Richard Beattie, a mergers lawyer who helped pioneer private equity takeovers — work that was immortalized in the much-lauded book “Barbarians at the Gate” — and who served in Washington and New York City government, died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 86. His daughter Lisa Beattie Frelinghuysen said the cause was…
A woman in Texas has been charged with aiding in the commission of terrorism after she purchased guns and tactical gear for her 13-year-old son who had repeatedly expressed interest in committing a school shooting, according to the San Antonio police and court documents. Ashley Pardo, 33, who was arrested on Monday, was “not concerned”…
Advocates for private-school choice celebrated this week as a federal schools voucher bill moved closer to becoming law, a major milestone that eluded their movement during President Trump’s first term. The House Republican budget proposal that advanced on Monday would devote $5 billion to federal vouchers for private-school tuition, home-schooling materials and for-profit virtual learning….
What happened to learning as a national priority? For decades, both Republicans and Democrats strove to be seen as champions of student achievement. Politicians believed pushing for stronger reading and math skills wasn’t just a responsibility, it was potentially a winning electoral strategy. At the moment, though, it seems as though neither party, nor even…
President Trump’s budget proposal would shrink the Education Department, which he has called on Congress to eliminate, by slashing its funding by 15 percent, or $12 billion. The most significant chunk of that reduction, about $4.5 billion, would come from the Title I budget for high-poverty schools, a cut of nearly 25 percent at a…
The Trump administration has halted $1 billion for mental health services for children, saying that the programs funded by a bipartisan law aimed at stemming gun violence in schools were no longer in “the best interest of the federal government.” Lawmakers authorized the money in 2022 after a former student opened fire at an elementary…
In just the last month, the Supreme Court has heard three important religion cases, culminating in yesterday’s argument over a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma. Judging from the justices’ questioning, the side pressing religious-freedom claims seemed likely to prevail in all three. That would extend a remarkable winning streak for religion at the Supreme Court….
When the justices take the bench for oral arguments on Wednesday, one seat will be empty: Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the junior member of the court’s conservative supermajority, has recused herself from the case, which means she will not take part in the oral arguments, deliberations or vote. The justice did not provide an explanation…
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday over the fate of the nation’s first religious charter school, in Oklahoma, which seeks to use government money to teach a curriculum infused by Catholic doctrine. In earlier cases from Maine and Montana, the court ruled that states that decide to create programs to help parents pay…
The Supreme Court appeared skeptical on Monday of a Minnesota school district’s argument that students with disabilities must prove their school acted in “bad faith” in failing to provide adequate accommodations in order to prove discrimination. A family who had sued the district, the Osseo Area School District near Minneapolis, argued that federal law required…