President Trump Signs New Educational Executive Orders
In a recent push to reshape the educational landscape in the United States, President Donald Trump has signed a series of executive orders targeting both higher education and K-12 schools. These measures are part of an effort to reinforce his conservative educational agenda.
Reforming Higher Education Accreditation
One significant order challenges college and university accreditors. The White House argues that these organizations have “abused their authority by imposing discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-based standards.” The executive action seeks to introduce more competition in the accreditation process by recognizing new accreditors, thereby encouraging intellectual diversity on campuses.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon emphasized, “Today’s Executive Orders pave the way for critical innovations — inviting more competition in the higher education accreditation system, ensuring transparency in college finances, supporting new technologies in the classroom, and more.” More details on the accreditation reforms can be found here.
Disclosure of Foreign Gifts
Another executive order focuses on transparency regarding foreign influence at American universities. The directive warns that federal grants might be withdrawn if universities fail to disclose foreign funding fully and promptly. Will Scharf, White House staff secretary, noted, “We believe that certain universities, including, for example, Harvard, have routinely violated this law, and this law has not been effectively enforced.” The existing federal law requires universities to disclose foreign gifts or contracts of $250,000 or more. Click here for more information.
Adjustments to K-12 School Discipline
In the realm of K-12 education, another executive order seeks to overhaul school discipline policies. This new guidance aims to ensure that discipline is based on objective behavior rather than DEI considerations, revoking previous policies aimed at decreasing racial disparities in suspensions and expulsions. For further details, refer here.
Additional Educational Initiatives
The suite of executive orders also includes efforts to enhance education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), strengthen workforce training programs, and establish a task force on artificial intelligence in schools. These initiatives aim to bolster high-quality education and better prepare students for future trade jobs. For more on these initiatives, see the following links on improving HBCUs here, workforce programs here, and AI education here.
