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
‘Boys and Girls’ a No-No at School Seeking to Be More ‘Gender Inclusive’
LINCOLN, Neb.—A middle school employee gave teachers training documents advising them not to use “gendered expressions” by calling students “boys and girls” or “ladies and gentlemen,” but to instead use more generic expressions such as campers, readers, athletes or even purple penguins to be more “gender inclusive.” A handout called “12 easy steps on the way… -
news
See Why This School District Is Standing Up to an Atheist Group
Post by Donald Zolan. An atheist group has demanded that an Oklahoma school remove a poster from its main office–but the school district said “no.” For the last 18 years, a poster based on a painting, “Faith in America” by Donald Zolan, has been displayed in the main office of Kenneth Cooper Middle School in… -
news
Middle Schoolers Bored by Common Core’s One-Size-Fits-All Approach
Seventh grader Kayla Gillman loves math. She doesn’t love Common Core math. Thanks to Common Core, her Sacramento, Calif., middle school, Turlock Junior High, only offers one one math course for seventh grade students and one math class for eighth grade students. Gillman says it’s not challenging enough, and parents are requesting additional classes that… -
news
Teachers Sue Union for Censoring Charitable Donations
Two teachers have taken Pennsylvania’s largest teachers union to court over its attempt to decide which charities may be supported by teachers as an alternative when they decline to join the union on religious grounds. The teachers, Chris Meier from Lancaster County and Jane Ladley from Chester County, are required—as a condition of employment—either to… -
opinion
Is School Choice Feasible in Rural States?
School choice is now a reality for children in 24 states and Washington, D.C. They take advantage of some 40 options ranging from tuition scholarships to education savings accounts. Although states across the country have embraced school choice, rural states have done so more slowly, in part, say some, out of a belief that choice… -
opinion
School Board Tells Homeschool Family Their Curriculum Must Be ‘Guided’ by Common Core Standards
For many public school students, Common Core national standards and tests are being implemented in their classrooms this school year. Yet parent opposition has been vocal over the past few years, 60 percent of the public opposes Common Core, and teacher support for the standards has dropped precipitously over the past year from 76 percent… -
news
University Reconsiders Questionnaire About Students’ Sex Lives
Officials at Western New Mexico University say a controversial questionnaire that sparked complains elsewhere in the country because it asked students about their sex lives and drinking habits will be administered only after it’s been vetted by WNMU’s administration. “We are going to review the questions more carefully going forward,” WNMU public information officer Abe Villareal said Tuesday after… -
opinion
Teachers Union Trying to Block School Choice Loses in Florida Court
Florida children won in court Wednesday. In a hearing that lasted approximately 19-minutes, Leon County circuit court judge Charles Francis dismissed the Florida Education Association’s lawsuit to block the state’s innovative Personal Learning Scholarship Account school choice option, finding that the FEA did not have standing to challenge the law. Although the FEA has 15… -
news
S.C. High School Apologizes for Forcing Students to Remove American Flags on 9/11
Administrators at a South Carolina high school confiscated American flags from students’ trucks on 9/11 as part of a rule preventing students from calling “an unusual amount of attention to oneself.” On the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, four students at Woodruff High School arrived at school with large American flags propped… -
news
First of Its Kind: Tufts University Hires Humanist Chaplain for Atheist Students
Five years ago, a group of atheist and agnostic students launched a campaign to hire a nonreligious chaplain at Tufts University. With the recent addition of a university-funded “humanist in residence,’ it appears their prayers—or lack thereof—have finally been answered. The new position is believed to be the first-ever university-funded campus chaplain catering to atheist,… -
news
UK’s Fox: We Must Stop ISIS Before It Becomes ‘University of Jihad’
If the world does not destroy the terrorist group ISIS, former British Defense Secretary Liam Fox said today, “they will become the University of Jihad, ready and willing to export their graduates to wherever they can do the greatest damage.” Fox, speaking at The Heritage Foundation, also addressed global economics, Russian aggression in Ukraine and… -
news
Teachers Hope to Erase Union Dues That Deny Free Speech
Fourth-grade teacher Rebecca Friedrichs doesn’t support a new state law allowing self-identifying transgender children in the public school system to choose which bathrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities they will use. Allowing these students to occupy the same private space with classmates who don’t share their biological traits, Friedrichs believes, puts the interests of a… -
news
Virginia School Bans Chapstick
A school board in Virginia got an earful from one of its students last week over its ban on lip balm. Last winter, Grace Karaffa, a student in Augusta County, was told by her teachers she was not allowed to bring lip balm to school or to wear it while in the building because of… -
news
How the Unaccompanied Children Crisis Is Affecting Public Schools
This year, more than 50,000 unaccompanied children have crossed the southern border into the U.S. If you’re wondering where they’ve gone, you may need to look no further than the classrooms of your local public school. On May 8, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to local… -
news
Poll Finds Strong Support for School Choice in Wisconsin’s Swing Districts
MADISON, Wis. — School choice in Wisconsin now has a big voice advocating for it. The American Federation for Children, “the nation’s voice for educational choice,” this week announced the launch of Wisconsin Federation for Children. Officials of AFC, which has been active in Wisconsin for a decade, say the launch of the local campaign… -
news
Vermont Schools Ban Brownies, Replace Them With Kale
It’s a best-seller at bake sales, a king of American confections, even a mandatory munchie of marijuana users. But the iconic chocolate brownie, that perfect blend of cake and cookie, is banned in Vermont schools. In its place are new hoped-for kid favorites such as fruit shish kabob, kale and even gluten-free paleo lemon bars…. -
news
Controversial Sex Education Program Reinstated in Hawaii Public Schools
HONOLULU — Hawaii’s State Department of Education will reinstate the controversial “Pono Choices” sex education curriculum, but the program for middle school students will include some key revisions after pressure from parents and lawmakers. The curriculum, developed by the University of Hawaii Center on Disability Studies, set off a firestorm over the last year. Some… -
opinion
Police Tackle Female High Schooler for Using a Cellphone in School
How many adults does it take to tackle a girl standing only 4’10” tall and weighing just 100 pounds? Well, at Sam Houston High School the answer appears to be three. Ixel Perez is that girl. She is a 10th grade student at Sam Houston High School in Texas who claims three school resource officers… -
opinion
In One State, More Children Homeschool Than Attend Private Schools. Why That Shouldn’t Shock You.
In North Carolina, the number of homeschoolers has now surpassed the number of students attending private schools. That statistic may seem shocking if you’ve been a stranger to the growth of the homeschooling movement, which has rapidly increased in recent decades. In 1973, there were approximately 13,000 children, ages 5 to 17, being homeschooled in… -
news
How an Anti-Religion Group Convinced a Florida School District to Ban Team Chaplains
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Florida’s fourth-largest public school district is cracking down on religious expression at sporting events. Orange County Public Schools in Orlando has banned team chaplains, signs with Bible references and religious-oriented phrases from appearing on student-athlete clothing. It also prohibited religious music on game tapes. The new policies aren’t a response to complaints from parents…