Why Executive Orders on DEI Matter for Schools 6/3

In class, we've spent a lot of time discussing what it means to recognize and address inequality, not just in theory, but in real life.. We've read from authors like Johnson, who explores how systems of privilege remain invisible to those who benefit from them, and Delpit, who writes about how the voices of Black educators and communities are often ignored in decisions that affect their children. All of this becomes more urgent when we lo
ok at what’s happening right now with President Trump’s recent executive orders. These orders don’t just affect government policies; they hit schools directly and threaten to erase the progress made toward educational justice.

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What These Executive Orders Do and Why It Matters

On January 20 and 21, 2025, President Trump signed two executive orders:

• “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing”

• “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.”

They call for the termination of all DEI-related policies, offices, grants, training, and employee requirements across the federal government, including schools and universities that receive federal funding. 

The White House frames these changes as restoring fairness and focusing on individual merit, but the reality is more complicated. According to a fact sheet by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, these EOs are designed to “...prohibit lawful efforts to advance equal opportunity,” misrepresenting DEI as discriminatory while ignoring the systemic barriers that DEI was created to address.

The order known as Executive Order 14190 specifically targets K–12 education. It warns school districts that if they teach what’s considered “radical gender ideology,” “anti-American curriculum,” or “discriminatory equity ideology,” they could lose their federal funding. It also opens the door for investigations and lawsuits against teachers and school officials who support LGBTQ+ students or teach about systemic racism

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Connections to Class Texts

These orders directly contradict what we’ve learned from Privilege, Power, and Difference and Other People’s Children.

Delpit warned about this kind of silencing years ago. She shared how Black educators felt dismissed in conversations about how best to teach students of color. They were told their ideas didn’t count unless they came wrapped in academic jargon. DEI programs were one way to begin correcting that pattern by recognizing the value of diverse voices in education. Now, those programs are being dismantled without input from the communities they serve.

Johnson also spoke directly to this. He argued that if we don't face privilege and power head-on, we’ll never solve the problems tied to racism, sexism, and other forms of inequality. That’s exactly what these executive orders ignore. They pretend everyone already has a fair shot, even when the evidence shows otherwise.

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Why This Matters for Schools

Schools are often the first and only place students learn how to think critically about identity, justice, and community. Removing DEI from education means we’re teaching students a version of the world that isn’t real. One where race, gender, and systemic inequality don’t exist. That’s dangerous.

According to K–12 Dive, the executive order could also lead to confusion and fear for teachers. They may wonder if mentioning race, using inclusive language, or even talking about history could get them reported or investigated. That doesn’t just hurt the teachers; it hurts the students, especially those who already feel isolated or unheard in school.

Even if these executive orders are challenged in court, the message they send is clear: the government is stepping away from equity, from acknowledging structural inequality, and from supporting schools that try to address it.

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Questions to Bring Up in Class

• What happens when the government decides that DEI work is "illegal"? Who benefits and who loses?

• How can teachers balance these new laws with their responsibility to teach truthfully and inclusively?

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Questions I’m Still Wondering About

• Will teachers be punished for supporting LGBTQ+ students or teaching about race and history?

• If DEI is erased from the government and from schools, what comes next?

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Final Thoughts

These executive orders don’t just roll back DEI, they roll back the idea that equity and justice belong in our schools. They threaten to undo years of work toward making education more inclusive and fair. And they do it under the false belief that recognizing inequality is somehow unfair. As we’ve learned in class, silence and denial don’t solve systemic problems. They make them worse.