Education
UNM Policy Used to Charge High Security Fees for Riley Gaines Talk Struck Down
The case was brought by Turning Point USA over the University of New Mexico's decision to charge over $5K (originally planned to be over $10K).
University of Maryland Sued for Canceling Student 'Expressive Activity' on October 7
The university caved to pressure to target pro-Palestine events.
ABA Standard 208, Law Schools, and the First Amendment
New guidance makes explicit what should have been clear already: Standard 208 obligates law schools to embrace First Amendment principles.
Students Called the Ed Department for FAFSA Help. Most Were Ignored.
The financial aid form's rollout was disastrous, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.
Jeremy Horpedahl: Are Millennials and Gen Z Actually Worse Off Than Their Parents?
Economist Jeremy Horpedahl breaks down the economic outlook for Millennials and Gen Z and assesses how the 2024 presidential candidates' policies stack up against reality.
Lebanon's Deadliest Day Since October
Plus: Lisbon's pro-natalism, COVID sex parties, raw milk, and more...
Erika Sanzi: What Are Schools Really Teaching?
Director of Outreach for Parents Defending Education, Erika Sanzi, discusses woke indoctrination in education.
States Are Trying To Force the Bible Into the Classroom
“The separation of church and state appears nowhere in the Declaration of Independence or Constitution," a top Oklahoma education official said in defense of the state's Ten Commandments decree.
Campus Protest Hypocrisy Reveals Need For Student Education on Free Speech
As Israel-Hamas demonstrations continue in the new school year, the misunderstanding of free speech is fueling disruption and hypocrisy on campuses.
On the Missions of Academic Institutions
As long as academic institutions place social justice goals ahead of truth seeking and knowledge creation, they will lose the respect of the public and will not live up to their potential.
Sixth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity for State University Officials Who Allegedly Violated Professor's First Amendment Rights
Officials allegedly retaliated against a professor who expressed politically controversial statements about the best treatments for gender dysphoria among youth.
Psych Professor's Lawsuit Over Alleged Contract Nonrenewal Based on Speech About Gender Dysphoria Can Go Forward
Prof. Allan Josephson (formerly of the University of Louisville medical school) claims his contract wasn't renewed because "he expressed his thoughts on treating childhood gender dysphoria during a panel discussion sponsored by a conservative think tank [the Heritage Foundation]."
Free Speech and the Educational Mission
Some of the hardest free speech issues arise when a university argues that restrictions are justified by its "educational mission."
1 in 3 College Students Say Violence in a Campus Protest Can Be Acceptable, Survey Finds
The survey of over 50,000 students also found that 37 percent of students said it was "sometimes" or "always" acceptable to shout down a speaker, up from 31 percent last year.
We Have Already Passed Peak Public School
As families continue to defect from government-managed K-12, teachers unions are tightening their squeeze on the Democratic Party.
The Biden Administration May Illegally Cancel Student Debt This Week, Lawsuit Claims
A coalition of Republican-led states allege that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has directed loan servicers to start forgiving student debt as soon as this week.
The First Amendment Is an Arms Control Agreement
One of the functions of the First Amendment is to create a kind of arms control agreement: With respect to censorship, all sides agree to lay down their arms.
Campus Free Speech, 2024
For free speech on campus, Brandeis and Holmes should guide colleges and universities.
Private Universities That Reject First Amendment Principles Put Themselves At Legal Risk (Updated)
Conforming speech policies to the First Amendment would serve private universities well, legally and otherwise.
SCOTUS Keeps Block on Biden's Student Debt Forgiveness Program
The ruling marks yet another defeat for Biden's loan forgiveness agenda.
Tennessee School Expels 10-Year-Old for Making a Finger Gun
The fifth-grader was punished as part of a law that requires students who make threats of "mass violence" be expelled for at least a year.
What Walz and Vance Get Wrong About Opportunity and Mobility
Walz is wrong to attack Vance for leaving home to go to Yale. Vance is wrong to support policies that would close off similar opportunities to others.
Party of COVID-19 Authoritarianism Improbably Rebrands as 'Party of Freedom'
Democrats campaigning both on their pandemic record and minding your own damn business: Pick one.
Kamala Harris' Affordability Agenda Is a Good Idea Backed by Terrible Policies
Americans need a politician dedicated to unwinding decades of government interventions that have driven up the cost of middle-class living.
Wearing a "Military-Style" Tactical Vest to School Isn't a Crime
The Eighth Circuit held that plaintiffs had adequately alleged that school resource officers lacked probable cause to arrest them; note that nothing in the court's decision casts doubt on the school's ability to investigate or even briefly detain the students short of arrest.
"Johns Hopkins University Articulates Restrained Approach to Issuing Public Statements"
"[T]he very idea of an 'official' position of the university on a social, scientific, or political issue runs counter to our foundational ethos ...."
UCLA Appeals Yesterday's Preliminary Injunction That Ordered It to Avoid Repetition of Exclusion of Jewish or Pro-Israel Students from Parts of Campus
[UPDATE 8/23/24: UCLA has just dropped the appeal.]
Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Against UCLA, Stemming from Risk of Repetition of Exclusion of Jewish or Pro-Israel Students from Parts of Campus
If participants in unauthorized encampments exclude Jewish or pro-Israel students from walking in parts of campus, UCLA would then have to close those parts to everyone.
Advice to Entering Law Students - 2024
Some ideas that might help you make better use of the opportunities available to you in law school.
Texas School Bans All-Black Clothing, Claims It's Associated With 'Mental Health Issues'
In a letter sent to parents, school officials say the clothing is more "associated with depression and mental health issues and/or criminality than with happy and healthy kids ready to learn."
California School Punishes First-Grader for a Drawing, Sparking Federal Lawsuit
The First Amendment case about a first-grader’s free speech rights is headed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
Charter Schools Boost College Graduation Rates, Study Finds
The paper studying Massachusetts charter schools also found that students in urban charters saw a large test-score jump.
Florida Public Colleges Ordered To Check Courses for 'Anti-Israel Bias'
Officials ordered schools to review all courses with descriptions or syllabi that contain words such as Israel, Palestine, and Jewish.
Biden Administration Says It Will Finalize Second Attempt at Blanket Student Loan Forgiveness This Fall
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.