Non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) meals. “Having the GMO awareness day for our district was to really…Tom Steward -
- Opinion
Eat My Shorts! Bart Simpson Takes On Teacher Unions
CULLMAN, Ala. — Teacher unions finally met a foe they couldn’t conquer in the form of the yellow, spiky-haired Bart Simpson. Those unions were skewered in a recent episode of the long-running Fox series “The Simpsons.” A new teacher at Springfield Elementary tormented Bart before being embarrassed by him at Blazing Man, a knockoff of…Johnny Kampis -
- Opinion
In 9 States, Legislators Consider Making High School Students Pass Citizenship Test
Should high school students have to pass the citizenship test? The Civics Education Initiative, an Arizona-based non-profit group, is pushing for legislation in Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah that would require all high school students to pass the same test that immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship…Heath Hansen -
- News
Why Did This Teachers Union Ban Coca-Cola?
American Federation of Teachers, one of the largest teachers unions in the United States, passed a resolution last week to ban Coca-Cola from its facilities and events. The teachers union stated its decision was based on human rights violations, which have been detailed in three books published several years ago. But why now, and why…Bre Payton -
- News
Teachers Union Lost 272,014 Members on His Watch, Then Gave Him a Big Raise
The recently retired president of the National Education Association received a huge pay raise this year even though the union he led lost more than 40,000 members. Dennis Van Roekel, who retired this summer, was paid $541,632 during NEA’s fiscal year ending Aug. 31, a $130,000 increase from last year, driven by a gross salary hike…Jason Hart -
- News
School Lunches Evoke Strong Feelings: Here’s What You Had to Say
Schools across America are celebrating Thanksgiving with their annual feast of turkey and vegetables. And this year, students are giving thanks in another way—with a touch of sarcasm. First lady Michelle Obama, champion of healthy eating, was on the receiving end of the "thanks" when students shared photos of their unappetizing lunches and skimpy servings. my school lunch…Robert B. Bluey -
- News
Teachers’ Challenge of Political Spending by Unions Appears Headed for Supreme Court
Christian schoolteachers who object to being forced to help finance the political agendas of unions yesterday moved a step closer to having their case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued an order that allows the teachers to petition the Supreme Court to consider their…Kevin Mooney -
- News
Minnesota School Boards Can–and Often Do–Raise Taxes Without Voter Approval
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesotans faced 39 school operating levy referendums on the ballot this fall, fewer than in any election since 1996. And they nixed one of every four proposals at the polls. Chalk one up for taxpayers? Not exactly. Many school boards already had raised school levies on their own long before Election…Tom Steward -
- News
Study: Kids Don’t Eat Much of Healthy School Lunches
Healthier lunches have become available in schools across the nation. But students aren’t eating them. According to a new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study, “Nearly 6 in 10 [students] put a vegetable on their tray, but only a quarter actually eat even a single bite.” The researchers observed the eating habits of…Kate Scanlon