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
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… -
news
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… -
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,… -
news
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… -
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
news
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… -
news
‘Dumb?’: Joe Scarborough Schools Howard Dean on Scott Walker and the Value of a College Degree
Democratic commentator Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor who rose and fell quickly in the 2004 presidential race, sounded this morning like he thinks a college degree should be a prerequisite for holding the top job in the White House. Dean said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s three and a half… -
news
Jindal Emphasizes Teacher Tenure Reform, School Choice in Sweeping Education Plan
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, hoping that a push for education reform can set him apart among prospective Republican candidates for president, today begins to tout a national plan he says would create “an ecosystem of freedom and choice” for parents, students and teachers. His proposals, Jindal says in the plan to be released this morning,… -
news
Scott Walker Calls for Major Changes at University of Wisconsin System
MADISON, Wis.—More than 35,000 public employees would be removed from state government rolls if Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal stays intact through the legislative process. Walker’s 2015-17 budget proposal, which was introduced Tuesday, makes major changes to the operation of the state’s University of Wisconsin System. The second-term governor’s plan would split off the system… -
news
Obama’s Student Loan Forgiveness Program Has $21.8 Billion Shortfall
The Obama administration’s student loan program came up $21.8 billion short last year because of unpaid and forgiven loans. According to Politico, which found the number buried in President Obama’s 2016 budget proposal this week, the shortfall is “the largest ever recorded for any government credit program.” The president’s student loan initiative limits student loan payments to… -
opinion
School Suspends 9-Year-Old Boy for Pretending to Be Bilbo Baggins
It is hard to imagine that when J.R.R. Tolkien published “The Hobbit” he expected school officials would suspend children for imaginatively recreating scenes from the book. But that is exactly what happened to Aiden Steward, a 9-year-old boy from Kermit, Texas. After watching the movie “The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies” one weekend with… -
opinion
The Next Frontier in School Choice
As we celebrate National School Choice Week, education-reform advocates would be wise to reflect on purpose of school choice as articulated by Milton Friedman, the father of the modern school choice movement. Friedman first proposed the concept of school vouchers in 1955, arguing that by introducing consumer choice into education, vouchers could help create a… -
opinion
The Future of School Choice: An Education Savings Account for Every Child
This week, over 11,000 educational choice events occurred in every state across America—with millions in attendance— to commemorate the 5th annual National School Choice Week. School Choice Week celebrates the thousands of children around the nation benefiting from parental choice in education and encourages more states to adopt policies providing all students an opportunity to… -
opinion
Another Successful and Inspiring National School Choice Week
The 2015 National School Choice Week is underway, and there are so many exciting events taking place all over America. Our kickoff event on January 25 here in Little Rock, Arkansas, generated wonderful discussions with parents, educators, and supporters on the state of education in Arkansas and around the country. This week has brought to… -
news
Citing Gender Discrimination, University Bans ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ Salutations
The City University of New York wants employees at its graduate center to stop using the salutations “Mr.,” “Mrs.” and “Ms.,” sparking a heated debate about gender discrimination and political correctness. This morning on “Fox and Friends,” Campus Reform reporter Gabriella Morrongiello, a contributor to The Daily Signal and graduate of The Heritage Foundation’s Young…