BY: NIGEL PALM
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump began a new chapter in American education when he signed Executive Order 14151– an order set to terminate all federal support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. This will shift federal funding for schools across the U.S., and it has the potential to impact and change both school curriculums, and culture. DEI has been implemented in our education system for a long time, therefore it has been influenced into numerous outlets within the system. As educators adapt to this change, questions are emerging about the future of academic freedom and the role that the government has in creating educational values.
With President Trump returning for his second term, one of his first executive decisions has been impacting how schools in the U.S. are being run. By eliminating all federal support for DEI programs, Trump hopes to focus on education primarily on core academic subjects and not emphasize different cultures and backgrounds. An article posted on News18, explains that Trump’s reasoning for being opposed to all forms of DEI is that he believes that, “…DEI unfairly discriminates against other Americans, including white people and men, and weakens the importance of merit in job hiring or promotion.” Applying this perspective to the education system, his administration believes that a DEI-focused curriculum is prioritizing someone’s identity when it should be based on their merits. Critics are warning that this shift in education without DEI programs could narrow students’ perspectives in their schools, potentially impacting how they perceive historical information.
Why Was DEI Even in Schools?
With DEI programs being removed in schools, it raises the question–why was DEI created in the first place? Learning about the reason and purpose behind DEI in education can provide insight into what schools will be losing in their future classrooms. In an article published by Steps4Kids, it gives an in-depth description of their reasoning behind DEI making its way into education. It states that the main point is it, “…enhances understanding, empathy, and critical thinking skills by actively engaging with diverse perspectives and experiences, improving communication through open dialogue, and fostering empathy through exposure to diverse literature and narratives.” Its goal is to embrace adversity and allow all backgrounds to be equally represented in all learning environments.
DEI initiatives in education actually began decades ago and started during the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In an article published on Forbes, it explains the history of DEI, and how it progressed through the years. During the Civil Rights Act, affirmative action policies were being placed to ensure that underrepresented groups would be given opportunities to succeed in education and work. This marked the beginning of eliminating discrimination and welcoming diversity in both education and in the work place, it set the foundation for DEI policies to come in the future.
In the 1970’s and 80’s, they expanded on the DEI concept by focusing on gender during the Feminist Movement. They also began recognizing various groups which included ethnic, religious, and LGBTQ+ communities. Although this is the start of LGBTQ+ communities being recognized, they wouldn’t be acknowledged more until the 2010s.
By the 1990s, organizations began having diversity professionals in their companies. They helped push diversity initiatives within their respective organizations. Their titles would be Chief Diversity Officer or Vice President of Diversity. In the 2000s, diversity training programs became common in workplaces. This was to educate the employees about different cultures and backgrounds. Training would focus on sexual harassment and unconscious bias.
Removing DEI Won’t Be Easy
Since DEI has been integrated into multiple aspects of education, its removal is not as simple or straightforward as removing any other program. DEI principles have influenced hiring practices, curriculums, student support systems, and policies that foster inclusivity. Many universities also use DEI in their faculty training and scholarships. All of these would place a clear emphasis on centering around being diverse and equal. With DEI impacting many layers of education, its removal is more than just getting rid of a program. It’s impacting the entirety of school. Because of this, some schools are finding ways to adapt to the new changes by rebranding existing programs that had DEI policies. This raises the question on if DEI removal can fully be erased now or if it will still exist despite efforts to remove it.
Georgia Tech is one of many colleges that are opposed to the change of removing DEI. In an article published on FOX 5, Georgia Tech has removed all programs that have any DEI-related terms to fall under the new executive orders that Trump has passed. “It’s just disappointing. Especially because I was someone who definitely benefited from it,” says a Georgia Tech student who has a Hispanic background, and believes that the program helped them enroll into Georgia Tech. Gerald Griggs, president of NAACP in Georgia emphasized concerns over the DEI changes and fears that progress can be lost. “It is an attempt to erase people’s identities and attempt to go back to a far-gone era,” he said. “We’re not going to allow it,” stated Griggs. Griggs along with students remain unsure on how these changes will continue to impact their schools.
Northeastern University recently had rebranded one of its programs following the DEI removals. In an article published on AP News, they explain how Northeastern University has rebranded one of its programs. “Northeastern changed the name of what had been called “The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” to “Belonging in Northeastern,” which it described as a “reimagined approach” that embraces everyone at the school.” Although changing the name now allows this program to stay open under the new orders, some argue that it’s merely a way to work around the new policy.
The program is still committed to its original mission, says university spokesperson Renata Nyul. “…the university’s core values don’t change. We believe that embracing our
differences — and building a community of belonging — makes Northeastern stronger,” says Nyul. This raises questions about the structure of this new policy. Is changing the name enough, or does the whole program need to be removed?
The executive order is also not just impacting universities. In an article published by TIME, West Point, the U.S. Military Academy had removed 12 of their clubs. The clubs specialized in learning about different cultures, including Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Latin, and Black Engineers. They all had to be shut down as they fall under the new executive order placed by President Trump. An archived version of the clubs directory states that the reason for having all these clubs is to ensure that they can make their cadets, “…well-rounded leaders of character.” West Point emphasized that they believed their diversity helped shape their cadets and improve their development. With the removal of these clubs, West Point’s culture is entering a new chapter.
Others are glad that DEI is leaving communities and schools. George Ortiz, a 52-year-old Latino who’s from Chicago spoke on why he supports Trump’s decision to remove DEI in an article published by The Wall Street Journal. “I’m very happy that DEI is hopefully going to disappear starting from the government and hopefully it’ll catch on,” says Ortiz. Ortiz mentioned that he wants his children to earn their jobs from their performance and not because of a diversity quota that a company needs to meet. This perspective directly contrasts with the anonymous Georgia Tech student’s belief that DEI programs provided them with educational opportunities.
With DEI being phased out of schools, the effects of these actions that it will have on students and school culture remain unclear. With backlash from schools on the removal, will they find ways to navigate around this change, or with the absence of DEI impact representation and diverse learning perspectives in the classrooms? With the change still being in the early stages of its process, the full impact is still unclear. Only time will tell how this change will affect the learning environments for students.
