Trump aims to reform higher education with these executive orders

President Donald J. Trump signed five executive orders April 23 to reform U.S. higher education by addressing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies, foreign influence, AI technology, school discipline and college accreditation.

Trump’s orders aim to restore quality education and graduation rates, which declined to 64% for six-year undergraduates in 2020, according to the executive order on college accreditation.

The order says accredited institutions leave students in a financial debt crisis because of a negative return on investment of nearly 25% for bachelor’s degrees and more than 40% for master’s degrees.  

Currently, the Department of Education has approved 60 accreditation companies in the United States, according to the Wall Street Journal. These accreditors set standards regarding a school’s mission, admission process, faculty and programming – standards that affect a university’s standing to receive federal funding, the Journal reported. 

Trump and many Republicans criticize the accreditation system as a monopoly that prioritizes arbitrary, often woke, standards over good education. 

“The accreditors’ job is to determine which institutions provide a quality education – and therefore merit accreditation,” Trump said in his executive order. “Unfortunately, accreditors have not only failed in this responsibility to students, families, and American taxpayers, but they have also abused their enormous authority.” 

This order requires the U.S. Department of Education Secretary and the attorney general to investigate and regulate the accreditation process by eliminating discrimination, prioritizing intellectual diversity and requiring concrete research and data results.  

“President Trump’s Executive Order will bring long-overdue change by accelerating the recognition of new accreditors and refocusing existing accreditors on helping member institutions improve the student outcomes families care most about,” U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. 

“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.” 

In addition to the accreditation DEI purge, Trump signed an executive order to remove so-called equity policies from school discipline.  

“The Federal Government will no longer tolerate known risks to children’s safety and well-being in the classroom that result from the application of school discipline based on discriminatory and unlawful ‘equity’ ideology,” Trump writes in the order. 

Trump also has mandated public reporting of foreign funds in American education, saying he’s protecting American education from foreign influence and exploitation. 

“It is the policy of my Administration to end the secrecy surrounding foreign funds in American educational institutions, protect the marketplace of ideas from propaganda sponsored by foreign governments, and safeguard America’s students and research from foreign exploitation,” Trump wrote in his order.  

Trump’s executive orders not only purged higher education of wokeness, but also implemented new policies regarding technology and AI. He said incorporating AI in education will prepare students to enter a workforce that continually employs such technologies. 

“It is the policy of the United States to promote AI literacy and proficiency among Americans by promoting the appropriate integration of AI into education, providing comprehensive AI training for educators, and fostering early exposure to AI concepts and technology to develop an AI-ready workforce and the next generation of American AI innovators,” Trump wrote in another executive order.  

In addition, Trump promised to support quality education at historically black colleges and universities, HBCUs, as with any other U.S. university. 

“It is the policy of my Administration to support HBCUs in: advancing America’s full potential; fostering more and better opportunities in higher education; providing the highest-quality education; obtaining equal opportunities for participation in Federal programs; ensuring college-educated Americans are empowered to advance the common good at home and abroad; and making our Nation more globally competitive,” Trump wrote in the order.  

Trump’s bundle of executive orders on education reflects his campaign promise to remake higher education. 

For more information on the orders, visit the list of orders and summaries on the White House website.