Trump signs executive orders targeting colleges, plus schools' equity
efforts
[April 24, 2025]
By COLLIN BINKLEY and JOCELYN GECKER
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has ordered sharper scrutiny of
America’s colleges and the accreditors that oversee them, part of his
escalating campaign to end what he calls " wokeness ” and diversity
efforts in education.
In a series of executive actions signed Wednesday, Trump targeted
universities that he views as liberal adversaries to his political
agenda. One order called for harder enforcement of a federal law
requiring colleges to disclose their financial ties with foreign
sources, while another called for a shakeup of the accrediting bodies
that decide whether colleges can accept federal financial aid awarded to
students.
Trump also ordered the Education Department to root out efforts to
ensure equity in discipline in the nation's K-12 schools. Previous
guidance from Democratic administrations directed schools not to
disproportionately punish underrepresented minorities such as Black and
Native American students. The administration says equity efforts amount
to racial discrimination.
Foreign money is at issue in clash with Harvard
Colleges’ financial ties with foreign sources have long been a concern
among Republicans, especially ties with China and other countries with
adversarial relationships with the U.S. It became a priority during
Trump’s first term and reemerged last week as the White House grasped
for leverage in its escalating battle with Harvard University.
The White House said it needed to take action because Harvard and other
colleges have routinely violated a federal disclosure law, which has
been unevenly enforced since it was passed in the 1980s. Known as
Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, the law requires colleges to
disclose foreign gifts and contracts valued at $250,000 or more.
Last week, the Education Department demanded records from Harvard over
foreign financial ties spanning the past decade, accusing the school of
filing “incomplete and inaccurate disclosures.” Trump's administration
is sparring with Harvard over the university's refusal to accept a list
of demands over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests as well as its
diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
In the executive order, Trump calls on the Education Department and the
attorney general to step up enforcement of the law and take action
against colleges that violate it, including a cutoff of federal money.
The Trump administration intends to “end the secrecy surrounding foreign
funds in American educational institutions” and protect against “foreign
exploitation,” the order said.
It was applauded by Republicans, including Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan,
chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. He accused
China of exploiting academic ties to steal research and “indoctrinate
students.”
Accreditors ordered to drop DEI
Another order aims at accrediting bodies that set standards colleges
must meet to accept federal financial aid from students. Trump
campaigned on a promise to overhaul the industry, saying it was
“dominated by Marxist Maniacs and lunatics.”
Often overlooked as an obscure branch of college oversight, accreditors
play an important role in shaping colleges in many aspects, with
standards that apply all the way from colleges’ governing boards to
classroom curriculum.
Trump's executive order is the opening salvo in what could be a lengthy
battle to overhaul the accrediting industry. Chief among his priorities
is to strip accreditors of DEI requirements imposed on colleges. Some
accreditors have already dropped or stopped enforcing such standards
amid Trump’s DEI crackdown.
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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Education Secretary Linda
McMahon watch as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the
Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in
Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump’s order calls on the government to suspend or terminate
accreditors that discriminate in the name of DEI. Instead, it calls
on accreditors to focus more squarely on the student outcomes of
colleges and programs they oversee.
The president wants to make it easier for new accreditors to compete
with the 19 that are now authorized to work on behalf of the federal
government. As it stands, new accreditors looking to be recognized
by the government must undergo an arduous process that traditionally
takes years. Trump’s order said it should be “transparent,
efficient, and not unduly burdensome.”
“Instead of pushing schools to adopt a divisive DEI ideology,
accreditors should be focused on helping schools improve graduation
rates and graduates’ performance in the labor market,” Education
Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.
De-emphasizing equity in school discipline
Trump also invoked opposition to equity efforts in his order on
school discipline. The edict signed Wednesday seeks a return to
“common sense school discipline,” allowing decisions to be based
solely on students’ behavior and actions, McMahon said.
Another executive order instructs government agencies and
departments to no longer rely on “disparate impact theories.” Under
the disparate impact standard, policies and practices that
disproportionately impact minorities and other protected groups
could be challenged regardless of their intent.
In many schools around the country, Black students have been more
likely to receive punishments that remove them from the classroom,
including suspensions, expulsions and being transferred to
alternative schools. A decade ago, those differences became the
target of a reform movement spurred by the same reckoning that gave
rise to Black Lives Matter. The movement elevated the concept of the
“school-to-prison pipeline” — the notion that being kicked out of
school, or dropping out, increases the chance of arrest and
imprisonment years later.
Federal guidelines to address racial disparities in school
discipline first came from President Barack Obama’s administration
in 2014. Federal officials urged schools not to suspend, expel or
refer students to law enforcement except as a last resort, and
encouraged restorative justice practices that did not push students
out of the classroom. Those rules were rolled back by Trump’s first
administration, but civil rights regulations at federal and state
levels still mandate the collection of data on discipline.
On Wednesday, Trump directed McMahon to issue new school discipline
guidance within 60 days. The order also calls for a review of
nonprofit organizations that have promoted discipline policies
rooted in equity and ensure they don’t receive federal money.
Another order creates a federal task force focused on giving
America’s students training on artificial intelligence as early as
kindergarten. It would work to develop new online learning
resources.
Trump is also establishing a White House initiative to empower
Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Among other efforts,
it would seek to promote private-sector partnerships with HBCUs and
schools’ workforce preparation in industries like technology and
finance.
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