Fatma Zehra Solmaz
24 April 2025•Update: 24 April 2025
ISTANBUL
President Donald Trump signed executive orders aimed at changing K-12 education (kindergarten through high school) and college funding in line with conservative values.
Among the most controversial steps signed late Wednesday are proposals to withhold federal funding from universities that fail to report financial ties to foreign sources.
He also pushed to reduce diversity programs in higher education by pressuring accrediting organizations that oversee schools receiving federal aid, according to the Politico news outlet.
Trump called for new federal rules on school discipline that oppose previous Democratic policies. He signed orders to introduce AI training for students, update job programs and start a new White House initiative for historically Black colleges and universities.
Overall, the actions aim to tighten financial pressure on universities and expand Trump’s influence on the education system.
“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,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote on X.
Colleges are already legally required to report foreign gifts or contracts of $250,000 or more, but conservatives have criticized the Biden administration for how those rules have been enforced.
Trump’s new order allows federal grants to be cut from universities that do not meet updated foreign funding disclosure rules, following recent freezes on aid to Columbia and Harvard for their handling of pro-Palestinian protests.
It also directs McMahon to undo Biden-era policies that allowed secrecy around foreign funds, and to require schools to reveal the source and purpose of such funding.
The order also pushes for changes in the college accreditation system, targeting groups that promote diversity efforts, including major accrediting bodies for law and medical schools.
“Federal recognition will not be provided to accreditors engaging in unlawful discrimination in violation of Federal law,” the order stated.
Accreditors are non-governmental bodies that assess colleges to confirm they meet required standards before qualifying for federal funding. During his 2024 campaign, Trump referred to accreditors as the “secret weapon” to weed liberal influence out of higher education.
The order follows Trump’s January push to stop “indoctrination” in schools, investigate campus protests and expand school choice. He recently moved to start closing the Education Department.
Accreditors have rejected Trump’s portrayal of their role but expressed openness to collaboration with the administration.
“We firmly reject President Trump’s mischaracterization,” said Heather Perfetti, president of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, while emphasizing their willingness to work with the education secretary to advance goals of “quality, innovation, integrity, and accountability.”
Trump ordered a report on school discipline and demanded model policies "rooted in American values," criticizing concerns from the Biden administration about racial disparities in discipline.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, responded.
“Despite their mantra of local control, the Trump Administration really does want to be in the business of education after all,” she said.
