Dear Colleagues:
While Captain Kirk floated in space and the debt ceiling increased to astronomical levels, the Center for Education Policy remained on the ground promoting education freedom.
 

A must-watch event!
 
Tomorrow at 12pm ET, our Senior Research Fellow in Education Policy, Dr. Jay Greene, will participate in a discussion with American Federation for Teachers president, Randi Weingarten, about the post-pandemic future of education freedom. The discussion is hosted by Harvard’s Kennedy School and will be centered around the question, “what school options should families be offered in the post-pandemic era?” Register for access to the zoom link here <[link removed]>.
Grade inflation in the name of equity
 
Over at FoxNews.com <[link removed]>, Lindsey Burke discusses the decision by a middle school near St. Paul, Minnesota to no longer hand out "F" grades to students who hand in the lowest quality work, all in the name of "eliminating systemic racism." After conducting an "equity audit," the school decided to abandon giving failing grades. As she writes, this type of grade inflation "does nothing to help struggling students. It simply masks areas where they may struggle academically, advancing them when they’re unprepared for more rigorous work."

 
In case you missed it
 
Jonathan Butcher and our Heritage Foundation colleague Mike Gonzalez wrote a strong response <[link removed]> to
Attorney General Merrick Garland’s memo, condemning attempts to intimidate parents attending school board meetings to advocate on behalf of their children. Several state school board associations, including those in Louisiana, Virginia, Georgia, Texas, Delaware, and Florida, also denounced the National School Board Association’s letter that triggered federal action. These groups took a strong stance on the side of all parents, rejecting the overt partisanship of the Department of Justice. Garland is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee next week. Expect this to be one of the main issues he is questioned on.
 
There is still hope that the mansion of cards that is the “spending/reconciliation package” falls as House and Senate Democrats fight over the $3.5 trillion price tag. However, early childhood education programs make up the structure’s foundation, and the ill-advised push for government preschool could be left standing after the months-long battle is over. Lindsey and I dissect <[link removed]> the bill and succinctly tell you why universal pre-k and childcare subsidies would be terrible for children, parents, and childcare/pre-k providers. This spending measure would give the government more control over childcare at even earlier ages.
 
Jonathan Butcher’s book Splintered: Critical Race Theory and the Progressive War on Truth is available for pre-order! Jonathan explains how CRT has hijacked the U.S. education system on every level. Parents, students, educators, and policymakers must know and support the truth about American history and reject this divisive and anti-American theory’s obsession with skin color and prejudice. You can pre-order Jonathan’s book here <[link removed]>.
Warmly,
John
 
John Schoof
Research Associate and Project Coordinator
Center for Education Policy
Institute for Family, Community, and Opportunity
The Heritage Foundation

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