"Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing." The White House, January 20, 2025
"Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity." The White House, January 21, 2025
Trump's Executive Orders on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Explained, DEIA / 02 12 25
Why do these DEI Executive Orders matter for schools?
Reading through the articles, The White House Presidential Actions, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing, Trump's Executive Orders on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Explained, and Executive Orders Impacting Education, Fox Rothschild, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) is essential to creating schools and colleges where all students have a fair chance, regardless of their race, background, gender, or ability. Executive Orders (EOs) supporting DEIA have helped schools build safer, inclusive environments, secure funding for under-resourced programs, and provide support where it's needed most. That’s why the push to eliminate these policies, particularly under President Trump’s agenda, is more than just political; it has real consequences for classrooms and the future of public education.
President Biden’s Executive Order 13985, titled
“Advancing Racial Equity and Support for
Underserved Communities through the Federal Government,” was designed to
identify and address systemic barriers in federal programs. This order led to
funding, support, and policies aimed at making education more equitable. It
helped Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), low-income school
districts, and other underserved institutions access the federal resources they
had historically been denied. By reversing these executive orders, President Trump aims to cut what he calls “public waste” and "shameful discrimination." But these
programs aren’t a waste; they're lifelines for many students.
DEI programs matter in K–12 schools because they help level the playing field. Not all students grow up with the same advantages. Some deal with poverty, language barriers, or learning disabilities that make school much harder. DEI policies acknowledge these challenges and enable schools to provide additional support, making sure every child can be successful. Without these policies, many public schools—especially those connected to military families or the immigrant community- might lose Federal funding and services that make education accessible.
In higher education, the impact is just as
profound. Colleges and universities that rely on federal grants to support
underrepresented students may be forced to cut diversity offices,
support centers, and scholarship opportunities. These programs have helped first-generation
students, provided LGBTQ+ students with safe spaces, and brought more diverse
voices into classrooms and faculty offices. Taking them away doesn’t create fairness;
it creates inequity.
President Trump argues that DEI programs are discriminatory and illegal, claiming they favor "identity" over "merit." But DEI is not about lowering standards; it’s about systemic inequity, recognizing that students from marginalized backgrounds often have to work twice as hard just to be seen. Merit alone doesn’t guarantee success when systems are not built equally. DEI helps bridge those gaps, not widen them. As Johnson says, “Just as privilege tends to open doors of opportunity, oppressions tend to slam them shut."
Ultimately, eliminating DEI Executive
Orders threatens to turn back decades of progress in education. It takes away
resources, silences diverse voices, and creates barriers. For students to
thrive, schools must be inclusive, supportive, and fair, which is why these
Executive Orders Matter for Schools.
*Hyperlinks- DEI and Impacting Education
Tracy this is excellent I forgot about the question but went back in and updated mine to discuss impact on schools and education.
ReplyDeleteI already see the impact they are condensing classrooms for next year and they are getting rid of self contained rooms and placing students in mainstream without the proper supports. They are pulling money from programs that allowed kids to learn real life experiences and lessons. They are trying to stop the YDEV culture from spreading bottom line. Higher education will go back to only being accessible by white individuals or upper class people. They will not be able to hire teachers that reflect the populatin they are serving and they will certainly not have what Lisa Delpit says we need which is the minority voice in education. We are going in reverse and they are hiding it in plain sight. They are saying it out loud but disguising it with other rhetoric that will confused enough and also destroy the diversity we have gained in the last 100 years. I really do not understand how we got here. But I know we have to fight not to loss ground. We need back up we need nourishment because this is a hard fight and they will try to break us down but we have to stand up for what is right.
Thanks Kel!
DeleteIt’s frustrating to see support systems that were put in place to address long-standing inequality now being called wasteful or unfair. DEI isn’t about giving certain groups an advantage it’s about recognizing the barriers that already exist and trying to level the playing field. Taking these programs away doesn’t create merit-based systems it just ignores the ways the system has never been equal to begin with.
ReplyDeleteExactly Aaron!
DeleteYou have such deep language to talk about the systemic issues here. "Leveling the playing field" is such an easy way to talk about this but if you think that you hit a home run, and really you were just born on third base, it is hard to see that the field isn't level.
ReplyDelete