{"id":18151,"date":"2026-01-01T20:18:38","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T20:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=18151"},"modified":"2026-01-01T20:18:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T20:18:38","slug":"trumps-dei-rollback-and-its-ripple-effect-on-k-12-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/01\/trumps-dei-rollback-and-its-ripple-effect-on-k-12-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s DEI Rollback and Its Ripple Effect on K-12 Education\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

With federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs dismantled, public schools now face heightened challenges to protect Black students.<\/em><\/p>\n

by\u00a0<\/strong>Quintessa Williams<\/strong><\/a>, Word in Black <\/strong><\/p>\n

Special to The Truth<\/p>\n

In the first days of his second term, Donald Trump wasted no time keeping a campaign promise to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, via executive order, across federal agencies. With the stroke of a pen, he closed DEI offices, laid off staff, and rolled back attempts to level the playing field for Black people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Biden administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name \u2018diversity, equity, and inclusion\u2019 (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government,\u201d\u00a0Trump\u2019s order<\/a>\u00a0reads. \u201cThat ends today.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the order didn\u2019t directly target the Department of Education, DEI experts say Trump\u2019s order sends a chilling message to schools and districts that don\u2019t follow suit. For K-12 education, the rollback of initiatives designed to encourage the hiring of Black teachers and help Black students succeed could have devastating consequences instead.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>These Executive Orders Can Hit Black Students the Hardest<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not just an attack on DEI; it\u2019s a rejection of diversity itself,\u201d says Dante King, a DEI expert and author of \u201cDiagnosing Whiteness & Anti-Blackness: White Psychopathology, Trauma, and Collective Psychosis in America.\u201d He says it\u2019s time to recognize \u201cthe political systems driving this rollback and how they devalue Black and Brown people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Impact on Black Student Achievement<\/strong><\/p>\n

Programs to diversify schools, curriculum, and the teacher workforce have been critical tools for addressing systemic inequities that hamstring Black students \u2014 including implicit bias in school discipline rates, lack of culturally competent school curricula, and being taught by educators who look like them.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0National Bureau of Economic Research<\/a>\u00a0recently found that Black students with at least one Black teacher by third grade are 13% more likely to enroll in college. A similar Brookings Institution study found college enrollment rates increased\u00a0to 32% for Black students<\/a>\u00a0with two Black teachers by the same grade.<\/p>\n

Additionally, in 2023, the\u00a0National Council on Teacher Quality<\/a>\u00a0(NCTQ) reported that pairing Black students with Black teachers increases student achievement \u2014 especially among math and reading test scores \u2014 and decreases chronic absenteeism by roughly 60%.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlack teachers bring a cultural understanding and affirmation of Black children\u2019s value that non-Black educators often lack,\u201d King says. \u201cIt\u2019s important that we keep providing the adequate resources to continue to attract and retain them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Efforts to bring more Black educators into the classroom also helped amplify calls for a more culturally competent curriculum in the classroom, which improved Black student engagement and academic performance. In 2024, the\u00a0Thurgood Marshall Institute<\/a>\u00a0found that culturally responsive education \u201cdecreased dropout rates and suspensions while increasing student participation, confidence, academic achievement, and graduation rates.\u201d<\/p>\n

King says dismantling these DEI efforts will have the opposite effect on Black students.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaturating Black students with subjects and information that are not engaging is a huge reason why many Black children struggled in these systems without culturally engaging curriculums,\u201d he says. \u201cIf Black students can\u2019t truly learn about their experiences or how to use education meaningfully, it will diminish their participation and will, quite frankly, further taint the entire educational system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreover, DEI programs are tied to more inclusive school policies, such as restorative justice practices implemented to reduce disciplinary actions. According to research organizations like\u00a0The Learning Policy Insitute<\/a>, these\u00a0approaches help decrease<\/a>\u00a0suspension rates, improve the school climate, and boost Black students\u2019 overall well-being.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Trump 2.0 Is Here \u2014 and So Is the New Black Resistance<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Black Students\u2019 Psychological Safety In An Anti-DEI Era<\/strong><\/p>\n

The removal of such DEI initiatives won\u2019t just affect Black students\u2019 academically \u2014 it will take a toll on their psychological safety. King warns this shift will lead to increased racial trauma for many Black students, but says the time is now for communities to recognize and organize.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, America invests in what it values, and it\u2019s time to put meaningful resources behind diversifying education to inspire and empower the next generation of students. It\u2019s what they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs dismantled, public schools now face heightened challenges to protect Black students. by\u00a0Quintessa Williams, Word in Black Special to The Truth In the first days of his second term, Donald Trump wasted no time keeping a campaign promise to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, via executive order, across […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,7,252],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[327],"class_list":["post-18151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-opinion","category-education","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18151"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18152,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18151\/revisions\/18152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18151"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=18151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}