President Donald Trump signed multiple executive orders focusing on reforming the education system in the United States.
The big picture: The first order was aimed at addressing school discipline, undoing policies from previous administrations that were seen to create challenges for teachers and students in the classroom.
Why it matters: Behavioral issues, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have been on the rise, raising questions about the federal government’s role in influencing individual school policies on discipline.
- Education Secretary Linda McMahon emphasized the importance of making disciplinary decisions based solely on students’ behavior and actions to enhance school safety standards.
Go deeper: Another executive order signed by Trump aims to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) tools into American classrooms to ensure students are adequately trained in AI, enhancing their competitiveness in the future job market.
- A separate order targeted the college accreditation process, questioning the accreditation criteria’s basis on merit and performance rather than what was described as “woke ideology.”
