Education

2020 Candidates Seize on College Admissions Scandal

March 13, 2019 at 9:14 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read: “The jaw-dropping college admissions scandal that ensnared two Hollywood actresses and embarrassed some of the country’s top universities not only underscores the divide between the haves and have-nots.”

“It also plays into the hands of the Democratic presidential hopefuls who have made erasing this divide a central message in their campaigns.”

“But the story also might play with Trump voters who think college is rigged, although maybe for a different reason — affirmative action.”

“The nation is rightfully outraged after yesterday’s news, which exposed 1) how the wealthy have tried to take advantage of the system, and 2) how another American institution (higher education) has let us down.”

College Affordability Unites the Democrats

February 26, 2019 at 4:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Atlantic: “Bernie Sanders has called for tuition-free college. Julián Castro has signaled support for it as well. Elizabeth Warren has pushed, for years, for ‘debt-free’ college. Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Kirsten Gillibrand have signed on to legislation that could make college debt-free. Even Amy Klobuchar, who notably shirked ‘free college for all’ during a CNN town hall in February, signed on to a metered free-college proposal last year.”

“All together, the field seems to have converged on a consensus: A free-college proposal—or an answer about why they don’t have one—is something of a prerequisite for Democratic candidates hoping to challenge Donald Trump in the 2020 election.”

Most Americans Would Fail Citizenship Test

February 18, 2019 at 8:31 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A majority of Americans in every state except Vermont would fail a test based on the questions in the U.S. citizenship test, according to Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation survey.

“It suggests most Americans can’t live up to the standards we set for people applying to be U.S. citizens — and we set those standards because we expect Americans to be informed and engaged. Only four out of 10 Americans would have passed the test, and just 27% of those under age 45.”

Graham Says Border Wall More Important than Schools

February 17, 2019 at 6:42 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told CBS News that middle school children in Kentucky would be better off if funds that would otherwise have gone to building new schools were used for a border wall.

Said Graham: “It’s better for the middle school kids in Kentucky to have a secure border. We’ll get them the school they need, but right now we’ve got a national emergency.”

DeVos Will Spend Nearly $8 Million on Security

October 3, 2018 at 5:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ security detail is projected to cost up to $7.74 million from now through the end of September 2019, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service told Politico.

Lawmaker Wants to Ban Teachers from Talking Politics

September 19, 2018 at 12:54 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Pennsylvania state Rep. Will Tallman (R) has introduced a bill that would ban public school teachers from discussing politics or government in their classrooms, the Allentown Morning Call reports.

“Tallman said his bill would forbid public school teachers from endorsing, supporting or opposing candidates or incumbents for local, state and federal offices while in the classroom. On the job, teachers could not discuss enacted or pending legislation, regulations, executive orders or court cases involving any level or branch of government.”

GOP Lawmaker Accuses Atheists of Spying on School

September 19, 2018 at 10:45 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) claimed that what he described as “atheist litigation groups” in California were trying to get hidden video of Christian student activities at a local high school, the Shreveport Times reports.

“Johnson’s claims are the latest chapter in a saga involving a federal lawsuit alleging that teachers and other staff have consistently promoted Christianity in Bossier Parish Schools in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit also alleges that some teachers or staff have sought to shame or coerce non-Christian students.”

DeVos Says Universities No Longer Seek Truth

September 17, 2018 at 3:21 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Education Secretary Betsy DeVos says free speech on college campuses is being threatened and told students in Philadelphia that listening to people with differing views is an important part of education,” the AP reports.

Said DeVos: “More than a few institutions have been unwilling to provide a forum for their students to discuss serious policy matters that affect our country. I can and have found other forums, but what about students who cannot?”

She added: “We have abandoned truth.”

Texas Votes to Remove Hillary Clinton from History Books

September 15, 2018 at 12:39 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

As part of an effort to “streamline” the social studies curriculum in public schools, the Texas Board of Education “voted Friday to adjust what students in every grade are required to learn in the classroom. Among the changes, board members approved the removal of several historical figures, including Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller, from the curriculum,” the Dallas Morning News reports.

“The board also voted to keep in the curriculum a reference to the ‘heroism’ of the defenders of the Alamo, which had been recommended for elimination, as well as Moses’ influence on the writing of the nation’s founding documents, multiple references to ‘Judeo-Christian’ values and a requirement that students explain how the ‘Arab rejection of the State of Israel has led to ongoing conflict’ in the Middle East.”

Rauner Vetoes Bill to Raise Teacher Pay

August 27, 2018 at 9:54 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) “vetoed legislation that would have raised the minimum salary for an Illinois teacher to $40,000 within five years, putting the re-election-seeking Republican at odds with teachers unions once again,” the Chicago Tribune reports.

“The bill approved by lawmakers in the spring would make the minimum teacher salary for next school year $32,076. The number would rise to $40,000 for the 2022-23 term and grow with the Consumer Price Index after that.”

Yacht Owned by DeVos Set Adrift by Vandals

July 26, 2018 at 8:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A 163-foot yacht worth a reported $40 million and owned by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was vandalized over the weekend and set adrift, the Toledo Blade reports.

“The crew eventually got control of the yacht, but not before it struck the dock, causing an estimated $5,000 to $10,000 in damage from large scratches and scrapes… Officers were searching for surveillance video that may show who untied the yacht.”

Trump Reverses Obama on Affirmative Action

July 3, 2018 at 11:14 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration will encourage the nation’s school superintendents and college presidents to adopt race-blind admissions standards, abandoning an Obama administration policy that called on universities to consider race as a factor in diversifying their campuses,” the New York Times reports.

“The reversal would restore the policy set during President George W. Bush’s administration, when officials told schools that it ‘strongly encourages the use of race-neutral methods’ for admitting students to college or assigning them to elementary and secondary schools.”

6 GOP Incumbents Ousted in Oklahoma

June 27, 2018 at 12:44 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“At least six Republican incumbents were bounced from office during Oklahoma’s primary election, including several who were targeted by pro-education groups,” the AP reports.

“Tuesday’s primary election was the first test for many of the nearly 100 teachers running for office in Oklahoma after a year that saw tens of thousands of educators walk off their job for two weeks to protest dwindling funding for schools.”

Trump Will Propose Merging Labor and Education

June 21, 2018 at 6:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The White House is set to propose merging the Labor and Education departments as part of a broader reorganization of the federal government,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Washington Post: “The long-awaited proposal to reorganize federal agencies would shrink some and augment the missions of others. It is the result of a directive that Mick Mulvaney, head of the Office of Management and Budget, issued to federal leaders 14 months ago. He urged them to find ways to merge overlapping, duplicative offices and programs and eliminate those the administration views as unnecessary.”

“The plan also is expected to include major changes to the way the government provides benefits for low-income Americans, an area that conservatives have long targeted as excessive, by consolidating safety-net programs that are administered through multiple agencies.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

June 13, 2018 at 6:23 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Sixty percent of public school children in the state of Arizona today are minorities. That complicates racial integration because there aren’t enough white kids to go around.”

— Arizona state Rep. David Stringer (R), quoted by the Phoenix New Times, adding that immigration is an “existential threat” to the United States.

Democrats Propose Swapping Tax Cut for Teacher Salaries

May 24, 2018 at 10:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Responding to teacher walkouts across the country, congressional Democrats on Tuesday proposed raising teachers’ salaries by canceling the tax cut for the nation’s top 1 percent of earners,” the AP reports.

“The Republican-controlled Congress was unlikely to support the idea of giving states and school districts $50 billion over a decade to fund the teacher raises at the expense of dismantling the hard-won tax bill.”

“But the proposal gives Democrats an issue they can use ahead of the November midterm elections. Teachers have won widespread support, even in conservative areas, as they complain about low pay.”

Arizona May No Longer Teach Evolution

May 21, 2018 at 7:11 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The teaching of evolution in Arizona classrooms could be taking a big step backwards,” KVOA-TV reports.

“School Superintendent Diane Douglas is apparently behind a rewrite of science standards for all Arizona school children that would delete references to evolution.”

Arizona Teachers Vote for Statewide Walkout

April 20, 2018 at 9:23 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Arizona teachers voted for a statewide walkout next week, escalating their push for higher pay and increased school funding,” CNN reports.

“The Arizona Education Association announced Thursday night that its members voted to strike. Of the more than 57,000 votes tallied, 78% of school employees in the state were in favor of a walkout.”