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
Just 8 House Democrats Voted for Parental Consent Pronouns Bill
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 217–198 to require federally funded elementary and middle schools to obtain parental consent before changing a student’s gender on forms or sex-based accommodations. Only eight Democrats voted for the bill. Democrat Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Cleo Fields of Louisiana, Lauren Gillen…Rebecca Downs -
- Opinion
Is Wokeness Coming to the University of Florida?
Many see the University of Florida as a bastion against wokeness and DEI, but that might soon change; Stuart Bell, formerly president at the University of Alabama, was recently named sole presidential finalist for the University of Florida. Bell brought DEI policies to Alabama upon his arrival in 2015 and radicalized Alabama’s flagship university within five years. Later, when…Scott Yenor -
- Opinion
‘POVERTY PALACE’: How Is the SPLC Wealthier Than the YMCA and Planned Parenthood?
These are the remarks Tyler O’Neil plans to deliver before the House Judiciary Committee in his opening statement Wednesday morning. The text may change between publication now and the testimony then. Chairman [Jim] Jordan, Ranking Member [Jamie] Raskin, members of the committee, I am honored to testify before you today. I will argue that the…Tyler O’Neil -
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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,…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
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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. …Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- Opinion
Study Examines Whether Advanced Degrees Are Worth Costs
The Left believes there is a contrived war on higher education. However, recent analysis counters that claim by showing that there is an economic disadvantage for many Americans taking on the cost of an advanced degree. The analysis has now landed firmly on the conclusion that much advanced education is a rigged game. This is…Bruce Bialosky -
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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…Andrea Picciotti-Bayer -
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Ohio’s School Choice Program Moves Through the Courts
The 10th District Court of Appeals this week heard arguments regarding Ohio’s school voucher program, EdChoice, and will decide whether to uphold a judge’s ruling that the program is unconstitutional. A decision from Common Pleas Court Judge Jaiza Page was appealed last July by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who has defended school choice. Whatever…Rebecca Downs -
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Did Loudoun County Public Schools Try to Cover Up Another Transgender Bathroom Scandal? America First Legal Demands Answers
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—America First Legal is demanding information amid claims that Loudoun County Public Schools hid from parents key safety concerns about a student, who identifies as transgender, filming boys without their pants and underwear in high school bathrooms. “By all reports, there are over forty victims over the course of three years….Tyler O’Neil -
- Opinion
How Did This Leftist Group Smuggle Its Divisive Ideas Into 169 School Districts, Without Parents Knowing?
The Southern Poverty Law Center has spread its woke activist agenda in education to at least 169 school districts in 42 states, according to a new report, and the impact of teachers unions helps explain this expansive influence. Learning for Justice, the SPLC’s education arm, promotes “social justice” activism, pushes racially divisive messaging, and advocates…Tyler O’Neil -
- 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…Stephanie Lundquist-Arora -
- 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…Paul Runko -
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A Boycott That’s Increasingly Off-Target: The Pitfalls of Pushing DEI
In an announcement on YouTube in March, Atlanta pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant said that he and his fellow progressive Target boycotters were declaring victory and going home—or back to Target, as the case may be. “This fight, for us, has now reached its conclusion,” he said. There was only one problem: No one told the…Stephen Soukup -
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Self-Censorship and the Silenced Generation
Are America’s college students doing to themselves what the Chinese Communist state does to its citizens? An Ivy League professor—an old-fashioned liberal who actually cares about free speech—recently warned me about what’s happening in classrooms like his. He encourages class discussion of the great books he teaches in class—but students are afraid to speak, not…Daniel McCarthy -
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Arizona School Resource Directed Teachers to Condemn Moms for Liberty, Turning Point USA in Class
A curriculum audit for an Arizona school district last year identified a resource that urged teachers to direct students to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “hate map” and avoid the websites of “hate groups” or their sympathizers. Critics have faulted the SPLC for putting mainstream conservative and Christian groups, such as Moms for Liberty, Turning…Tyler O’Neil -
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Virginia May Enact Disastrous Public Sector Collective Bargaining Legislation
A pair of bills sits on Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk that, if enacted, would expand public sector union power at the expense of taxpayers. Late last month, the Virginia House and Senate sent HB1263 and SB378 to the governor for her signature. Both bills would remove longstanding prohibitions on collective bargaining for public sector…Douglas Blair -
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The Race-Obsessed Left Complains When the Supreme Court Issues a Colorblind Ruling
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a concurring opinion, joined by Justice Neil Gorsuch, in the recent case that restricted the use of race in designing a Louisiana congressional district. Thomas wrote: “This Court should never have interpreted [Section)] 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to effectively give racial groups ‘an entitlement to…Larry Elder -
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‘HYPOCRITES’: Top Ed Official Slams Democrats for Opposing Rule to Lower College Costs
Undersecretary of Education Nicholas Kent slammed congressional Democrats for attempting to block a rule that would lower higher education costs for Americans. “Democrats are hypocrites,” Kent told The Daily Signal in an exclusive interview. “For years, they have purported to care about student debt, but now they’ve reaffirmed what we’ve all been saying, which is,…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- Opinion
Even Venice Isn’t Safe From America’s Culture War
For over a century, the Venice Biennale has existed to allow nations to present reflections of their national narrative through contemporary art. Saturday marks the public opening of the 61st Biennale. Given the mass of negative, left-wing press surrounding the American pavilion, one might think the U.S. was erecting a giant, golden statue of President…Anna Gustafson -
- Opinion
Top Research University Skirts Civil Rights Laws, Pushes DEI
Carnegie Mellon University is skirting civil rights laws, making the university ripe for investigation. Pennsylvania lawmakers and the U.S. Department of Education should use CMU as an example to demonstrate that private schools are not above the law. CMU, which has had contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense totaling some $2.8 billion since 2008,…Jonathan Butcher