Education in America

It is easy to forget that after the Education Amendments of 1972 became law, it was initially unclear whether Title IX of those amendments — which prohibited gender discrimination in any education program receiving federal funds — would even apply to college sports. Prior to the bill’s passage, most of the congressional debate focused on […]

If the Total Information Awareness (TIA) program scares you, you’re not alone. Of course, even if it doesn’t scare you, and the Pentagon has its way, you still won’t be alone. That’s kind of the point. The problem is, if you’re worried enough to try to find out more about this mass monitoring system, you […]

When U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink (D-Hawaii) passed away on Sept. 28 , she left an empty seat in the House of Representatives — and a far-reaching legacy for both Hawaii and the country. On Nov. 30, in what will be the final House race of this calendar year, Hawaii’s voters will go to the polls […]

This week, as the U.S. News & World Report college rankings hit newsstands across the nation, administrators at elite colleges will react as they do every year — with a well-rehearsed display of dismissive disgust. They will call the rankings flawed indicators of a college’s academic worth. They will encourage high school seniors not to […]

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled school vouchers constitutional in a case originating in Cleveland, opponents will have to recenter their criticism. Until the ruling, one of the most familiar arguments against vouchers rightfully held that they would narrow the gap between church and state. After all, 97 percent of voucher users attend religious […]

Last week in this space, I wrote about the Administration’s plans to “reform” welfare reform. The White House plans are so perverse that the subject deserves a deeper look. Thanks to the convergence of a strong economy and a flexible welfare program, a majority of people pushed off the rolls by the 1996 Temporary Assistance […]

During the spring of my senior year in college, I signed up for a class called “Cinema, Politics and Society in the Middle East.” The professor was unabashedly pro-Palestinian, and the way she taught the region’s history reflected her political bias. As the only defender of Israel in the class, I frequently found myself challenging […]

The Center for Equal Opportunity (CEO), an anti-affirmative action group run by former Reagan/Bush assistant attorney general Roger Clegg and labor secretary nominee-for-a-week Linda Chavez, has released yet another report on the “widespread” and “appalling” use of racial preferences in higher-education admissions. Previous reports have attacked admissions policies at numerous state universities and medical schools; […]

Among life’s few certainties are that many politicians will be pro-education while campaigning only to forget the pledge once elected. But few appear to experience such total amnesia as George W. Bush. Indeed, given the fact that student-loan debt now averages nearly $17,000 and 39 percent of borrowers face unmanageable debt after college — according […]