The post Washington Examiner | Op-Ed: Supreme Court rules: Individual rights trump bureaucratic efficiency appeared first on Defense of Freedom Institute.| Defense of Freedom Institute
WASHINGTON—The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) has named Holly Pitt Young as its new Director of Development, adding a nationally recognized fundraising leader with more than 20 years of experience to its senior team. In her new role, Holly will focus on building and strengthening relationships with supporters to help DFI advance […]| Defense of Freedom Institute
Rabbi A.D. Motzen joined Freedom to Learn to explain how the new federal scholarship tax credit empowers parents and students across the nation and provide behind-the-scenes insight into the journey it took to become law. This provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act provides a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for individual taxpayers who donate up to $1,700 annually to […]| Defense of Freedom Institute
WASHINGTON—The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) filed an amicus brief in Hellman v. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education this week, urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to reverse a lower court decision rejecting a challenge to a state regulation denying onsite special education services to children whose parents […] The post PRESS RELEASE: DFI Urges First Circuit to Strike Down Massachusetts’ Unconstitutional Regulation...| Defense of Freedom Institute
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, embedding a 100% non-refundable federal scholarship tax credit—permanent and uncapped—into the federal tax code. In today’s Freedom to Learn podcast episode, I spoke with John Schilling, a seasoned education freedom advocate, about the tax credit’s potential, its challenges, and its role in empowering families nationwide. “We […] The post PODCAST: “Freedom to Learn” | John Schilling on the New Federal ...| Defense of Freedom Institute
WASHINGTON—A new legal analysis released today from the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) finds that the Executive Branch lacks the statutory authority to transfer the federal student loan program from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to the Small Business Administration (SBA). The paper, titled “Moving the Federal Student Loan Program to […] The post PRESS RELEASE: New DFI Legal Analysis Finds Transferring Student Loan Program to SBA Requires Congressional Acti...| Defense of Freedom Institute
School choice trailblazer Jason Bedrick joined the Freedom to Learn podcast this week to explore the evolution of education freedom in New Hampshire and beyond. From his roots as a young legislator to his role in passing groundbreaking policies, Jason has been fighting to expand educational options for families across the country. Jason is very effective at […]| Defense of Freedom Institute
"DFI celebrates the Senate passing a K-12 scholarship tax credit as a big, beautiful step forward for families and teachers across the country. This school choice program will allow students to find a better school, without growing the government an inch."| Defense of Freedom Institute
WASHINGTON—Today, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education urging its Office for Civil Rights to investigate the Title IX complaint the Defense of Freedom Institute (DFI) filed against several Kansas school districts. The complaint also notified the Department of potential violations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy […] The post PRESS RELEASE: Kansas Attorney General Calls on Department of Education to Investigate DFI’s Title IX C...| Defense of Freedom Institute
Jim Blew, co-founder of the Defense of Freedom Institute, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss a school choice provision in H.R. 1, the U.S. House reconciliation bill that has moved to the U.S. Senate, and its potential impact on education. The post PODCAST: “The Education Exchange” | One Big Beautiful Tax Credit Scholarship? appeared first on Defense of Freedom Institute.| Defense of Freedom Institute
Madison Yandell, Gov. Greg Abbott’s education advisor, and Vanessa Tanner, chief of staff to the House education committee chairman, join Freedom to Learn to share the behind-the-scenes story Last month, Governor Greg Abbott signed the nation’s largest day-one universal school choice program into law. Madison Yandell, the governor’s education advisor, and Vanessa Tanner, chief of staff to […] The post PODCAST: How ESAs Finally Passed in Texas appeared first on Defense of Freedom Ins...| Defense of Freedom Institute
Erin Lee, a Colorado mother and founder of Protect Kids Colorado, joins Freedom to Learn this week to share her transformation from an unsuspecting parent to a passionate advocate. Erin’s journey began in 2021 when her 12-year-old daughter attended what was called an “art club” at school, but was actually a secret gender and sexuality club run […] The post PODCAST: A Colorado Mother’s Fight Against Gender Ideology in Schools appeared first on Defense of Freedom Institute.| Defense of Freedom Institute
WASHINGTON – The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) against South Colonie Central School District in New York for violating Title IX by allowing a male student to repeatedly enter the girls’ locker room and bathrooms while female […] The post PRESS RELEASE: DFI Files Federal Civil Rights Complaint Against NY School District as Male Student Switches Gender Identity T...| Defense of Freedom Institute
The House budget reconciliation bill includes a $5 billion annual federal tax credit modeled after the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) that would make K-12 scholarships available to students in every state. Advocates view the provision as a historic step toward universal education freedom. Key highlights: “IT IS A TRUE GAME CHANGER THAT WE THINK WOULD […] The post PODCAST: Tony de Nicola on School Choice in the “Big, Beautiful” Reconciliation Bill appeared first on Defens...| Defense of Freedom Institute
Each Supreme Court term over the past several years seems to produce more momentous decisions than the last. And the October 2023 Term was no exception. The post Federalist Society Blog | The Supreme Court’s 2023 Term: Return to Original Meaning or a Dangerous “Paradigm Shift”? appeared first on Defense of Freedom Institute.| Defense of Freedom Institute
One of the issues with Title IX, the law that protects the civil rights and equality of men and women at school from K-12 through college, is that it can be manipulated and changed by successive presidential administrations to conduct bizarre social experiments and undermine the law’s original purpose. The post The Federalist | New Title IX Proposal Could End Gender Theory ‘Whiplash’ Forever appeared first on Defense of Freedom Institute.| Defense of Freedom Institute
On the fifth anniversary of the DeVos Title IX regulations, the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) today released a comprehensive model Title IX law.| Defense of Freedom Institute
PRESS RELEASE: DFI Statement on Department of Education’s Action to Reform Broken Accreditation System| Defense of Freedom Institute
WASHINGTON—Today, the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) against the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), and Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) for violations of Title IX. The complaint highlights the entities’ coercive “gender […] The post PRESS RELEASE: DFI Files Title IX Complaint Against Minnesota Education Department and Tw...| Defense of Freedom Institute
WASHINGTON—The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) released the following statement after President Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Secretary of Education to take all steps within her authority to return education to the states: The Defense of Freedom Institute strongly supports the orderly winding down of the U.S. Department of Education. The […] The post PRESS RELEASE: DFI Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order to Return Education to the States...| Defense of Freedom Institute
DFI and the Liberty Justice Center have filed a Title IX complaint over the State of Illinois' failure to uphold the law protecting students' civil rights.| Defense of Freedom Institute
The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) released the following statement on the recently announced reduction in force at the U.S. Department of Education: “For 45 years, the Department of Education has only grown while student test scores have collapsed. Secretary McMahon is taking decisive action to weed out wasteful, bureaucratic functions that […] The post PRESS RELEASE: Defense of Freedom Institute Statement on Staff Reductions at U.S. Department of Education appeare...| Defense of Freedom Institute
WASHINGTON—Today, the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies (DFI) filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Mahmoud v. Taylor, urging the Court to uphold parental rights and protect the First Amendment in public schools. The case challenges a Maryland board of education’s refusal to provide a notice to parents allowing them to opt […] The post PRESS RELEASE: Defense of Freedom Institute Fights for Parental Rights and Religious Freedom in Brief Filed with U.S. Supr...| Defense of Freedom Institute
The post Washington Examiner | Op-Ed: Linda McMahon should loose the DOGE dogs on Biden’s loan forgiveness appeared first on Defense of Freedom Institute.| Defense of Freedom Institute
DFI has filed a Title IX complaint with the Office for Civil Rights against Arlington Public Schools over its locker room policy.| Defense of Freedom Institute
President Trump is taking bold decisive action to deliver on his promise of education freedom for all.| Defense of Freedom Institute
Defense of Freedom Institute Co-Founder Jim Blew released the following statement on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as The Nation's Report Card, results released today.| Defense of Freedom Institute
News| Defense of Freedom Institute
News| Defense of Freedom Institute