Center for Education Policy

Oct 30, 2023

Dear Colleague,

Welcome back. We are excited to share the latest from The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy.

Commentary from our Experts on the Latest Education News

Former Campus Radicals Now Teach Your Children

The Washington Examiner, Jay Greene and Jason Bedrick

Academia has an extremism problem. And what do these hateful ideologues do after obtaining their diplomas? Jay Greene and Jason Bedrick reveal that "More than a quarter of former campus radicals are in higher education, either as graduate instructors or as professors. One-tenth of them work in schools for younger children."

School Choice is Better for Democracy Than Government Schooling

The Daily Signal, Jason Bedrick and Keri D. Ingraham

School choice—not the government-run K-12 school monopoly—allows for the will of the people, which is true democracy. Heritage expert Jay Greene and the Discovery Institute's Keri D. Ingraham assert that "Parents have a much better record than government bureaucrats of choosing schools that instill their children with the civic knowledge and values necessary to preserve freedom, democracy, and the American way of life."

Chief Diversity Officers Harm the Students They Say They Help

Fox News, Jay Greene and Madison Marino

School districts create chief diversity officers or similar-sounding positions ostensibly to close racial achievement gaps by advocating for minority students and their particular needs. Jay Greene and Madison Marino reveal that "In practice, these bureaucrats enforce ideological orthodoxies on matters of race and gender that are educationally harmful for minority students."

No One Should be Surprised by the Depraved Radicalism On College Campuses

The Federalist, Jay Greene and Mike Gonzalez

Students and administrators at top universities — along with Black Lives Matter, the Democratic Socialists of America, and practically the entire radical left industrial complex — have shocked Americans by supporting terrorists who massacred more than 1,200 Jews last weekend. Jay Greene and Mike Gonzalez expound that "As we have long pointed out, DEI, CRT, BLM, ESG, etc. — the radical left’s unsavory alphabet soup — are Marxist groups or concepts dedicated to societal destruction, not reform."

Don't 'Decolonize' the Classroom

Washington Examiner, Jay Greene and Max Eden

In some quarters of academia, deep race-hatred and antisemitism are dressed up as "critical race theory" and "decolonization." Oppose it, and some young budding Karen Attiah-type will call you racist.  Heritage expert Jay Greene and the American Enterprise Institute's Max Eden explain that "Decolonization may have sounded like just another benign buzzword when national education organizations were pushing it into our schools, but trendy terms often mask evil goals."

The Lesson Is Clear: Regulation Makes Charter Schools Less Innovative

National Review, Jay Greene and Corey DeAngelis

Quite often, different kids need different kinds of schools. If states regulate charter schools too heavily, they stifle the variety of approaches that school choice could offer and prevent too many kids from finding the right kind of school for them. Heritage expert Jay Greene and the American Federation for Children's Corey DeAngelis conclude that "More heavily regulated charter-school sectors are generally less innovative and diverse."

Scandal: Arizona Families are Educating Their Children

Arizona Daily Independent, Jason Bedrick

Opponents of school choice in Arizona were promising an “explosive” report from the local ABC affiliate about the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. Right after Monday Night Football, we all found out the shocking truth: Arizona parents are using ESA funds to purchase—hold onto your seats!—educational products and services. Jason Bedrick explains that "ESA parents are just trying to give their children the education that they deserve."

Parents Objecting to Pornographic Material in School Libraries aren’t ‘Book Banners'

Washington Times, Jay Greene and Max Eden

The true significance of so-called book bans is not some resurgent racist or fascist impulse exhibited by a faction of American parents. Heritage expert Jay Greene and the American Enterprise Institute's Max Eden clarify that "It’s the profound moral disconnect between the 90% of Americans who believe that sexually obscene material does not belong in school libraries and an education establishment broadly convinced that it’s good, necessary and “inclusive” to show children explicit images of sexual acts."

North Carolina Families Win with Passage of Universal Ed Choice Eligibility

ReimaginED, Jonathan Butcher

After a transformative year in which more than a dozen states either created new learning options for children in K-12 schools or expanded existing opportunities, North Carolina officials adopted a budget which makes their state the ninth in the U.S. that empowers all families with the ability to choose how and where their children learn. Jonathan Butcher explains, "It is only fitting that when every child is struggling to succeed in assigned schools, lawmakers would make every child eligible to find help somewhere else."

GMU’s President Gets it Wrong: DEI Has Overtaken His School

The Daily Signal, Jay Greene and Mike Gonzalez

Does having a bevy of officers who push race, sex, and LGBT victim/oppressor theories on university students enhance or detract from their learning? This is the question that George Mason University’s president, Gregory Washington, never addresses in his criticism of The Heritage Foundation's report on the extravagant “diversity, equity, and inclusion” bureaucracies he oversees at GMU. Jay Greene and Mike Gonzalez argue that "Washington’s silence on all this speaks volumes. We equally take his studied attempt to downplay any support of DEI itself as a testament to the toxicity surrounding these practices."

Evidence Reveals Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Was Right on DEI. Here’s What Parents and Students Need to Know

The Daily Signal, Jonathan Butcher

Yes, Virginia, radicals are promoting racial discrimination and drag queens in the Old Dominion’s public schools. Gov. Glenn Youngkin, however, has tried to protect children from sexually explicit content and reject racial prejudice since his first day in office. Jonathan Butcher asserts, "New evidence on Virginia universities’ DEI offices proves that Youngkin and other public officials who are trying to restore a sense of racial equality under the law have been right all along."

A Huge School-Choice Win in North Carolina

National Review, Jason Bedrick and Lindsey Burke

The story of the school-choice movement is still being written. But what has just transpired in North Carolina will likely be remembered as a key turning point. Jason Bedrick and Lindsey Burke argue, "As more states adopt expansive school-choice policies and families become accustomed to the ability to choose the learning environments that align with their values and work best for their children, public support for the issue is likely to grow."

Is DEI Losing its Hold on College Campuses?

Washington Examiner, Jonathan Butcher

DEI activists are still planning conferences nationwide to promote, as one organization describes it, “community, collaboration, learning, and inspiration” on DEI. But more and more employers, including colleges, are scuttling their DEI offices and eliminating staff. Jonathan Butcher begs the question, "Where will conference attendees go once the show is over and no one is buying their racist message?"

The Spiritual Cost of the Extracurricular Regimen

First Things, Rachel Alexander Cambre

It’s the start of a new school year, which means students are diving back into classes and coursework. It’s also the season when after-school commitments resume, with students signing up for clubs, teams, and leadership positions they hope will catch the eye of college admissions counselors. Rachel Cambre states, "Domestic tasks come at a cost, leaving less time for personal advancement at the academic or career level; they also provide an education of their own."

Education Around the Country Looks Different This School Year. Here’s What Parents Need to Know

The Daily Signal, Jonathan Butcher and Jason Bedrick

State lawmakers made this school year one of new, creative opportunities for millions of families around the U.S. Millions more are waiting—and ready—for education freedom to come to their states. Jonathan Butcher and Jason Bedrick explain that "Education choice options are now available to millions of families around the U.S. after state lawmakers made 2023 the 'year of education freedom.'”

Classical Education’s Remedy for America’s Loneliness Epidemic

Public Discourse, Rachel Alexander Cambre

Classical schools embrace an older understanding of education, one that prepares students for festivity and friendship, rather than socially handicapping them. Rachel Cambre writes, "Like their ancient and medieval predecessors, classical educators maintain that a crucial purpose of education is to liberate students from a calculative, utilitarian mindset by teaching them how to enjoy intrinsically worthwhile activities for their own sake."

Colleges Should Ignore the Biden Administration’s Post-Affirmative-Action Sniping

The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, Jonathan Butcher

The Education Department released guidelines earlier this month for college administrators to use following the Supreme Court’s decision. Given the Biden administration’s criticism of the Court and support for racial preferences, students, families, and lawmakers should monitor what school personnel do next. Jonathan Butcher argues, "College and University officials will find that their institutions improve if they take the Court’s reasoning to heart and ignore the Biden administration’s sniping."

Heritage Experts in the Media

School Choice is Working | Matthew Ladner on Salem News

Questionable Conclusions on School Spending Cast Doubt on Economist’s Research | Jay Greene on Education Next: Education Exchange Podcast