In recent months, we’ve witnessed a barrage of executive orders—a deliberate and coordinated attempt to reverse decades of progress in public education and civil rights. So far, I estimate that at least 15 executive orders have been introduced or enacted that directly threaten the educational landscape, targeting everything from inclusive curriculum and gender identity policies to voting rights, immigration, and the very existence of the U.S. Department of Education itself.
These orders span a wide range of issues and reflect more than just a political agenda—they reveal a deeply concerning strategy: the use of Executive Orders as a unilateral attempt to reshape education and civil rights by fiat. Rather than working through democratic processes or inviting public discourse, these directives bypass legislative checks and balances. They aim to centralize authority, silence dissent, and dismantle the infrastructure that protects historically marginalized students and communities.
These aren’t abstract policy shifts. They are strategic moves to suppress, segregate, and sanitize the systems that serve our most vulnerable populations. These executive orders target people, not just programs. They threaten to roll back protections that safeguard equity in classrooms, campuses, and communities across the country.
I recently had the opportunity to present these concerns during a session at the Network for Public Education Conference this past weekend in Columbus, where educators, parents, and advocates gathered to collectively confront the growing assault on public education. I also shared these ideas at the Lewis Walker Institute’s “Realizing Education’s Promise 4 All: Anti-DEI in PK–20 Settings” Virtual Townhall last week, where we examined how these executive orders impact learners from preschool through graduate school.
In this post, I highlight what I believe are the five most dangerous executive orders for public education. These include the dismantling of DEI infrastructure, the defunding of civil rights protections, the erasure of gender identity, the censorship of curriculum, and the unprecedented effort to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Together, they form a deeply coordinated effort to weaken the very foundations of equity, inclusion, and democratic access to public education.
This is not just a moment of political change—it is a moment of moral reckoning. And how we respond will shape the future of public education for generations to come.
1. Erasing Equity Infrastructure through DEI Elimination Orders
In both K–12 and higher education, we’re witnessing a sweeping attempt to dismantle of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) infrastructure that support student and educator success. These executive orders target the very mechanisms that schools and colleges have developed over the last two decades to close opportunity gaps, address disparities, and foster inclusive environments.
K–12 Impact
Public school districts—especially in politically hostile states—are rapidly losing the capacity to meaningfully address racial, gender, and disability inequities. DEI offices are being shut down. Inclusive policies around hiring, restorative justice, and curriculum design are being rescinded. Equity-focused professional development is now prohibited in many districts, leaving educators without the tools to serve a diverse student body. Interventions once aimed at closing achievement gaps or reducing racial discipline disparities have been paused or eliminated entirely.
And the chilling effect extends to schools that receive federal contracts—whether for nutrition services, broadband access, or afterschool programs. Many are now walking away from equity language altogether to avoid scrutiny or risk losing federal support. This deliberate defunding and fear-driven compliance are not accidental—they are the result of targeted policy choices designed to remove effort to improve the success of all students and educators from public education altogether.
Higher Ed Impact
In higher education, the ripple effects are even more pronounced. Colleges and universities that receive federal research grants—especially from agencies that have in the past prioritized inclusive hiring, community engagement, or racial equity—are being pressured to sever ties with DEI initiatives to remain eligible. Offices that support first-generation students, LGBTQ+ populations, and students of color are being downsized or defunded (see Ohio State and the University of Texas at Austin).
And the impact doesn’t stop at student services. Faculty hiring pipelines that once aimed to diversify the professoriate are being dismantled. Civil rights compliance offices—required to uphold Title VI and Title IX protections—are being scrutinized, restructured, or shuttered. In short, we are watching decades of work toward more inclusive institutions being unraveled with the stroke of a pen due to threatening letters from politicians.
2. Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education
One of the most alarming proposals in the current policy landscape is the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education—a move that would fundamentally alter the architecture of American education.
K–12 Impact
Eliminating the Department of Education would remove centralized enforcement of some of the most critical civil rights protections in our schools. Title VI ensures students are not discriminated against on the basis of race. Title IX protects students from gender-based discrimination and harassment. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees access to free, appropriate public education for students with disabilities.
If enforcement is punted to individual states—some of which have long histories of inequitable education practices—we risk creating a fragmented and inconsistent patchwork of protections. Vulnerable students could lose access to more rapid redress, and school districts could return to openly discriminatory practices under the guise of local control.
Higher Ed Impact
In higher education, the consequences of dismantling the Department of Education would be equally dire. Pell Grants, student loan programs, and institutional accreditation processes—which are essential to ensuring access, affordability, and quality—would be thrown into chaos. Oversight of for-profit colleges, already a weak point in federal regulation, would likely vanish altogether.
As we already saw empowered by a recent SCOTUS decision, this move is decimating federal support for teacher preparation programs and initiatives aimed at diversifying the educator workforce—at a time when the profession is already grappling with shortages and a lack of representation.
3. Erasing Legal Recognition of Gender Identity
Another dangerous development is the wave of executive actions and accompanying legislation that aim to erase legal recognition of gender identity—undermining decades of progress for transgender and nonbinary students.
K–12 Impact
In some states, laws and executive orders are now actively banning schools from affirming students’ gender identities. Teachers are being prohibited from using a student’s chosen name or pronouns. Bathroom access is being restricted based on birth-assigned sex. These policies don’t just deny students recognition—they increase their exposure to bullying, mental health crises, and, in the worst cases, violence.
Even educators who try to support their students are at risk. I was recently told by an Ohio teachers that has embraced more inclusive classroom practices, that she could face disciplinary action or termination based on a letter she was sent by the district. This climate of fear and punishment sends a clear message: transgender students are not safe, not supported, and not seen in the American school system.
Higher Ed Impact
On college campuses, the assault continues. LGBTQ+ student centers, gender-inclusive housing, and campus health services that provide affirming care are being threatened or closed. Academic programs such as queer theory, gender studies, and sexuality studies are facing cuts, censorship, or political interference.
Institutions are being pushed into legal limbo, where state directives conflict with federal protections—leaving students, faculty, and administrators unsure of how to comply, support, or resist.
4. Censoring Inclusive and Accurate Curriculum
Across the country, new executive orders and laws are banning the teaching of so-called “divisive concepts”—a catch-all term for any content that acknowledges racism, sexism, or other systemic inequities.
K–12 Impact
These bans make it risky—sometimes maybe even outright illegal—for educators to teach about the Civil Rights Movement, redlining, gender equity, or Indigenous sovereignty. Teachers are being monitored and reported for teaching “controversial” content. School boards are pulling books from shelves and rewriting curricula to conform to sanitized, ahistorical narratives.
Students of color, LGBTQ+ youth, and others who need to see themselves reflected in the curriculum are disengaging at alarming rates. In too many classrooms, we are trading critical thinking for political appeasement.
Higher Ed Impact
In teacher education, the impact is just as devastating. Colleges are being told they cannot train future educators in culturally responsive teaching, anti-racism, or equity practices. Departments focused on social justice, ethnic studies, and even U.S. history are being defunded or politically scrutinized.
The very mission of the university—to foster free inquiry and civic engagement—is being compromised.
5. Defunding Federal DEI and Environmental Justice Offices
The final major threat comes from the targeted defunding and elimination of federal offices that support DEI and environmental justice initiatives—offices that have played a critical role in advancing equity in underserved school communities.
K–12 Impact
Without these federal offices, schools lose access to grants that supported teacher diversity, inclusive curriculum, and physical infrastructure improvements. Funding for clean air and safe drinking water in schools—particularly in low-income districts—has been deprioritized. Efforts to address environmental racism in school siting and infrastructure have vanished.
Higher Ed Impact
Colleges and universities that once served as hubs for equity-focused research and community partnerships are losing the resources to do so. Programs focused on workforce development, climate justice, and environmental equity are being dismantled. Institutions are being told that serving the public good is no longer a national priority.
So What Is the Opportunity for Transformation?
When I look at these executive orders, I don’t just see danger—I see a call to action.
Yes, these policies are deeply troubling. They aim to erase DEI, rewrite history, and silence freedom of speech. But moments of repression have always sparked resistance—and sometimes, transformation.
First, we must redefine the role of education in a democracy. This is the time for colleges and schools to stop hiding behind neutrality and move toward real, structural change. That means permanently funding programs like Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Jewish, Queer, and Gender Studies, ending exploitative financial partnerships with government and private entities, and embedding accountability to the communities we serve.
Second, we must build intersectional coalitions across race, class, geography, and sector. These executive orders don’t hurt just one group—they aim to divide us. We must unite in response, drawing on legacies of resistance from Michigan to Mississippi.
Third, we must invest in new leadership. Those pushing a dictatorial status quo are not prepared for what’s coming—from us or from our descendants. As educators, students, and organizers, we must be willing to speak truth to power—not for applause, but for real, lasting change. Now is the time to plant the seeds for the next generation of leaders. We must talk to our children about what is happening in education and in our democracy. We must call out the autocratic themes emerging in today’s politics—clearly, consistently, and without hesitation. And we must build intentional leadership development and mentoring programs to ensure the next generation is equipped to lead with courage and conviction. These challenges come in waves. Our ancestors prepared us to rise in this moment—now it is our duty to prepare those who will rise in the next.
This moment is dangerous. But it’s also filled with possibility.
As I often write here on Cloaking Inequity: We don’t need incremental change—we need action now. The opportunity for transformation is not theoretical. It is lived. It is urgent.
And the time? It’s right now.