In 2025, American students from kindergarten through law school are dumber than they’ve ever been, and we needn’t look beyond the nation’s abysmal math and English literacy <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NAEP scores</a> to prove it. Now, more than 200 California bar exam takers have had their failing scores <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/more-than-200-california-bar-exam-takers-move-from-fail-pass-after-new-scoring-adjustment?intcmp=tw_fnc&amp;taid=683e94171dc732000173e032&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter">adjusted</a> to “pass,” indicating that the newest crop of California lawyers are dumber than they’ve ever been, too. What’s more, under simultaneous consideration by the state bar is a rule allowing students who registered for — but withdrew from — taking the bar exam altogether, to practice law under the supervision of “qualified” attorneys, bar exam be hanged.
Something nefarious is afoot, and its name is equity.
Public schools in Arlington, Virginia, <a href="https://ednewsva.org/arlington-public-schools-lowers-grading-standards-in-the-name-of-equity/">allow</a> students to redo assignments, turn in late work, and reduce the weight given to homework and quizzes. Georgia public schools went more than <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2022-06-10/no-a-to-f-grades-for-georgia-public-schools-for-third-year#:~:text=Georgia%20will%20go%20a%20third,of%20the%20COVID%2D19%20pandemic.&amp;text=June%2010%2C%202022%2C%20at%202%3A30%20p.m.">three</a> years without assigning A-F grades to any student in the state.
Portland, Oregon public schools have <a href="https://lawenforcementtoday.com/portland-school-district-launches-initiative-to-ban-teachers-from-giving-zeros">implemented</a> grading practices that bar teachers from assigning &#8220;zeros&#8221; to students who cheat or fail to turn in assignments — a process ostensibly geared toward eliminating &#8220;racial disparities&#8221; and &#8220;inequities&#8221; in grading and instruction.
Education failures like these bear a direct relationship to “equity” — a principle geared toward equality of outcome, not equality of opportunity — and its ruinous impact on every aspect of American learning. Equitable grading for example, a concept popularized by <a href="https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/19/05/grade-expectations">Joe Feldman</a>, author of the book “Grading for Equity,” seeks to replace traditional grading concepts which use measurable inputs and outcomes (like class attendance and participation, test scores, and completed assignments) with “equitable grading” techniques that rely on “accuracy,” “bias resistance,” and “motivation.” This noxious trend has replaced what little academic rigor American educational institutions do impart with practices that dumb down all students and guarantee the equivalent of academic participation trophies.
If you think that this sounds unfair, lowers the expectations of all students, or weakens academic rigor, you’d be right on all accounts. 
If you think that it might cause confusion for teachers, students, and parents, or reduce clear metrics by which students can be measured, or give students a false sense of security as they approach higher education and the workforce, you’d be right again.
Among popular “equitable grading” practices are “minimum grading” policies, which prevent teachers from assigning students less than 50% credit. Common, too, are prohibitions on grade penalties for late work and bans on grading homework and class participation. But not only do these exercises risk removing both discretion from teachers and crucial incentives for students to study hard, they dilute expectations and are nearly guaranteed to harm students they are purportedly meant to help.
Equitable grading policies are also big business, as our <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/equitable-grading-consultants/">research shows</a>.
In fact, a small research cohort yields evidence of expenditures of $9 million in American tax dollars spent on equity consultants since 2014, with California as the biggest offender. Our survey of 39 school districts across seven states in the past 11 years is proof positive that many educational institutions are more concerned with race essentialism and progressive, <a href="https://defendinged.org/resources/understanding-equitable-grading-jargon/">jargon-laden</a> social experimentation than they are with preparing their students for the real — and often intellectually challenging — world.
When activists demand “equity,” what they’re really saying is that the basic American value of color-blind equality of opportunity, with the rules applying equally to everyone, regardless of race — is itself, racist, because equality of opportunity doesn’t always produce equality of results. But “equity,” or attempting to achieve equality of results, requires the discrimination of one group over another — even though both started from the very same place, with the very same teachers, tools, resources, and tests at their disposal. “Equity” flies in the face of the Constitution’s guarantee that all Americans receive “equal protection” of the laws, with none garnering more or less.
Only <a href="https://citizensandscholars.org/resource/national-survey-finds-just-1-in-3-americans-would-pass-citizenship-test/">36%</a> of Americans can pass a multiple-choice test consisting of items from the U.S. Citizenship Test. An 8th grade <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/79470/1895-8th-grade-final-exam-i-couldnt-pass-it-could-you">final exam</a> from 1895 has stumped even the brightest of today’s scholars. As rigor falls, so do standardized test scores — hence the decision of many colleges and universities to make college applications “test-optional,” and eschew the traditionally required ACT or SAT exam scores.
State and local education institutions must focus on rigorous instruction and strong family-community ties that build trust, not on ensuring every student is pushed forward, no matter their readiness, in order to meet an unspoken social, equity-driven metric. This is how employment — and ultimately, economic — crises are made.
American students need more rigor, more discipline, more accountability, and more stringent grading systems.
And please, for Heaven’s sake, let’s get better lawyers.
* * *
Sarah Parshall Perry is vice president and legal fellow at Defending Education.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire. 
Correction: We have corrected the spelling of the word &#8220;afoot.&#8221;

Setting the page on fire with some hard work

American Students Are Dumber Than Ever, Thanks To ‘Equity’

American Students Are Dumber Than Ever, Thanks To 'Equity'

American Universities

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Education

Equity

Opinion

Students

When I enrolled at Indiana University I never thought I would see my peers graffiti “DIVEST NOW” across campus buildings and sidewalks. Now, to make matters worse, those same activists are threatening the university itself with ultimatums and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCffDcmxmyn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demands</a>.
“IU has until January 13 to respond, or we escalate.”
As a Jewish student at IU, I’ve witnessed firsthand how their actions have disrupted our campus. Their constant protests, graffiti, and inflammatory rhetoric haven’t just created tension, they’ve made Jewish students feel unsafe and unwelcome. Let’s be clear: the demands they’re making aren’t just unrealistic — they’re reckless. Their tantrums have hijacked campus discourse, turning what should be a place for learning into a battleground of intimidation.
So, what exactly are their demands? It’s complicated.
For starters, they’ve called for the resignation of our administrative leaders, including IU President Pam Whitten, Provost Rahul Shrivastav, and Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs Carrie Docherty. Why? Because, according to IU Divest, these administrators failed to properly respond to the group’s accusations—accusations grounded in rhetoric that many students, including myself, see as <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-801408" target="_blank" rel="noopener">antisemitic</a>.
The coalition’s second demand, and the basis for their name, is that IU <a href="https://iuidivest.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">immediately divest</a> from any Israeli-affiliated organization. They specifically target IU’s <a href="https://www.idsnews.com/article/2025/01/iudc-protest-bloomington-faculty-council" target="_blank" rel="noopener">partnership</a> with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, an institution involved in research collaborations.
But here’s the reality: In 2016, the state of Indiana passed a <a href="https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2016/bills/house/1378/details" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law</a> prohibiting public funds from supporting institutions that discriminate against Israeli entities. If IU were to adopt the BDS movement’s goals, the university could lose over <a href="https://www.idsnews.com/article/2025/01/iudc-protest-bloomington-faculty-council" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$250 million</a> in state funding. That includes money for faculty salaries, scholarships, research, and major campus projects.
Beyond the financial catastrophe, such a move would isolate IU from world-class Israeli institutions in medicine, technology, and academia. It would destroy opportunities for collaboration and innovation. Instead of fostering global dialogue, it would send a clear message that certain students and scholars aren’t welcome. IU would become less attractive to anyone who values academic freedom and global engagement.
And for what? Just to placate the tantrums of homegrown <a href="https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/opinion/columns/2024/12/08/column-indiana-university-antisemitic-pro-hamas-graffiti-must-stop/76771278007/">terror</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6Tj4RwOpFg/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supporters</a> who seem more interested in performative outrage than constructive dialogue?
Then there’s IU Divest’s version of “activism.”
Since Hamas’s murder of 1,200 people on October 7, 2023, and the continued torture of Israeli hostages deep in the dungeons of Gaza, IU Divest continues to threaten the entire Indiana University and Bloomington community with their incessant calls for “resistance” and flagrant intimidation of Jewish students.
For example, two days after their “deadline,” the word &#8216;DIVEST&#8217;, accompanied by Palestinian flags, was <a href="https://x.com/StopAntisemites/status/1879526605481033832">spray-painted</a> in the snow in Dunn Meadow — facing Chabad, a place for Jewish students to gather, a cornerstone of IU’s Jewish student life. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Jewish students at Indiana University were shocked to find &#39;DIVEST&#39; and Palestinian flags painted in the snow outside the campus Chabad—a disturbing act of targeted harassment. 
We urge <a href="https://twitter.com/IndianaUniv?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IndianaUniv</a> to take this incident seriously and conduct a thorough investigation… <a href="https://t.co/NTCOCgSNa2">pic.twitter.com/NTCOCgSNa2</a>
&mdash; StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) <a href="https://twitter.com/StopAntisemites/status/1879526605481033832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Months earlier, the statue of <a href="https://www.idsnews.com/article/2024/10/iu-statue-vandalism-herman-b-wells-iupd-search-warrants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Herman B Wells</a>, a beloved IU figure, was defaced with red paint and a Palestinian flag. Around the same time, a fake bomb was left outside the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering causing panic and fear across the campus community.
Right now, Israel is being pressured to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners — many convicted of violent crimes — in exchange for just a few hostages. The irony of IU Divest’s self-righteous language is hard to ignore.
So, if it’s public knowledge that IU can’t legally adopt BDS without devastating consequences, why is the coalition still pushing this?
With all of this in mind, it seems reasonable to wonder if these student activists are merely ignorant ideologues or if this is all just political theater disguising a bigger urge to take out their personal inadequacies on IU’s proud, local Jewish minority.
The group is either ignorant or deliberately trying to intimidate Jewish students at IU. Hopefully, it’s now clear what “divest now” really means for IU and why supporting such a misguided movement is harmful.
This is exactly why Indiana’s state law includes the IHRA definition of antisemitism—because it recognizes the link between movements like BDS and real-world harassment. It’s comforting to see IU’s administration standing firm, but as students, we also have a responsibility to call this out. No student should be silenced. No university should be threatened into breaking the law. And no campaign should be allowed to hide its hostility behind slogans and spray paint.
* * *
Rachel Applefield is a senior at Indiana University studying Law and Public Policy with a minor in Social Welfare Advocacy and a 2024-2025 CAMERA on Campus Fellow.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Campus scene University of Indiana Bloomington

Antisemitic ‘Activists’ Have Turned My Campus Into A Battleground Of Intimidation

Anti-Semitism

College

Indiana University

Israel

Jewish

Pro-Hamas

Protests

Homeland Security <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/morning-brief-trumps-liberation-day-doge-pr-battle-self-deportation-push" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently arrested</a> a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk, for engaging in “activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans.”
While the Trump administration&#8217;s arrest of Ozturk is a move in the right direction, she is just one of countless students across the country who share a radical ideology.
Days after the first anniversary of the October 7 massacre which left 1,200 civilians dead, including 40 Americans, the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/09/nyregion/columbia-pro-palestinian-group-hamas.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> a chilling headline: &#8220;Pro-Palestinian Group at Columbia Now Backs ‘Armed Resistance’ by Hamas.&#8221;
The article claims a pro-Hamas student group at Columbia University marked the anniversary by distributing a <a href="https://newyorkwarcrimes.com/print-issue-vol-iii-no-13" target="_blank" rel="noopener">newspaper</a> titled “One Year Since Al-Aqsa Flood, Revolution Until Victory.” The headline was placed over an image of Hamas fighters breaching Israel&#8217;s security fence. Additionally, the student group published an essay describing the attack as a “moral, military, and political victory” and citing Ismail Haniyeh, the former political leader of Hamas hiding in Qatar who would later be assassinated. 
In 2024, encampments held by these same student groups multiplied on campuses across the country, from New York University to Harvard, Yale, UCLA, and many others.
How have American institutions come to the place where the mass slaughter of Westerners is celebrated on campus? 
A cursory glance at recent history reveals two driving factors: Mass Islamic migration to the West and mass funding from Islamic countries.
First, some clarification and some definitions. Radical Islam, or Islamism, is not the same as Islam. Rather, it is a radical offshoot that seeks, through political and often violent means, to establish a global caliphate where all citizens, Muslim or not, would be governed by a radical interpretation of Sharia law. While not all Muslims are Islamists, many who migrate are.
<h3>The Crusades</h3>
To truly understand the mindset of Islamists today, it is important to look back at the history of the Islamic empire. Since its rapid and bloody expansion in the 7th Century, the empire has clashed with the Western world a great many times in its pursuit for global dominance. The most famous example being the Crusades (1095-1300AD).
As Daily Wire commentator Michael Knowles <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAPeToyagqA">described</a> on a recent Piers Morgan panel, “The Crusades started because the Eastern Emperor requested help from the Western Pope. The Seljuk Turks were slaughtering Christians in the Holy Land, which had been Christian territory before the Muslim invasion in the 7th century.”
While the Holy Land may have remained in Muslim control at the conclusion of the Crusades, a greater victory was secured by the West that continues to define our world to this day: Islamic expansion was stopped from conquering all of Europe.
Fast forward nearly 1,300 years, and Islamists have yet to give up on the ambitions of their ancestors. Take Lebanon, for example. Once dominated by Maronite Christians, the mass migration and high birthrates of Muslim Arabs in Lebanese society over the 20th century eventually changed that. Today, Maronite Christians are a minority, and the nation is predominantly controlled by Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim terrorist organization.
They have now taken a new, alternative strategy when it comes to Europe and the West: mass migration.
<h3>Mass Migration</h3>
Over the past few decades, mass migration has overwhelmed many European countries.
In 2014, England’s Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2755654/The-changing-face-Britain-A-child-Birmingham-likely-Muslim-Christian.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> a chilling headline; “The changing face of Britain: A child in Birmingham is now more likely to be a Muslim than Christian”. According to the 2011 census, the second largest city in England with a rich Christian history, had 97,099 Muslim Children growing up there, compared to 93,828 Christian children. 
Radical progressive and generous immigration policies, including England&#8217;s, are to blame for this trend. During a recent Q&amp;A session, Parliament Member and leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage did not <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/HidQi4mq71U?si=jVaqhsDBuZqMvqgY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hold back</a> when addressing the state of immigration in the UK:
<blockquote>From after the war up until the millennium, net immigration ran at 30,000 to 40,000 a year. And yes, it worked. In fact, we had the most successful immigration policies of any country in the whole of Europe—no question. Now, it is totally out of control. Just think about this: two and a half million people have come in the last two years … The numbers are now literally unimaginable and are diminishing the quality of life for everyone in this country.</blockquote>
Farage is correct. These policies have significantly worsened life for everyone living in England. A 2018 YouGov poll <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/uk-no-go-zones-muslim-sharia-law-third-poll-hope-not-hate-far-right-economic-inequality-a8588226.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that a third of England’s population believed there were areas in the UK they could not enter if they were not Muslim. Now, reports of predominantly Muslim grooming gangs allegedly <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uk-new-inquiries-child-sexual-grooming-pressure-elon-musk-tweet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">terrorizing</a> young girls across the country for over a decade have made headlines, while the government turned a blind eye. Meanwhile, Islamic terror attacks remain a grim reality, with the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4ngx3341ldo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last</a> major incident occurring as recently as 2023.
England is not the only European country dealing with an immigration influx. A recent <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2024/08/19/muslim-migrants-around-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pew Research study</a> shows the top two European destinations for migrating Muslims are Germany and France. In both <a href="https://miwi-institut.de/archives/2461?_sm_nck=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Germany</a> and <a href="https://www.thelocal.fr/20171201/how-frances-muslim-population-will-grow-in-the-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener">France</a>, some estimates hold that by 2050 nearly one fifth of their respective populations will be Muslim if record high immigration patterns persist. 
North America is also grappling with mass Muslim migration. According to a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2011/01/27/the-future-of-the-global-muslim-population/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2011 study</a> by Pew Research:
<blockquote>The number of Muslims in Canada is expected to nearly triple in the next 20 years, from about 940,000 in 2010 to nearly 2.7 million in 2030. Muslims are expected to make up 6.6% of Canada’s total population in 2030, up from 2.8%.</blockquote>
When an Islamist migrant was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuL5pgW9f7g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> by a Rebel Media reporter if he would like to see Sharia law implemented in Canada, he replied:
<blockquote>At some point it will! You know because we are having families, we are making babies. You’re not. Your population is going down the slum, right? And by 2060 according to Pew Research institute, your research, by 2060, Muslims will be the biggest religious group.</blockquote>
<h3>Mass Funding</h3>
A key player in subverting their minds is funding. While some universities receive funding from the U.S. government, large dollar amounts are funneled in from foreign governments like Qatar, a major <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2023/12/19/10-things-to-know-about-hamas-and-qatar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">funder</a> of Hamas.
According to a 2022 study <a href="https://www.nas.org/reports/outsourced-to-qatar/full-report#_ftn1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> by the National Association of Scholars, from 2001-2022 Qatar donated $4.7 billion into universities across the United States. As a direct result of Qatar’s funding, according to <a href="https://www.thelawfareproject.org/campus-discrimination/2020/5/15/qatari-influencing-american-education-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> from the Lawfare Project, students across America are “learning about the Middle East in a biased way that emphasizes only the positive aspects of Islam while omitting a balanced discussion of other religions or belief systems, most notably Judaism.”
Imam Hasan al-Banna, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hassan-al-Banna" target="_blank" rel="noopener">founder</a> of the Muslim brotherhood, an influential Islamist organization from Egypt, once shared his commitment to the next generation, “The youth are our hope and the backbone of our movement; train them in the principles of Islam, and they will carry the banner of reform into the future.”
If universities remain under the influence of foreign entities like Qatar, the next generation of college educated Westerners will not only fail to stop the spread of radical Islamists, they will inadvertently support their efforts.
Whether it be through mass migration, funding, or ideological subversion, Islamism is a force the West cannot afford to ignore. World leaders would do well to follow the actions of the Trump administration who have been cracking down on the threat since day one. The West deserves to stay Western, and only through political action can current pushes for a global caliphate be subdued.
* * *
Jacob Falach is an associate producer at The Daily Wire. You can find him on Instagram at: @jacobfalach.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

TOPSHOT-US-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-EDUCATION-PROTEST

Money And Migration: How Radical Islam Gained A Foothold On Western Campuses

Columbia University

Harvard

migration

Muslim Immigration

Qatar

Radical Islam

UCLA

Yale

MixCollage-04-Apr-2025-03-56-PM-4174

The Media Desperately Wants You To Ignore This Horrifying Story

Blacks

Crime

Dallas

Matt Walsh

Murder

Race

Texas

Track and Field

Violence

Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz’s daughter, Hope Walz, took to TikTok to claim she had been accepted to an unidentified institution for graduate school but turned down the opportunity. 
She outlined her reasons, which included how the unnamed institution purportedly dealt with student protests.
&#8220;I got into grad school. I will not be attending,” she <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@hopewalz/video/7487343154367155498">began</a>. “I applied for one school. I kind of had my heart set on it. I am not going to name the institution, but given recent events, I am not going to give my money, go into debt for, or support institutions that do not support students and the right to protest and speak out for their communities,&#8221; Hope said in the TikTok clip.
&#8220;Students deserve to be protected. I am not worried about if I were to be protected or not at said institution. I am, you know, [a] privileged white woman. But I am not going to put myself in the position where I am giving money or supporting institutions that don&#8217;t support their students,&#8221; she continued.
Hope, 24, said she plans to “do a little bit more research” to make sure she’s applying to schools that “align with my values.” 
Many viewers reacted to her announcement and reasoning on social media. 
“One less unhinged white liberal woman on campus supporting Hamas terrorists and threatening innocent students who disagree with her insanity. Another win!” one reaction on X <a href="https://x.com/BasedSavannah/status/1906440853188735316">said</a>. 
“The poster child for an insufferable liberal,” another <a href="https://x.com/tcb_yup/status/1906343547571245082">agreed</a>. 
Her declaration coincides with many universities making headlines for their response to student-led protests for various issues, including anti-Israel demonstrations, which sometimes become violent. 
President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration revoked more than $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University due to its failure to protect students from anti-Semitism. This prompted the university to change its policies on discrimination and unauthorized protests, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-draws-a-red-line-on-anti-semitism-will-universities-listen">reported</a>.

Tim Walz Hope Walz

Tim Walz’s Daughter Claims She Won’t Attend Grad School Because Students Have No ‘Right To Protest’

antisemitism

Protest

Tim Walz

U.S.

Unsurprisingly, there is tremendous fearmongering marked by falsehoods from the opposition regarding President Trump’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/improving-education-outcomes-by-empowering-parents-states-and-communities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Public school personnel are already claiming that special education funding has been cut and that closing the department will devastate their ability to educate students. These claims are unfounded.
Amongst the loudest clamoring are the teachers union bosses. Randi Weingarten, head of the second largest teachers union, the American Federation for Teachers, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/randi-weingarten-spitting-mad-about-evisceration-education-department" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in her own words</a>, is “spitting mad.” Note this is the Weingarten who leveraged her political power to <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/05/biden-believes-in-science-so-long-as-the-teachers-unions-approve/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">directly influence the CDC</a> to keep public schools closed to children outrageously far longer than necessary.
Following the signing of the executive order, the American Federation for Teachers issued a <a href="https://www.aft.org/press-release/educators-professors-school-districts-unions-unite-challenge-trump-attempt-dismantle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> announcing the filing of a lawsuit by a coalition of educators, school districts, and unions against the Trump administration. Regarding the recent cutting of the massive bureaucracy bloat within the federal department and those responsible for woke DEI initiatives, the press release <a href="https://www.aft.org/press-release/educators-professors-school-districts-unions-unite-challenge-trump-attempt-dismantle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">read</a>: “Mass firings of these hardworking people planned by the Trump administration will harm students and schools.”
Clearly overlooking the reality that public education is failing to effectively educate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-national-test-scores-make-undeniable-case-for-school-choice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seven out of ten</a> schoolchildren in the basics of reading and math, the teacher union is rushing to legal action in an attempt to maintain the status quo, which is a death sentence for children’s futures.
John B. King Jr, who was the U.S. Secretary of Education for a stint during the Obama administration, is another Democrat working overtime to dispense fear to Americans over the plan to dismantle the disastrous Department of Education. In a recent short <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/03/28/nx-s1-5341462/trump-education-department-financial-aid-layoffs-arrests-international-students" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview with NPR</a>, King kept his main talking point on repeat, asserting that “People are very worried.” Continuing, he commented about the things he’s “most worried about.” King went on, “…I’m very worried…” The painful and brief interview concluded with a final question to which King tripled down on his anxiety-spreading effort. “I’m really worried….I’m worried…I’m worried…”
The fearmongering is unfounded. President Trump, in his address prior to signing the “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/improving-education-outcomes-by-empowering-parents-states-and-communities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities</a>” executive order into law, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjnoGgEJvLs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">communicated</a> that “Pell Grants, Title I funding, resources for children with disabilities and special needs will be preserved — fully preserved.” He explained that those programs would be “redistributed to various other agencies and departments that will take very good care of them.”
More specifically, special education programs will <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-and-defense-secretary-hegseth-deliver-remarks-on-f-47-fighter-jet/657517" target="_blank" rel="noopener">move to</a> the Department of Health and Human Services. Student loans will <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-and-defense-secretary-hegseth-deliver-remarks-on-f-47-fighter-jet/657517" target="_blank" rel="noopener">head to</a> the Small Business Administration (SBA), which is a commonsense change from education policy personnel managing the <a href="https://www.campusreform.org/article/40-18-trillion-student-loans-late-payments-trump-seeks-abolish-dept-ed/27711" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$1.8 trillion loan portfolio</a>. And, importantly, states will be freed from the red tape of Washington D.C., empowering them to make decisions concerning how best to educate the children of their state.
So, what is being cut? Simply put, the billions of dollars spent fueling the promotion of radical ideologies to children, such as gender ideology, Critical Race Theory, and an anti-American worldview. As one example, on January 23, the U.S. Department of Education, under the president&#8217;s direction, <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-takes-action-eliminate-dei" target="_blank" rel="noopener">began taking action</a> to “eliminate harmful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.” That <a href="https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/cultural-issues/article_89d2f95a-da74-11ef-881f-c31173f69a5c.html?seyid=48320" target="_blank" rel="noopener">included</a> placing personnel who lead DEI initiatives on administrative leave, the deletion of more than 200 webpages of DEI resources that “promote or endorse” the “harmful ideological programs,” and ending DEI contracts totaling over $2.5 million.
Then, on January 29, President Trump signed the “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-indoctrination-in-k-12-schooling/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling</a>” executive order. It <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-indoctrination-in-k-12-schooling/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that “In recent years…parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight.” Specifically, the Secretary of Education, Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services must consult with the Attorney General to <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-indoctrination-in-k-12-schooling/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">create a plan</a> within 90 days to end indoctrination and protect parental rights.
Additionally, federal bureaucrats pushing paper in Washington D.C. have been cut. Already, <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-initiates-reduction-force" target="_blank" rel="noopener">half of the positions</a> within the U.S. Department of Education have been eliminated as education rightfully returns to the states. Big government control of K-12 education has been a massive failure and has not increased student learning. Block granting the money back to the states will enhance efficiency and effectiveness while also providing increased accountability for student academic learning.
Don’t listen to the lies or anxiety-induced talking points. Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education is a win for America and a much-needed step forward toward the goal of successfully educating our future generation.
Hats off to President Trump for taking this longtime-coming, much needed action to ensure that gone will be the days of only three out of ten public school children learning to read or do math proficiently.
* * *
Dr. Keri D. Ingraham is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute, Director of the American Center for Transforming Education, and a Senior Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Rally Held In Support Of Department Of Education And Schools

Fearmongering And Falsehoods Over Education Dept. Shutdown

Department of Education

Parental Rights in Education

President Trump

Public Schools

Randi Weingarten

Student Loans

Teachers Unions

Our children are bombarded by technology, certainly a natural progression of our tech-dependent society. But our educational institutions, with tech companies’ eager help, have enabled this growth – and dependency.
Surveys <a href="https://www.edweek.org/technology/what-the-massive-shift-to-1-to-1-computing-means-for-schools-in-charts/2022/05">indicate</a> that more than 90% of middle and high school students and more than 80% of elementary students have a school-issued learning device.
Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-03-19/michael-bloomberg-kids-are-spending-too-much-class-time-on-laptops?utm_campaign=wp_the_technology_202&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter">pointed out</a> that children are spending too much time on laptops at school, citing that “social skills are deteriorating and test scores are near historic lows,” and called on schools to turn back to “using books and pens.”
Children’s near ubiquitous use of screens at school is worth reconsidering, in light of the dismal <a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nation’s Report Card</a> finding that students are losing ground in reading and are not improving in math. While screens in schools may not be the only reason children are failing, they also don’t appear to be helping.
This is one reason why there’s a growing movement of school districts and states taking steps to restrict students’ cell phone use in classrooms. A 2023 <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/02/health/phones-allowed-school-children-wellness/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> found that “97% of 11- to 17-year-olds use their phones during school time.”
Teachers see the impact of cell phone use in their classrooms. According to a Pew Research Center <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/06/12/72-percent-of-us-high-school-teachers-say-cellphone-distraction-is-a-major-problem-in-the-classroom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> conducted in fall 2023, 72% of U.S. high school teachers consider cell phone distraction a major problem in their classrooms. Middle school teachers (33%) and elementary school teachers (6%) also share concerns about student distraction due to cell phones.
Phones are not only distracting to children (and let’s admit it, they are for adults too), children are especially vulnerable to addictive technology and powerful algorithms that feed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tech-and-tv-study-shows-excessive-screen-time-explicit-content-changing-the-teenage-brain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">harmful content</a> to them. Children can also be groomed by predators and exposed to sexually explicit and graphically violent content on social media platforms. Personal tech can also be weaponized in schools – creating and magnifying bullying situations against classmates and teachers.
For all of these reasons and more, children should not have smartphone access during the school day.
I am encouraged that school districts and elected leaders across the U.S. have been working to restrict cell phones in classrooms. The issue is even <a href="https://apnews.com/article/school-cell-phone-bans-states-e6d1fe8ddfde33f086d5cd2a19f4c148" target="_blank" rel="noopener">uniting Republicans and Democrats</a>. Los Angeles Unified School District banned them, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has unveiled a plan to ban them, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wants to restrict them, to name a few. Across the pond, Denmark has banned phones in schools and there are calls for the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/05/ban-mobile-phones-schools-europe-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rest of the EU</a> to do the same.
The Parents Television and Media Council’s whitepaper, <a href="https://www.parentstv.org/resources/PDF/Studies/240723-REPORT-School-Phone-Policies.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smartphones in the Classroom: What States are Doing to Confront These Digital Distractions</a> (July 2024) revealed that 28 U.S. states made efforts to eliminate or restrict cell phones in classrooms. That number is certainly larger now.
For this to work though, it will take parents uniting against these digital distractions, as many parents want to be able to reach their child instantaneously if there’s an emergency. While this is a valid concern, most schools already encourage parents to call the school office should they need to reach their child.
There are enough anecdotes alone to know that freeing children from cell phones in school is wise. School administrators have seen children and teens increasingly interact with each other.
A Study.com <a href="https://teachinglicense.study.com/featured-insights/mobile-bans-increase-engagement-and-learning-time.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> found that “76% of teachers working in schools with strict cell phone policies believe that cell phone bans increase student engagement,” and “70% believe [the bans] enhance student safety.”
“Students were actually paying attention to his lessons,” <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-03-24/yondr-pouches-enforce-school-cell-phone-bans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> a high school dean of students about one teacher’s feedback after the Los Angeles Unified School District’s cell phone ban began.
If our children are to succeed in school, it’s time to reduce screen time – and cell phone use – during the school day.
* * *
Melissa Henson is the Vice President of the <a href="http://www.parentstv.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parents Television and Media Council</a>, a nonpartisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment. On X: @ThePTC.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Teens in circle holding smart mobile phones – Multicultural young people using cellphones outside – Teenagers addicted to new technology concept

It’s Time To Remove Cell Phones From The Classroom

cell phones

Children

Computer

Elementary Schools

Parenting

Smartphones

Technology

Teenagers

Testing

For two years, my soft voice was drowned out at Columbia University, smothered by deafening roars outside our windows. I was spoken over, screamed past, pushed aside by mobs whose chants turned threats into anthems.
I live with a rare form of muscular dystrophy. My predicted lifespan was four years. While I defied the odds, never has my voice been more silenced.
Throughout my life I have faced immense adversity, yet I have prevailed by becoming the first person with my condition to walk the New York Fashion Week runway (February, 2023), the first person with my condition to climb a mountain (Camelback Mountain in Arizona 2022) — producing an internationally awarded documentary combating disability stereotypes — and most recently setting a Guinness World Record for the fastest swim time in my category.
My limited energy is normally invested in advocating for others, but for the first time, my very means of advocacy was heartlessly stolen from me.
For two years, my faint tones were consumed by a campus that refused to listen, dismissed by an administration that chose appeasement over accountability, ignored by a culture that demanded my silence in the name of supposed progress.
For two years, voices chanted for the destruction of my people, fists raised in protest not merely for justice, but for erasure, all while those in power stood by in cowardice. Mobs that disregarded our accessibility and our right to belong stormed our campus walk as I scooted in search of a single accessible entrance. While I fought for a space to exist, countless others with disabilities, some bound to their wheelchairs, were left navigating a campus that refused to see us, let alone accommodate our basic needs. Our identities became a debate, and our safety an afterthought.
Yet my purpose is not to debate the hostility, prove our right to exist, or even to justify our presence at this university. Rather, my purpose is to emphasize one simple truth: now, at last, my soft voice can be heard. Unfortunately, the silence that once suffocated me, was only exhaled in response to intensified government intervention. This government intervention is nothing new and has brought forth three harsh realities: (a) The freedom of a Jew comes at a troubling cost (b) History is repeating itself and (c) Columbia&#8217;s cowardly silence has perpetuated further hostility and segregation – their indifference must end now.
At an unfortunate cost, the world is now witnessing what it takes for Jewish students to experience basic campus safety and dignity. The Trump administration’s cancellation of $400 million in funding, along with the detainment of a former student protest leader with alleged ties to Hamas, has widened the nation&#8217;s eyes to one chilling truth: Columbia’s failure to uphold the rights of Jewish students was not appropriately corrected by institutional conscience but rather it required external force, exposing the depths of negligence.
Columbia’s government funding was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/doj-hhs-ed-and-gsa-announce-initial-cancelation-grants-and-contracts-columbia-university">revoked</a> in direct response to “the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.” This is a profound failure of humanity, that restoring safety required government intervention at the expense of fundamental freedoms. The price of inaction was paid through imposed financial costs, an obligation that should have been paid through moral courage. It was not.
For a Jew to attend class freely, must a child with cancer lose access to life-saving research?
For a Jew to walk through campus freely, must an international student fear detainment?
For a Jew to learn without threats, must a groundbreaking cure remain locked away due to defunded research?
For a Jew to simply exist, must a first-generation student lose access to financial aid?
Have we truly arrived at another moment in time where, for a Jew to express their identity openly, the future of innovation, education, and opportunity must be compromised? Where an engineering breakthrough must be halted and countless other students must suffer collateral damage simply because Columbia University refused to act until it was forced?
The university administration’s cowardly silence is screaming! While government intervention has never been more necessary, agony pulses through my veins at the realization that this is where campus life has arrived. The university administration had every opportunity to protect its students, yet chose to allow the escalation of intolerance and violence against their Jewish students. And now, that silence has been replaced with an even louder reckoning, one that should never have come at such a cost.
Now, the campus is silent. But this silence has not emerged from understanding or reflection. Campus silence exists only because the cost of inaction became too great — the silence is screaming!
History has proven – that government mandates do not equate to inherent justice. Canceling government funding for needed research and resources is truly an unfortunate crossroads between morality and human equality. Throughout history, intensified government intervention, though imperative, has proven to deepen divisions, inflame resentment, and fuel further segregation.
In 1954, reluctance to properly integrate black children into the school system, following the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling against racial segregation (1954), persisted. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus refused to integrate Little Rock Central High School or to protect Black students from violent mobs, making federal intervention essential. In September of 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent federal troops to forcibly escort nine Black students, known as “The Little Rock Nine,” into the school. While governmental mandates undoubtedly served as one necessary step towards respect for all, one consequence was generational racial strife.
Columbia&#8217;s suffocating silence is the true culprit, forcing external action where institutional courage should have prevailed. The silence on campus will be temporary if Columbia’s leadership refuses to take meaningful action.
Columbia’s administration must summon the courage to acknowledge the undeniable truth, only then will we cultivate true respect for all. One can be Muslim, Jewish, Christian, tall, short, in a wheelchair or running freely. One can come from any faith, culture, or any physical ability but at Columbia one principle must consistently hold true: that all academic thinkers can and should be safely welcomed. When policies are upheld, order will follow.
We must not allow the tides of academic accountability to shift along with the ever changing waves of podcast trends, political climate, public opinion, or what funding is or is not received.
True racial, cultural and ability equality will not persist if Columbia University does not speak up and clearly condemn the open disrespect of students. The current silence is deafening.
Dear Columbia University leadership: dig deep and draw from the depths of your hearts and souls to shatter your indifference and proclaim that respect for all will no longer be up for debate. I urge you to speak out online, in print, and, most critically, stand in person at the Columbia Sundial, a historic gathering place at the heart of campus. The institution’s declaration of justice and respect for all is crucial for both the present and future. Please, replace your silence with a bold message to our diverse, complex world, memorializing it for those not yet born.
Take it from me, someone whose soft voice speaks against the odds – our campus’s silence is screaming.
* * *
Lilian Brasch is an undergraduate student and ability activist at Columbia University, class of 2025.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-PROTEST

At Columbia University, The Silence Is Screaming

anti-Israel

Disability

The Trump administration’s decisive <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-slashes-columbia-funding-citing-inaction-on-anti-semitic-harassment-on-campus">actions</a> against campus anti-Semitism are commendable and must be reinforced with the implementation of a clear federal code of conduct to prevent future bullying of Jewish university students.
After the administration <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/columbia-university-trump-demands-federal-funding-e94d41ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revoked</a> over $400 million in federal funds from Columbia University due to its failure to protect students from anti-Semitism, the university agreed to change its policies. According to The Wall Street Journal, the concessions include adopting an updated definition of anti-Semitism, appointing a new senior vice provost, hiring more campus police officers, and clarifying acceptable times and manners for protests.
This move follows the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-formation-task-force-combat-anti-semitism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism</a>’s announcement last month that it would <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-task-force-combat-antisemitism-announces-visits-10-college-campuses-experienced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visit</a> ten university campuses that have experienced anti-Semitic incidents since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. 
The Anti-Defamation League <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/report/campus-antisemitism-one-year-after-hamas-terrorist-attacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that anti-Semitism on college and university campuses has “rapidly escalated into a national crisis,” with over 1,200 incidents recorded between October 7, 2023, and September 24, 2024. A staggering 83.2% of Jewish college students surveyed have witnessed some form of anti-Semitism, while 51.4% of non-Jewish students also reported witnessing anti-Semitism during the same period.
There is a strong and consistent correlation between anti-Semitic and hostile anti-Israel attitudes. For instance, former Columbia University graduate student and non-citizen <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/03/09/us-news/who-is-mahmoud-khalil-the-columbia-university-agitator-detained-by-ice-for-deportation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mahmoud Khalil</a> was taken into custody by federal immigration officials for his role in organizing violent campus protests that resulted in injuries and property damage. Other terrorist sympathizers include <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/us/yale-suspends-scholar-terrorism.html">Helyeh Doutaghi</a>, an Iranian academic suspended by Yale University for openly declaring her commitment to fighting the United States.
Badar Khan Suri — a Georgetown foreign exchange student and son-in-law of a Hamas official — is also being deported for his pro-terrorist activities. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin stated in a <a href="https://x.com/TriciaOhio/status/1902524674291966261" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X that Suri “has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist” and is “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting anti-Semitism on social media.” 
This organized anti-Israel activity on campus goes far beyond what is protected under freedom of speech. Federal law prohibits providing “material support or resources” to any designated terrorist organization. Jewish students at Columbia University reported to The New York Post that a 14-page “<a href="https://nypost.com/2025/03/18/us-news/chilling-step-by-step-manual-for-anti-israel-radicals-to-sow-violent-chaos-is-circulated-among-columbia-students/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">underground manual</a>” is circulating among students, providing details on how to evade law enforcement and commit destructive acts, such as buying sledgehammers with cash and targeting a building’s water or sewer pipes to cause maximum property damage.
The administration’s crackdown on campus anti-Semitism by withholding federal funds and deporting non-citizen students and faculty who engage in organized anti-Israel activism is a strong start. However, it must be followed by the implementation of clear federal guidelines that adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) <a href="https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">working definition</a> of anti-Semitism. Created in 1998 by former Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, the IHRA defines anti-Semitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” It goes on to list the targeting of the State of Israel as a manifestation, excluding criticism that is similar to that against any other country.
Any foreign student or faculty member seeking the privilege of working at an American institution must pledge to uphold this definition of anti-Semitism.
We have seen how language evolves in response to social awareness. Decades ago, racial slurs were tolerated in public discourse; today, they are recognized as hate speech and rightfully condemned. The same must happen with anti-Semitic slurs and coded anti-Israel rhetoric. Words matter, and education matters. We must teach students, faculty, and administrators that vilifying Jews and dehumanizing Israel are not legitimate political statements; they are expressions of bigotry.
The government must lower the threshold for what constitutes actionable anti-Semitism because Jewish students are already suffering the consequences. Anything less is a green light for hate.
* * *
Bradley Martin is the Executive Director of the Near East Center for Strategic Studies. Follow him on Facebook and X (Twitter) @ByBradleyMartin
Dr. Liram Koblentz-Stenzler is a Senior Researcher at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University and a Visiting Scholar at Brandeis University. She is a member of Forum Dvorah, Women in Foreign Policy and National Security. Follow her on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/drliramkoblentz/">LinkedIn</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Trump Draws A Red Line On Anti-Semitism. Will Universities Listen?

As an educator and parent, I’ve long wondered if America’s education system can ever recover from the ever-expanding, costly bureaucratic machine it has become. A machine that inhales taxpayer dollars and exhales nothing — not literacy, not educated children, not competence. Unfortunately just a steady stream of bloated budgets, federal grants, and equity initiatives.
This machine is called the Department of Education. Founded in 1980 under President Jimmy Carter, it was designed not to improve schools but to buy political favor with the National Education Association (NEA), the country’s largest teachers’ union. From the beginning, its function was clear: funnel billions of dollars into a federal stronghold for progressive priorities while granting the unions unchecked influence over education policy. It was never meant to make our children smarter; it was meant to make Washington more powerful.
After 45 years of unmitigated failure, President Trump has officially signed an executive order to begin eliminating the Department of Education once and for all and I had the incredible honor of witnessing this historic event first hand. The president assured all of us in the room who are at the forefront of the fight for our country’s educational future that the department’s useful functions will be fully preserved such as Pell Grants and resources for special needs by being redistributed to various agencies and departments as he returns education back to the states.
In total, the DOE employed over 4,400 bureaucrats, until the new administration recently reduced this number by close to 50% as the president shared this afternoon, and it has spent<a href="https://nypost.com/2025/02/11/us-news/doge-ends-nearly-1b-in-federal-education-contracts-to-nix-waste-and-dei/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> $881 million</a> on ineffective or purely progressive initiatives — including a mind-boggling $1.5 million just to “observe mailing and clerical operations.” <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/02/11/us-news/doge-ends-nearly-1b-in-federal-education-contracts-to-nix-waste-and-dei/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$268 billion a year</a> disappears into this bottomless pit, yet reading and math scores have either stagnated or dropped for the past five decades. The <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/01/29/us-news/heartbreaking-test-score-shows-us-children-falling-behind-on-reading-math-and-some-gop-members-are-blaming-biden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest data</a> from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows eighth-grade reading scores at historic lows, with nearly one-third of students unable to demonstrate basic literacy. The same trends appear in math. Meanwhile, taxpayer spending continues its relentless climb — now exceeding $18,000 per public school student per year—while private schools achieve superior results at half the cost.
The money, of course, never reaches the students. Instead, it vanishes into an expanding black hole of consultants, bureaucrats, and initiatives designed to push political agendas rather than academic excellence. Social–Emotional Learning programs turn classrooms into “gender affirming care” sessions. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives send teachers on racial reeducation retreats instead of training them to teach reading. Federal grants reward states that adopt Critical Race Theory under innocent-sounding names like “culturally responsive teaching.” In Oregon, taxpayer dollars fund “Equitable Math” programs that argue showing your work is an act of white supremacy.
But here’s the secret the teachers unions and their political friends don’t want you to know: We never needed a federal Department of Education to teach kids. We simply need to go back to basics and return education to the states. Structured phonics-based reading instruction. Math that prioritizes logic and computation over activism. History grounded in facts rather than ideology. And the data bears this out: private schools and homeschools, selected by the parents, outperform public schools across the board. Private school students outscore their public peers by an average of 20 points in reading, while homeschoolers surpass public school kids by 15–25 percentile points in virtually every subject. They do it at a fraction of the cost, with some homeschooling families spending as little as $700 per year.
So how will American students be impacted by the historic shutdown of the DOE? They will escape ideological indoctrination and regain the liberty they need to actually learn. The Treasury Department can handle fund disbursement. The Justice Department can oversee Title VI legal matters. Special education funding can be transferred to the Department of Health &amp; Human Services — an agency that actually understands disabilities. There is no function the DOE performs that couldn’t be more efficiently handled by other existing departments or, better yet, by state and local governments accountable to parents.
Critics will continue to claim President Trump is abandoning children, that he’s gutting education. But they will never explain why, after decades of DOE oversight, so many American kids still can’t read. They will never explain why taxpayer money meant for students instead funds activist bureaucrats and political unions. They will never explain to us where or why $268 billion disappears every single year. And they certainly won’t explain why they’re so terrified of letting parents make the choices that are best for their children.
This shutdown is not a crisis. It is long-overdue justice for America’s students.
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Marissa Streit is CEO of Prager University and Host of Real Talk.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Trump Signs Executive Order Intending To Abolish Education Department

Why The DOE Shutdown Is A Win For America’s Students

Why The DOE Shutdown Is A Win For America's Students

Federal Government

PragerU

The U.S. Department of Education is an $80 billion failure. For decades, it’s promised better schools and brighter futures, yet delivered little beyond bureaucracy and stagnation. President Trump is right: it’s time to end the Department of Education and hand states the reins.
In Tennessee, we understand that the best education system considers the unique needs of every student and empowers parents to choose what’s best for their child. We also have a proven track record of stewarding tax dollars wisely to achieve the maximum benefit for our students and teachers. By returning education to the states, we can once again make an American education the gold standard across the globe.
Since the department’s creation in 1979, the federal government has spent more than $6 trillion on education, yet our kids aren’t reading any better, solving equations any faster, or competing stronger globally. The “Nation’s Report Card” shows reading and math scores for 17-year-olds stuck where they were in the 1970s. Meanwhile, administrative staff in public schools has ballooned, growing by 19 times the rate of student growth since 2000, while resources are failing to make it into the classroom and teachers drown in paperwork. This isn’t just waste – it’s a sacrifice of our children’s future.
Worse yet, the department has become a megaphone for ideological agendas that undermine parents’ rights. The Biden Education Department pushed critical race theory in classrooms and threatened funding to schools that didn’t allow boys in girls’ sports. That’s not education – it’s ideology. In Tennessee, we’re focused on teaching our kids the facts – real civics and hard science – so they can think for themselves and take pride in our nation’s great story.
Education simply isn’t Washington’s job. Before 1979, states like Tennessee built school systems without a federal babysitter. That’s why President Ronald Reagan called the department a “bureaucracy that’s outlived its usefulness” and pushed to shift power back to parents and community leaders. Newt Gingrich’s 1994 Contract with America again called for abolishing the Department of Education. Today, President Trump is making good on generations of promises.
Tennessee, like many states, has proven that when parents and communities lead, students succeed. Our state has led the nation in academic recovery post-COVID and implemented literacy programs helping kids read at higher levels than ever before. And with the passage of universal school choice in Tennessee this year, thanks to President Trump’s support, we’ve put parents in the driver’s seat.
Look beyond Tennessee and the evidence piles up. Mississippi’s “Miracle” lifted 4th-grade reading scores above the national average thanks to state-driven literacy reforms. Florida’s investments in choice and education since 1999 have helped low-income students rise from 33rd to 1st nationally in reading scores, while graduation rates increased and dropout rates were cut nearly in half.
President Trump can end the federal government’s authority over education because the Constitution never granted it in the first place. The Department of Education’s main role is sending states money, which Washington somehow succeeded in doing before creating the department. Other parts of the federal government are likely better equipped to serve students, such as the Treasury with student loans.
Cutting off the bureaucracy does not mean turning off the funding. States already handle 90% of K-12 funding; the federal 10% — about $1.8 billion for Tennessee — can be managed smarter at home. We’ve done it before: Tennessee’s Medicaid block grant has saved taxpayers a billion dollars over three years while improving care. Imagine what we could do with education dollars, cutting waste and pouring resources into classrooms, not cubicles.
President Trump’s plan means hope for America’s children. It opens doors to state-driven innovation, unleashing the creative potential of all 50 states. And it gives parents — not Washington — more control over the education of their children.
It’s time to end this failed experiment and return education to the states. We know our children. We know what works. Let states lead — and watch our kids thrive.
* * *
Bill Lee is the 50th Governor of Tennessee.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

The 2024 Republican National Convention

Education Belongs In The States, Not Washington

Tennessee

In the past nine years, there have been three presidential elections, 6 congressional elections, and 35 different iPhone models.
Yet, in that same amount of time, one former Purdue University student has been stuck in limbo, unable to end a nightmare that began all those years ago.
<h3>The Allegations</h3>
During the fall semester of 2015, a male student whom The Daily Wire will refer to as John Doe began dating a female student referred to in court documents as Jane Doe. The relationship was okay for a while, but on December 13, 2015, Jane threatened to commit suicide in front of John by standing on the ledge of a parking garage after throwing objects around her dorm room and crying while saying she hated life. After this incident, according to John’s eventual lawsuit against Purdue reviewed by The Daily Wire, all sexual activity between the two ceased.
In early January 2016, John reported Jane’s suicide attempt to Purdue, and shortly after, she began to pull away from the relationship and the two went their separate ways. Four months later, and only after Purdue’s highly marketed Sexual Assault Awareness Month events, Jane accused John of sexually assaulting her during their relationship.
John received notice of the accusations on April 11, 2016. Jane claimed she awoke one night to John groping her. She told him it was not okay. John told her at some point before that incident that he digitally penetrated her while she was sleeping. He said he felt bad about the first incident but proceeded to the second incident anyway. Jane became upset at John over these incidents and left his room. John had also gone through her underwear in her laundry, and had once chased her down the hall, joking about tasing her. After they had broken up, he also continued to go to her room unannounced. She claimed John had a temper he couldn’t control as well.
John vehemently denies Jane’s allegations, stating in his lawsuit that he responded to the allegations by informing Purdue that he never groped her in her sleep in November 2015, but that in mid-December of that year, after her suicide attempt, she slept on a futon in his dorm room while he slept on the floor. At some point in the night, John accidentally touched her knee and she began freaking out before leaving the room. John also said he never had any sexual contact with her while she was asleep, and therefore never told her that he did. He added that he never went through her laundry but sometimes did her laundry for her and never threatened to tase Jane. He also noted that the two never formally broke up, they simply began seeing each other less, and that he merely went to her room to return an item. At that time, she told him not to go to her room, so he didn’t.
John provided evidence that Jane continued to shower him with affection even after these alleged incidents, demonstrating behavior not in line with someone who had been sexually assaulted. She continued to text with John over the holidays, wished him a Happy Christmas Eve, and sent him a package of homemade cookies for his family. She also invited him to her room at the beginning of the spring 2016 semester.
<div id="attachment_880991" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-880991" class="size-large wp-image-880991" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382544-866x576.jpg" alt="A student rides a bicycle past the bell tower on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 22, 2012. Administrative costs on college campuses are soaring, crowding out instruction at a time of skyrocketing tuition and $1 trillion in outstanding student loans. At Purdue and other U.S. college campuses, bureaucratic growth is pitting professors against administrators and sparking complaints that tight budgets could be spent more efficiently. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382544-866x576.jpg 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382544-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382544-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382544.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
In addition, John provided Purdue with evidence that it was Jane who had the temper and tried to project that onto John. She often contemplated running away and not returning to the school as well. John also provided a list of more than 30 names to substantiate his reputation, since Jane attacked his character and credibility in her allegations.
Purdue’s policy did not allow John to review the investigator’s prepared report, nor was he provided a hearing to determine the credibility of Jane’s claims. John maintains in his lawsuit that his “ability to defend himself was severely and unfairly prejudiced.”
Instead of a hearing, a three-person panel reviewed John’s case. Jane never appeared before the panel and instead provided a statement written by Purdue’s Title IX coordinator. In that statement, Jane only requested that John be removed from Purdue’s Navy ROTC program, of which they were both members. Jane’s new boyfriend at the time was also a member. Jane stated that she didn’t fear John on campus and merely wanted him out of the ROTC.
Without any evidence corroborating Jane’s claims, John was suspended from Purdue and had to leave the Navy ROTC program. He appealed the decision, but was denied without adequate explanation, so he filed a lawsuit against the university as many students have done in the past decade.
<h3>The Lawsuit</h3>
John dreamed of becoming a Navy SEAL officer, but says he can’t get a federal job with this on his record. His Title IX case is the longest ongoing case of its kind, with the closest similar case lasting seven years and ending in a disappointing motion to dismiss for the wrongly accused student.
“Purdue&#8217;s wrongful suspension of me closed all federal &amp; military employment opportunities because I was employed with the Navy through their ROTC program at the time of the suspension, which forced me to ‘resign’ with the Navy after my school suspension was finalized,” John told The Daily Wire in an email.
“Expungement of my school disciplinary file would give me an opportunity to fix my [Department of Defense] record, which currently makes me look bad due to the circumstances and thus limits my employment opportunities. For reference, I was a 4.0 GPA varsity athlete when I graduated high school, and double majoring with a minor while employed with the Navy ROTC at Purdue. My longtime dream was to become a Navy SEAL officer. The derailment of my life by Purdue was severe, to say the least.”
The case has persisted due the slow nature of the justice system, numerous filings and responses from both parties, and appeals to higher courts. The case even landed on the desk of Judge Amy Coney Barrett before she was nominated for the Supreme Court. Barrett, who was with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019, upheld John’s claims that Purdue violated his due process and Title IX rights. Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex, and accused students have said they are discriminated against as males when they are falsely accused and a school takes no steps to protect them.
When the case was sent back to a lower court, a judge dismissed John’s due process claim. John is trying to get the court to reinstate that claim and has had the judge who dismissed it replaced. The next stage of this case is a trial on the Title IX claim alone, which could result in what John ultimately wants: This whole thing to be expunged from his record.
After nine years of litigation, John’s family has spent more than $350,000 on legal bills, draining their savings and 401ks. He is currently working to set up a fundraiser to continue fighting Purdue’s persecution.
<div id="attachment_880995" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-880995" class="size-large wp-image-880995" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382547-864x576.jpg" alt="A large sculpture stands on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 22, 2012. Administrative costs on college campuses are soaring, crowding out instruction at a time of skyrocketing tuition and $1 trillion in outstanding student loans. At Purdue and other U.S. college campuses, bureaucratic growth is pitting professors against administrators and sparking complaints that tightbudgets could be spent more efficiently. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382547-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382547-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382547-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382547.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
<h3>Purdue’s Response</h3>
In a statement to The Daily Wire, Purdue University chief spokesperson Erin Murphy said the school rejected John’s assertions of unfairness toward him.
“Most of [John’s] claims were dismissed long ago,” Murphy said, referring to the multiple claims students include in lawsuits hoping at least one will be accepted.
“His single remaining claim has been ready for trial for years. [John] insists on going to trial, but his lawyers have caused delays. Some of his lawyers quit his case in June 2023 after the last settlement conference,” Murphy continued. “[John] has publicly criticized those former lawyers. His remaining lawyer has filed repeated demands for a different judge, which were rejected by multiple courts, including the United States Supreme Court. His remaining lawyer has also required trial postponements for personal reasons that are shown in the court record.”
Those “delays” refer to John and his attorney attempting to get a new judge assigned to the case due to allegations of unfairness and a pro-Purdue bias. There is a new judge overseeing the case, as the previous judge was promoted by the Biden administration.
John’s attorneys did not quit on him, and the “public criticism” Murphy refers to is a testimonial on his attorney’s website saying that the attorney left his previous law firm “after partners at the firm tried to strong-arm” John’s case from him.
Finally, the “personal reasons” Murphy alludes to at the end of her statement refers to the attorney’s cancer diagnosis. John’s attorney has been battling cancer while fighting for his client.

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