States Try To Strip Sex From Literature in Libraries, Schools
These aren't outright bans. But they still can chill free speech and academic freedom.
Education
Doug Ducey on Budget Cuts, School Choice, and Arizona's Weird Politics
"Governors don't get to print money," the former Arizona governor tells Reason.
Indiana Bill Would Mandate "Intellectual Diversity" in the Classroom
This approach to doing so poses serious academic freedom problems
"The Coddling of the American Mind" Movie
This is the film based on the bestselling book by FIRE's Greg Lukianoff and Prof. Jonathan Haidt (NYU).
The New York Times Implausibly Implicates Oklahoma's Bathroom Law in the Death of a Nonbinary Student
Don’t let culture war politics overwhelm a commitment to the facts.
The Biden Administration Has Forgiven Another $1.2 Billion in Federal Student Loans
This new wave of forgiveness shows how Biden can keep canceling student loans, even after his defeat at the Supreme Court last year.
The Best of Reason: The Real Student Loan Crisis Isn't From Undergraduate Degrees
Misled by a bad law, graduate students are drowning in debt.
Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Case Involving Use of Race-Neutral Means to Facilitate Anti-Asian Discrimination at Selective Public High School
Justice Alito wrote a strong dissent to denial of certiorari. The issues the case raises are likely to recur. In the meantime, the lower court ruling in the case sets a dangerous precedent.
White University Administrator's Race Discrimination Case Can Go Forward
The administrator, at Texas A & M University Texarkana, alleges he was pushed out because of his race, and because he had declined to discipline a student who "had used the word 'Nigga' in [a classmate's] presence while on a trip to the mall."
Claudine Gay's Defenders Shot the Messenger
Harvard should pick someone with academic integrity as its next president.
Biden Announces New Plan To Forgive Student Debt in Cases of Financial 'Hardship'
The plan is the Biden administration's latest effort to enact large-scale student loan forgiveness.
Toronto Schools Don't Want Children Harmed by the Solar Eclipse
More like total eclipse of the fun.
FAFSA Glitches May Keep Students From Getting Crucial Financial Aid Info
Persistent technical difficulties have made completing the financial aid form nearly impossible for many applicants.
Bureaucrats Are Moving To Cap Bank Overdraft Fees, Which Will Hurt the People It's Meant To Help
Many who see overdraft protection as preferable to other short-term credit options will have fewer choices as some banks decide the service isn't worth offering anymore.
A Call for Institutional Neutrality
An open letter released today from the AFA, HxA, and FIRE
Nobody Likes Nikki
Plus: Norwegian smokes, German-French ghosts, American gender clinics, and more...
Northwestern Students Face Obscure Criminal Charges for Mock Anti-Israel Newspaper
After placing a pro-Palestinian front page over Northwestern's student newspaper, two students face "theft of advertising services" charges.
The Real Student Loan Crisis Isn't From Undergraduate Degrees
Misled by a bad law, graduate students are drowning in debt.
University Budget Cuts Were Overdue
Several large public universities are getting multimillion dollar budget cuts.
Test Scores Are Rebounding After Pandemic School Closures, but Some Students Will Never Catch Up
A new study sparks hope that the historic declines in students' reading and math performance following the pandemic may not be permanent.
What Can Professors Say in Public?
My new article on the First Amendment and controversial faculty speech
Students for Justice in Palestine at Univ. of Florida Denied Preliminary Injunction,
given that the University rejected the Chancellor of the Board of Governors' call for the SJP chapter to be deactivated.
Against Political Statements by Academic Departments
Universities should not be in the political activism business
"College Is All About Curiosity. And That Requires Free Speech."
An excellent piece in the N.Y. Times Magazine by Prof. Stephen Carter (Yale Law).
Princeton Allegedly Told Student Journalist Not to Write About Activist Who Got "No Contact" Order Against Journalist
“The safest course of action in terms of a possible violation of the NCO would be to refrain from writing or to be interviewed for articles that mention the name of the student with whom you have an NCO (or to retract them if that’s possible).”
Microschool Parents Zoned Out of Operation
In states like Utah, microschools are up against burdensome building regulations.
St. Louis Schools Lost $260 Million to Economic Development Subsidies
According to a report from Good Jobs First, St. Louis' public schools took the brunt of the loss at nearly 65 percent of the total.
Arizona Kids' Education Under Attack from State's Own Governor
Gov. Katie Hobbs hates that families are guiding their own children’s schooling.
Homeschooling Parents Are No Threat to Their Kids
Stricter regulation of homeschooling families will just lead to harassment from government.
Mandatory DEI Trainings and Academic Freedom
A recent story out of the University of Wisconsin Law School offers an opportunity to consider the potential tensions between mandatory Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainings and academic freedom, particularly in legal education.
School Choice Is Popular and Increasingly Common
Kids have disappeared from public schools, with most opting for a range of alternatives.
New York Wants To Help More International Students Become Entrepreneurs
The plan will help provide “university-sponsored visas that allow them to continue performing and commercializing research without leaving the state.”
The Biden Administration Has Found a Way To Keep Forgiving Student Loans
Through changes to income-driven repayment plans, the Department of Education is set to enact debt relief for thousands of borrowers.
Bad Apples
Plus: Libertarian populism, library wars, Latin American soft power, and more...
Millions of Kids Are Chronically Absent From School. The Problem Isn't Going Away.
While frequent absences were a problem before pandemic school closures, the lasting effects of online learning have led to consistently high absenteeism rates.
James Kirchick: 'Abolish Speech Codes Entirely'
How identity politics and institutional cowardice have undermined the free speech on which our society relies.
Federal Court Upholds Biological-Sex-Based Access Rule for School Restrooms
Federal courts continue to be split on this question.
Lawsuit Over UC Santa Cruz's Diversity Statements Dismissed on Standing Grounds
The court concludes that, because the plaintiff hadn't applied to be hired, he didn't have standing to challenge the policy.
Aaron Sibarium: Did Harvard's Plagiarism Scandal Doom DEI?
Aaron Sibarium discusses the downfall of former Harvard President Claudine Gay on the latest episode of Just Asking Questions.
Pro-Palestinian Speech Is Still Free Speech
Republicans should remember that they have spent years railing against censorship on college campuses.
Notre Dame Professor's Lawyers Argue: Student Newspaper's Mission to Defend Notre Dame's Catholic Character Means …
that it’s probably not “‘trying to advance the public exchange of ideas’ essential to a healthy democracy.”
Professor's Lawyers Argue: Private University Student Newspapers Are "Not Entitled to First Amendment Protection"
The lawyers also argue that the speech in the newspaper was “not made pursuant to its right of free speech, but to instead to advance the personal agendas of male faculty members at Notre Dame [and others].”
