Tracking tool documents Trump administration Education policy changes
A new tracker from independent source The Chronicle of Higher Education will highlight the latest policies from President Donald Trump affecting U.S. colleges.
Following months of policy changes and executive orders from the Trump administration, The Chronicle of Higher Education hopes to help readers keep up-to-date with a new tracker listing all the latest federal developments in one place.
Updated twice a week, the new repository documents the orders, agency actions, lawsuits and court rulings that have implications for U.S. colleges. It aims to provide a comprehensive guide to how the U.S. federal government is reshaping its relationship with colleges.
The news comes after months of disruption, with the President signing an executive order directing the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education in March, aiming to transfer educational authority back to states and local communities.
The executive order directs former WWE CEO and superstar Linda McMahon, now Education Secretary, to reallocate the department's functions to other federal agencies and state governments. However, the complete dissolution of the department requires congressional approval, a process that may encounter significant political challenges.
The Chronicle’s tracker covers updates on civil rights, immigration policy, and research, with actions grouped into timelines to make it easy to follow and links to source material for further information. It builds on The Chronicle’s ongoing efforts to track anti-DEI legislation affecting colleges and document how colleges are dismantling DEI practices in response to political pressure.
The tracker is currently sharing updates on more than 35 actions by the Trump administration. This includes the Education Department’s recent finding that the University of Pennsylvania had violated Title IX by allowing a transgender athlete to compete on a women’s sports team.
The tracker is also covering an executive order outlining plans to deport international students who participated in protests agains the war in Gaza, a pause on State Department-funded study abroad programs and grants, and plans to cancel grants and pause funding for arts and cultural departments, amongst other policies.
The Chronicle plans to host a series of free virtual events covering the top challenges for colleges, their employees and their students, with the next event held on May 8.
The U.S. government has also announced key policies impacting the wider education sector. Last month, President Trump signed an executive order introducing mandatory artificial intelligence education across all U.S. elementary and secondary schools.
