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Ben Wolfgang

Ben Wolfgang is a National Security Correspondent for The Washington Times. His reporting is regularly featured in the daily Threat Status newsletter.
Previously, he covered energy and the environment, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016, and also spent two years as a White House correspondent during the Obama administration.
Before coming to The Times in 2011, Ben worked as political reporter at The Republican-Herald in Pottsville, Pa.
He can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Ben Wolfgang

Duncan: No link between cheating, NCLB

Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Wednesday denied that there is a direct "causal" effect between the high-stakes testing under the No Child Left Behind law and the cheating scandals that have erupted in school systems across the country, including the District.

August 24, 2011

Feds’ role in schools re-emerges as 2012 issue

Republican presidential candidates are increasingly using the federal Department of Education as a punching bag, citing it as yet another example of big government's heavy hand in local affairs.

August 22, 2011

Poll: Nation’s schools stink, but own OK

The public may have serious doubts about the quality of the nation's education system, but faith in American teachers remains high, according to a major new survey from Gallup and the professional education association Phi Delta Kappa International.

August 18, 2011

Police to use social media to thwart flash mobs

Law enforcement officials plan to use a combination of tried-and-true tactics such as curfews and newer techniques such as monitoring social media websites to fight the latest criminal phenomenon: flash mobs.

August 17, 2011

Scores show students aren’t ready for college

Three out of four high school graduates aren't fully prepared for college and likely need to take at least one remedial class, according to the latest annual survey from the nonprofit testing organization ACT.

August 17, 2011

Lenders’ fears could raise interest on student loans

As if rising tuition costs weren't enough, many college students could soon face higher interest rates on their student loans, another potential aftershock of last week's U.S. credit downgrade by Standard & Poor's.

August 11, 2011

Schools mislead parents by dumbing down meaning of ‘proficient’

"Proficient" is relative. Under current law, states set their own benchmarks for student proficiency, but those bars are often far below the standards used by the federal government.

August 10, 2011

Feds fault state education guidelines

Across the country, student performance on standardized reading and math tests is worse than most states lead parents to believe, according to a new report from the National Center for Education Statistics, an arm of the federal Education Department.

August 10, 2011

States rush to leave No Child law behind

States are rushing for the No Child Left Behind exit door.

August 9, 2011

Duncan ready to use waivers to evade NCLB

Education Secretary Arne Duncan had harsh words for Congress on Monday, calling it "dysfunctional" as he announced plans to bypass lawmakers and implement sweeping education reform through a waiver system for states.

August 8, 2011

Duncan scolds Congress, announces bypass plan

Education Secretary Arne Duncan had harsh words for Congress on Monday, calling it "dysfunctional" and announcing plans to bypass lawmakers and institute sweeping education reform through a waiver system for states.

August 8, 2011

Democrats seek to pin credit downgrade on tea party

While continuing to cast doubt on the credibility of Standard & Poor's, several Democrats on Sunday said there is an even greater culprit in the downgrade of the nation's credit rating: the tea party.

August 7, 2011

Kerry blames the tea party for credit downgrade

Sen. John Kerry on Sunday laid the blame for the recent downgrade of the nation's credit rating at the feet of conservative House Republicans.

August 7, 2011

Budget chairman dubious of ‘supercommittee’

Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, expressed skepticism Sunday morning that the so-called "supercommittee" charged with finding trillions of dollars in debt reduction will accomplish its goal.

August 7, 2011

Teachers can’t ‘friend’ students in Missouri

Missouri students will soon be unfriended by their teachers. Under a new law that takes effect Aug. 28, teachers in the Show-Me State will no longer be able to "friend" students on popular social networking sites like Facebook. Instructors can still set up public pages or groups to post homework assignments or share resources, but individual friendships or communication will be illegal.

August 4, 2011

UNVA students fear worst after raid

Students at the University of Northern Virginia say they are increasingly worried the school will close its doors forever after a raid by federal officials last week, but university officials said Wednesday they're open for business and cooperating with investigators.

August 3, 2011