A number of directives have been issued by the President of our United States, Mr. Donald J. Trump. An executive order is one such directive. It must be within the President’s constitutional authority and cannot violate existing federal laws. In fact, the courts can overturn any executive order. However, it is important that we are tracking Trump’s new directives, so that we may correctly follow their new, signed operational guidance. These orders—enforced by law enforcement—are part of our American history, as “[e]very President since George Washington has issued Executive orders” (ABA, 2021). Here are some of Trump’s executive orders on education:
EO 14242 – Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities
This EO aims to expand quality education access. It focuses on the closure of the Department of Education and empowering parents and states, instead, through promoting school choice. Focusing on education for all Americans, any “diversity, equity, and inclusion” labels are to be removed from any federally-funded educational activity or program. Regarding the Department of Education closure, federal control over education is not producing desired results: “Today, American reading and math scores are near historical lows. This year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that 70 percent of 8th graders were below proficient in reading, and 72 percent were below proficient in math” (The WH, 2025). Improvement in these two subjects is pivotal to our nation’s future success!
EO 14191 – Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families
This EO enables families to choose K-12 options using federal resources. Pertinent to my role as a School Liaison Program Manager devoted to military-connected student success, section six specifically outlines “Helping Military Families.” The Secretary of Defense was directed—within 90 days of the order—to “review any available mechanisms under which military-connected families may use funds from the Department of Defense to attend schools of their choice, including private, faith-based, or public charter schools, and submit a plan to the President describing such mechanisms and the steps that would be necessary to implement them beginning in the 2025-26 school year” (The WH, 2025). The order was effective on January 29th, 2025. We have since hit the 90-day mark. As such, the Secretary of Defense recently released a memorandum affirming the Department of Defense’s commitment to supporting education choice for military-connected families. They plan to complete a department-wide review assessing current homeschool support with a focus on best practices and feasibility of providing facilities or resources. I look forward to receiving the results, especially since North Dakota is one of “a couple of states [with] the highest-ever number of homeschoolers” and “reported a record number of homeschooled students in 2023-2024 and a 24% increase over the prior year” (JHU, 2024)!
EO 14190 – Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling
This EO calls that all federal funding be stopped for illegal and discriminatory practices promoting gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideologies in K-12 public schools. In addition, an entire section of this EO is devoted to a focus on patriotic education: “Sec. 4. Reestablishing the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission and Promoting Patriotic Education. (a) The President’s Advisory 1776 Commission (“1776 Commission”), which was created by Executive Order 13958 of November 2, 2020, to promote patriotic education, but was terminated by President Biden in Executive Order 13985 of January 20, 2021, is hereby reestablished. The purpose of the 1776 Commission is to promote patriotic education and advance the purposes stated in section 1 of Executive Order 13958, as well as to advise and promote the work of the White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday (“Task Force 250”) and the United States Semiquincentennial Commission in their efforts to provide a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4, 2026” (The WH, 2025). Fittingly, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will be opening on this momentous date in our very own Medora, ND. Save this date, as “every living president is expected to be there” (Michael, 2025)!
Trump’s executive orders on education drastically change our national educational landscape. In fact, I encourage you to read each order in its entirety, as there is so much more information than can possibly fit in one article! Both nationally and locally, these changes will affect communities, commanders, schools, and families. It is important we all remain aware.
“Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling.” The White House Website, 29 Jan. 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-indoctrination-in-k-12-schooling/. Accessed 26 May 2025.
“Executive Orders.” American Bar Association Website, 28 Nov. 2021, www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/resources/teacher_portal/educational_resources/executive_orders/. Accessed 26 May 2025.
“Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunities for Families.” The White House Website, 29 Jan. 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/expanding-educational-freedom-and-opportunity-for-families/. Accessed 26 May 2025.
“Homeschool Growth: 2023-2024.” Johns Hopkins School of Education Website, Sep. 2024, https://education.jhu.edu/edpolicy/policy-research-initiatives/homeschool-hub/homeschool-growth-2023-2024/. Accessed 27 May 2025.
“Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities.” The White House Website, 20 Mar. 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/improving-education-outcomes-by-empowering-parents-states-and-communities/. Accessed 26 May 2025.
Michael, Anthony. KFYR Website, 25 May 2025, www.kfyrtv.com/2025/05/25/progress-theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library-construction/. Accessed 26 May 2025.
The information in this article is provided as a resource and does not constitute endorsement by Minot AFB, the United States Air Force, or the Department of Defense of the external website, or the information, products, or services contained therein.
