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news
Gov. Shapiro Abandoning 30,000 Children as PA Democrats Push to Strip School Choice
Pennsylvania Democrats rushed anti-school choice legislation Tuesday, bypassing regular order and sneaking up on Republicans. They aim to strip 30,000 children of educational scholarships, pocket the children’s scholarship money, and cut public charter school funding by $500 million. Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro was elected in part because of his promise to return educational choice to… -
breaking
Ed Department Transfers More Key Responsibilities in Next Moves to Dismantle Agency
The Department of Education is transferring two of its key responsibilities to other parts of the executive branch, marking the administration’s latest effort to wind down the agency’s operations. The agency is moving its Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to the Department of Health and Human Services. OSER staff will work with HHS… -
opinion
The Academic Achievement Gap Is a Knowledge Gap
Children of married parents with high education levels are more likely to be healthy and succeed in school and life than their peers. Children from these families are also more likely to live above the poverty line and benefit from extracurricular activities such as music lessons, sports, and summer camp. These activities offer students prized… -
opinion
Fairfax Schools’ Pricey Legal Advice Disguised as ‘Independent Investigation’
Earlier this year, 13 girls attending Fairfax High School told school administrators that Israel Flores Ortiz, a 19-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador attending the school as a junior, groped their genitals in the hallway as they were transitioning between classes. In April, Ortiz was sentenced to 360 days in jail for multiple counts of… -
opinion
Parents Must Remain Vigilant Against the Ideological Colonization of Libraries
America’s culture war is still being fought, and New York is the latest flare-up. The state’s lawmakers recently introduced legislation that replaces the terms “father” and “mother” from state child custody laws, using gender-neutral language like “gestating parent” instead. The lesson for American parents? Remain vigilant. This isn’t a left-versus-right issue; it is the commonsense crowd—a strong… -
exclusive
Harris Sounds Alarm, Feds Launch Title IX Probe Into North Carolina Schools
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Department of Education has launched an investigation into a North Carolina public school district as officials continue to allow biological men in women’s restrooms, violating presidential executive orders and Title IX. Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., called the violations “deeply disturbing” and thanked the secretary of the department for “quick action.”… -
opinion
What Every Graduate Should Aim For
Many of today’s graduates are about to make the same mistake Matthew Emmons made during the 2004 Olympics. It’s commencement season for high school and college seniors. The future may be unknown, but graduates know what they want in their future—money. A 2025 poll by Harvard Political Review asked young Americans to identify their important… -
exclusive
Trump Admin Slashes Burdensome Regulations for State Education Reform
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Department of Education is slashing federal regulations that could hinder states from improving their schools, the administration’s latest move in its dismantling of the agency and its effort to return education policy to the states. The Education Department has approved Education Flexibility applications for the states of Florida and Illinois,… -
exclusive
California School District Spends $300K to Partner With LGBTQ Center
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A California school district spent $300,000 to partner with an LGBTQ+ center that provides “affirming programs, resources, and community care” to minors ages 12 and up. Pomona Unified School District in Pomona, California, signed a memorandum of understanding for the 2024-2025 school year for a “mentoring program” with Pomona Valley Pride. … -
opinion
The Perfect Children’s Book for America 250
As our nation marks the 250th anniversary of its independence, we are offered many occasions to commemorate, debate, and reassess. What “The American Book of Fables,” written by Matthew Mehan and illustrated by John Folley, offers is something different and more lasting: the chance to remember and to love. Not with passing sweetness, but with the… -
opinion
Fairfax County’s Political Ecosystem Protects Illegal Immigrants at the Expense of All Others
Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a federal civil rights investigation into Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano over allegations that his office gave preferential treatment to illegal immigrants accused of serious crimes. This Thursday, mere days after that announcement, Descano—who has received more than $650,000 from George Soros-backed PACs and affiliated groups—is… -
opinion
Fairfax Schools’ Response to Financial Scandal: Denial, Deflection, and Spin
Fairfax County Public Schools’ superintendent, Michelle Reid, refuses to let facts get in the way of her finely tuned narrative. Last Friday afternoon, as the public was growing increasingly aware that district leaders are shuffling resources from classrooms to administrative bloat, she sent an email to the district’s employees, assuring them that FCPS remains a… -
opinion
When Educational Institutions Drift, Build New Ones
Recently, comedian Rob Schneider posted on X: “I would like to start a CONSERVATIVE TEACHERS UNION as an alternative to the WOKE EMOTIONAL LUNATICS in the @NEA Teacher’s Communist Union…” While those are not the words I would have used, the underlying point resonates: Many educators and parents feel that the nation’s largest teachers unions… -
opinion
The Hidden Health Hazard Behind America’s Fertility Crisis
America’s fertility rate has hit a new record low of 1.57 in 2025, well below replacement rate. It’s been on this steep downward trajectory since 2007. The MAHA movement has recently brought much-needed attention to America’s fertility crisis, with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy calling it a “national security threat.” MAHA… -
opinion
Fairfax Schools Fund PhDs for Highly Paid Administrators as Teacher Positions Cut, Class Sizes Raised
After cutting 275 teaching positions and increasing class sizes this academic year, Fairfax County Public Schools has launched a program to fund Ph.D.s for some of its highest-paid district administrators. On Aug. 5, 2025, FCPS Chief of Schools Geovanny Ponce, who earns an annual salary of $289,565, emailed hundreds of district administrators to announce the program. “FCPS… -
opinion
School Choice Demands Improved Student Transportation
School choice and student transportation have a lot of Venn diagram overlap. A 2009 survey of parents in Denver and Washington, D.C., found that more than a quarter of respondents reported not enrolling their child in the school they preferred due to transportation difficulties. The Heritage Foundation recently released a report on modernizing student transportation for an era of school choice. Currently,… -
opinion
Corruption Is Part of Why School District ‘Democracy’ Is Rigged and Wasteful
In 2019, the Scottsdale Unified School District in Arizona spent over $20 million to tear down and completely rebuild a school named Pima Elementary. This year, it voted to close the school. Pima Elementary, designed for up to 840 students, reopened at less than 60% of that capacity, and it continued to decline. This fall,… -
exclusive
Inside the Second Lady’s Effort to Make Reading Great Again
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Second lady Usha Vance previewed her future literacy efforts and discussed how reading with her own children inspired her to invest in the literacy of America’s children. The second lady participated in a fireside chat Wednesday afternoon with the Executive Office of the President librarian, Sarena Burgess, in honor of National… -
opinion
Foreign Donations Are Buying Influence Over K-12 Schools. Here’s What Parents Need to Know.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Education revamped efforts to track foreign donations to postsecondary institutions. State lawmakers have never required the same oversight of international gifts to K-12 schools—until now. Colleges and universities are required to report foreign gifts worth $250,000 or more to the U.S. Department of Education. For 2025, the agency… -
news
‘He Tried to Save Us’: ODU Cadets Recall ROTC Classroom Attack
Cadets from Old Dominion University spoke publicly for the first time since the terrorist attack inside their Army ROTC classroom that left their instructor dead and two students wounded. On March 12, ISIS supporter Mohamed Bailor Jalloh entered the classroom, shouted “Allahu Akbar,” and opened fire, killing Lt. Col. Brandon Shah and wounding two cadets….
