President Donald Trump on April 23 announced additional education reform measures that he said will promote transparency and meritocracy over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; boost technology and innovation; and improve learning environments.
During the signing ceremony and news conference in his office, he was flanked by Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and several disabled military veterans.
The first executive order, “Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities,” requires higher education institutions to disclose donors’ nation of origin and other information. The president did not disclose the rules for compliance.
Trump accused his predecessor, President Joe Biden, of allowing China and Qatar to funnel billions of dollars to U.S. universities, stealing taxpayer-funded intellectual property, and using American schools to host foreign propaganda.
The second executive order signed April 23 called for ending DEI in the accreditation of colleges and universities.
In a statement issued after the ceremony, the Department of Education said it will work to include new accrediting agencies in the process and push existing accreditors to focus on lowering college costs, foster innovation, and deliver a high-quality education.
Under the 1965 Higher Education Act, college majors are required to be accredited in order to get federal money for research, student Pell grants, and other functions. While the agencies that evaluate college and university programs and issue the certifications are independent nonprofit agencies, the U.S. government accredits.
“The existing accreditation monopoly raises costs, contributes to the ever-increasing tuition and fees faced by American families, favors legacy four-year institutions, blocks new accreditors from the market, interferes with states’ governing board decisions, and pushes universities in ideological directions when they should be focused on core subjects,” McMahon said in the statement.
“The result is more bureaucracy, less innovation, sprawling DEI administrative complexes, and burdensome oversight by unaccountable accreditors rather than state education leaders and duly appointed governing board members.”
In an email response to The Epoch Times, Council for Higher Education Accreditation President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond said Trump’s actions undermine a long-established system for assuring the quality of college and university programs of study.
“Institutions are capable of fulfilling their missions and are consistently incorporating innovation to provide the best possible experiences for students,” Jackson-Hammond said.
“When there is a shortfall in outcomes, accreditors work with institutions to establish benchmarks for achievements. The relationship between institutions and accrediting organizations is one of trust and responsible actions. The public respects this relationship, and it should not be diminished without thoughtful consideration and due diligence.”
The third order reaffirmed Trump’s commitment to supporting historically black colleges and universities.
The fourth order called for a strong federal commitment to supporting artificial intelligence as a learning tool in public education.
“That’s a big deal,” Trump said. “We have trillions of dollars today invested in AI.”
The fifth order challenges learning institutions and employers to create 1 million new apprenticeships to boost the U.S. workforce.
“We’re going to remake that American dream,” Lutnick said.
The final order calls for an end to “restorative justice” policies at public schools. Focused on diversity ideology, the restorative justice approach promotes alternatives to traditional discipline methods such as suspensions and expulsions.
Annette Albright, a former teacher from Charlotte, North Carolina, who was present at the signing ceremony, applauded the measure and thanked Trump for giving teachers back control of the classroom. She noted school shootings and other violent incidents in her district that happened after school officials continually failed to discipline troublemakers.
“Public schools have to be safe environments,” she said.
