Editor’s note: This week, we’re reprinting some of our best stories from the past year. This piece, published in March, details Harvard&#8217;s detachment from a partnership with a Hamas-friendly university.
The Harvard School of Public Health suspended its partnership with a Palestinian university whose faculty and students have endorsed and collaborated with Hamas and other terror groups, according to the <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/3/27/harvard-suspends-birzeit-partnership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harvard Crimson</a>.
The suspension follows extensive reporting by The Daily Wire into Birzeit’s terrorist ties that led to 27 members of Congress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lawmakers-demand-harvard-cut-ties-with-hamas-collaborator-palestinian-university" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calling for</a> Harvard to “immediately shut down this partnership and condemn Birzeit University.”
Harvard suspended the partnership as part of the Harvard School of Public Health’s investigation into Harvard’s FXB Center, which started last summer, School of Public Health spokeswoman Stephanie Simon told the student paper.
A memorandum of understanding between the FXB Center and Birzeit expired in recent months and Harvard decided not to renew it, according to Simon. While an official partnership will not exist, the FXB Center, which collaborates with Birzeit faculty and scholars, will reportedly continue.
In a Q&amp;A with the <a href="https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/03/a-year-into-role-chan-school-dean-focused-on-driving-change-amid-deep-challenges/">Harvard Gazette</a>, Dean Andrea Baccarelli said a &#8220;blue-ribbon panel of experts&#8221; were appointed to conduct the review of the FXB Center to &#8220;rigorously evaluate the FXB Center’s current status and future potential.&#8221; The review is expected to conclude this spring.
The FXB Center <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-to-host-summer-program-at-palestinian-university-dominated-by-hamas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">co-hosted</a> the “Palestine Social Medicine Course” with Birzeit University last summer, where students learned about “settler colonialism.” The program was originally supposed to take place on Birzeit’s campus in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, until it <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-cancels-program-with-hamas-friendly-university-over-security-concerns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was relocated</a> to Jordan “due to security concerns.” Under the suspension, Harvard will no longer co-sponsor the program this year and Harvard students will not be eligible to participate because of security concerns. Instead the 2025 Social Medicine Course will be sponsored by Birzeit and the World Health Organization.
At the time, Simon told The Daily Wire she was aware of Birzeit’s student body’s association with Hamas, but said it has not affected its program.
“Student government elections at Birzeit typically involve candidates affiliated with each of the major political parties in the region, including Hamas,” she said. “These student government elections are not germane to and have not affected the FXB Center’s work with the scholars and students at Birzeit’s Institute of Community and Public Health.”
Birzeit University <a href="https://archive.ph/eRaU6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called for</a> “glory for the martyrs” after Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, and has a long history of promoting terrorists on its campus. The university has hosted funerals and parades for terrorists on its campus, where several buildings are named after terrorists.
Hanan Ashrawi, chairman of Birzeit University’s board of trustees, denied that Hamas sexually assaulted Israelis on October 7, and has defended Hezbollah and the lynching of Israeli soldiers, according to <a href="https://camera-uk.org/2019/05/14/indy-fails-to-challenge-hanan-ashrawis-claim-shes-always-rejected-violence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CAMERA UK</a>.
On its website, Birzeit <a href="https://www.birzeit.edu/en/about/history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boasts</a> that it is a “thorn in the side of the occupation,” and says it is committed to making an impact through “resistance.”
In 2023, the Birzeit student body elected two blocs affiliated with terrorist organizations — Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)— into the student government. In the election, which had a 77 percent voter turnout, the Hamas-affiliated Islamic bloc won 25 of the 51 seats, while the PFLP picked up six, according to the <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-744135" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerusalem Post</a>.
In July, five members of the student council were arrested for attempting to carry out a terror attack on behalf of Hamas. The students were found with an assault rifle and thousands of dollars of cash from Hamas, the Times of Israel <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-university-students-in-west-bank-arrested-for-planning-significant-terror-attack/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Birzeit <a href="https://archive.is/q0BXN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared a letter</a> from its faculty and employee union last April which praised the “global intifada,” called for an Israel boycott, and refrained from calling the United States by name, instead opting to use “Turtle Island,” a term used by so-called “anti-colonialists” to suggest that the United States exists on stolen Native American land.
Birzeit’s faculty includes notable terrorist sympathizers, including assistant professor Basil Farraj who wrote <a href="https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/45912" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a eulogy</a> for Walid Daqqa, the leader of a group that kidnapped and killed an IDF soldier.
Philosophy professor Abdaljawad Omar appeared at a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rashida-tlaib-faces-calls-to-be-removed-from-congress-after-speaking-at-terrorist-connected-event" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PFLP-linked conference</a> attended by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, where he praised the October 7 attacks for opening “so many doors of political possibility” and said the “promise of liberation it holds would not have manifested in our conference without the capacity to resist.” Omar also denied accusations of rape and criticized the IDF for refusing to allow Israel to be taken over by the “Palestinian military” in <a href="https://mondoweiss.net/2023/10/how-and-why-israels-disinformation-campaign-is-enabling-its-massacre-in-gaza/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an op-ed</a> shortly after the attack.
“Israel chose not to engage in negotiations with any groups within its borders, leading to substantial collateral damage in numerous hostage situations,” Omar wrote. “The Palestinian military strategy aimed to delay Israel’s retaking of the area around the strip. In contrast, Israel was intent on swiftly reclaiming the territory, seemingly without regard for the safety of its own citizens.”
Several other schools <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-dark-relationship-between-u-s-universities-and-the-anti-american-school-controlled-by-terrorists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have had relationships</a> with Birzeit, including Rutgers University, which affirmed its relationship with Birzeit in May amid student encampment protests. William Paterson University entered into an <a href="https://www.wpunj.edu/provost/international-academic-agreements/Birziet.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreement with</a> the Hamas-run university in 2022 for exchange programs, sharing curricula, and joint degree programs. Other schools, such as MIT, have recently co-hosted conferences, invited Birzeit professors for speaking events, or had student groups visit its campus.
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Harvard

Best Of 2025: Harvard Cuts Ties With Hamas-Friendly Birzeit University 

Education

Hamas

Harvard University

Palestinian

U.S.

The New York Times rolled out another <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/us/new-college-ron-desantis-florida-conservative.html">installment</a> of its favorite genre — Ron DeSantis, Destroyer of All That Is Good™ — this time lamenting that New College of Florida, long a leftist sandbox where grades were optional, and gender theory reigned, has been rudely interrupted by a governor who thinks college should actually teach … well … college.
“At the state school, gender studies is out. ‘The Odyssey’ is required reading. A Charlie Kirk statue is coming. Has one ideological bubble replaced another?” the Times hyperventilated.
The Times paints the picture with a heavy brush: gender studies out, Homer’s “Odyssey” in, DEI dismantled, and conservative professors hired. Athletics are expanding, buildings are being repaired, enrollment is rising — but to the Times, the real scandal is that the ideological monopoly of the Left is no longer protected turf. The narrative is clear: New College used to be an enlightened paradise of “nonconformists,” until Florida Republican Gov. DeSantis staged a “conservative takeover” and imposed a curriculum centered on the Western canon.
The outlet breathlessly notes that some faculty and students bailed, others grumbled that freshmen are being forced to read a 3,000-year-old epic, and professors wonder whether there will still be “room for people like them.” The Times frames the reforms not as an attempt to restore academic rigor, but as a right-wing project creeping toward total control — repeatedly warning that the college is “moving toward the ideological right.”
Yet, <a href="https://x.com/DavidMBrowder/status/2005701914076254695">enrollment is up</a>. Faculty hiring is up. State investment is stabilizing the school. Buildings once covered in mold are now being brought back into use. In other words, the place was collapsing, and DeSantis did something about it.
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So DeSantis answered — bluntly — on X. Conservatives have complained about universities for years, he noted, but Florida actually acted. His overhaul “re-centered the college on merit, free speech, classical learning and the pursuit of truth,” ensuring New College becomes the premier public liberal arts college in America. No apologies. No hedging.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Conservatives have complained for years about leftist control of universities, but never actually did anything about it.
Our overhaul of New College in Sarasota re-centered the college on the solid intellectual foundations of merit, free speech, classical learning and the… <a href="https://t.co/6q6P7E2TCX">pic.twitter.com/6q6P7E2TCX</a>
&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2005683823850168614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This is part of a broader pattern. DeSantis, re-elected in a landslide, has systematically pushed back on woke orthodoxy in education, requiring civic literacy, mandating intellectual-freedom surveys, and refusing to let classrooms become indoctrination centers. New College even began accepting the Classic Learning Test, signaling that classical education is welcome again.
To the Times, this is dangerous. To DeSantis, it’s called doing his job.
And while critics cry “authoritarianism,” the numbers tell another story: students are enrolling, the faculty has grown, and parents now have a publicly-funded option that doesn’t sneer at Western civilization. The panic isn’t about academic decline — it’s about leftists losing their monopoly.
Homer replaces ideology. Debate replaces dogma. And that, apparently, is the crime.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, holds a press conference to speak

NY Times Attacks DeSantis As Florida College Ditches Gender Studies For Classic Western Literature

New York Times

Ron DeSantis

Scopes trial DW

Best Of 2025: A Century Ago, The ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’ Shook The Nation. The Stakes Are Still High.

Best Of 2025: A Century Ago, The 'Scopes Monkey Trial' Shook The Nation. The Stakes Are Still High.

Academia

ACLU

American History

Bible

Charles Darwin

Christianity

Science

Tennessee

School choice advocate Erika Donalds said that students will be better off when parents have better access to what their kids are learning and when schools are held accountable for veering away from what should be taught.
Donalds, the wife of Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL), sat down with The Daily Wire&#8217;s Tim Rice and Mary Margaret Olohan for an interview at Turning Point USA&#8217;s 2025 AmFest, the first one held without the group&#8217;s late founder, Charlie Kirk.
Donalds began by saying that she was excited to see so many people of all ages attending breakout sessions at the conference that were devoted to reforming education — and how fixing what was wrong with education in the United States played into saving the republic as well.
&#8220;President Trump is doing exactly what he promised the American people,&#8221; Donalds said of President Donald Trump&#8217;s plan to first dismantle the Department of Education as a federal entity and then return power to the schools and the states. &#8220;He&#8217;s going to return that power not just to the states, but expand school choice and give power to the parents to make decisions on behalf of their children.&#8221;
Donalds praised Education Secretary Linda McMahon, saying that she had been instrumental in delivering on Trump&#8217;s promises.
The conversation turned to charter schools — several of which Donalds has had a hand in founding — and she said that they can serve as valuable school choice options, especially in areas where private schools are too expensive or otherwise inaccessible. She said that even with advances in school choice, she saw a major role for charter schools to partner with Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and to offer more &#8220;modular style&#8221; classes.
In her home state, Donalds noted, charter schools were already adapting to the changing educational landscape by offering &#8220;individual courses and extracurricular activities that families can access using their ESA dollars.&#8221;
Responding to a question from Olohan, who noted she was homeschooled for a time herself, Donalds said that the number of families homeschooling in the United States was higher than it had ever been — and that even more families indicated that they&#8217;d like to homeschool if they could. Donald made it clear that one of her goals was to help families remove as many of the barriers preventing potential homeschoolers from moving forward as possible.
Rice then raised the issue of artificial intelligence — and how the knee-jerk reaction is often to keep AI out of schools because students will obviously use it to cheat — but Donalds argued that she believed there was certainly room for AI in education.
There should certainly be guard rails in place, Donalds argued, but AI could be used to find gaps in education and help children to succeed who might otherwise fall through the cracks.
&#8220;We need guardrails and we need parents to have visibility into what&#8217;s going on in the AI used in their classrooms,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Once those guardrails are in place, I believe AI can absolutely help with the abysmal academic results in this country.&#8221;
She went on to explain that AI could help a child struggling with reading by identifying the particular concept that was causing the hang-up and tailoring a curriculum to the child&#8217;s needs. The same could be done with other subjects, she said, giving the example of a child having difficulty with algebra and saying that AI could identify where they were going wrong — even if it was a skill they should have picked up in elementary school.
The remainder of the interview focused on ideological and cultural issues seeping into the education system and how expanding parental rights and access to resources and curriculum were the best guard against that.
&#8220;We want to make sure that when students are graduating 12th grade that they are civically literate,&#8221; Donalds said, arguing that if America&#8217;s young people did not understand how the founders had built the country or why the government had been set up the way that it had, they would be unable to defend it in the future.

Erika Donalds

Erika Donalds Talks Trump, School Choice, And Why AI Is Good For Classrooms

Byron Donalds

Charter Schools

Daily Wire

Media

Parental Rights in Education

Politics

The federal government awards research grants to universities to make scientific breakthroughs, but for every dollar that it has spent on science, up to 70 additional cents is diverted to administrators, a new study found.
That allows the universities to essentially extort the federal government by claiming that the funding is necessary for public health, while gobbling up a large portion for DEI, hiring more deans, and unrelated campus programs.
Current policy provides an overhead rate of a whopping 50 to 70%, paid on top of the actual scientific grant, dramatically ballooning the cost to taxpayers and creating a college industrial complex, watchdog group <a href="https://www.openthebooks.com/assets/1/6/Transparency_Academia_Overhead.pdf">Open the Books</a> said in a new report. The costs are a &#8220;black box&#8221; that is absorbed by taxpayers, but has no public accounting, the group said.
The findings come as the Trump administration seeks to rein in the partisanship of universities and find ways to reduce waste without impacting important scientific research. The Trump administration has proposed reducing the overhead rate to 15%, but the move has been stalled by a court ruling after university groups sued.
The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, one of four universities that Open the Books examined, had a negotiated overhead rate of 55 to 56%. It received $9.4 billion in federal research funding between 2013 and 2023, up to $2.3 billion of which was siphoned off for &#8220;overhead,&#8221; the report &#8212; first obtained by The Daily Wire &#8212; found. During that time, the university&#8217;s administrative staff, but not professors, swelled, and DEI staff climbed from 27 to 179.
One grant was for $2.5 million to take a curriculum from the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center and turn it into a middle school anti-racism program about &#8220;white supremacy&#8221; and &#8220;solidarity.&#8221; That project alone brought in a whopping $1,173,910 in additional money for the university thanks to its 56% overhead rate.
Rutgers had an overhead rate as high as 57%. Of $3.8 billion in science grants, as little as $2.4 billion was left for direct costs. Concurrent with the influx of funding, its staff grew by 10,000 &#8212; only a quarter of whom were teachers.
The high overhead rates give universities a financial incentive to apply for grants even if the research is not useful or high-quality. Recent reports found that only 46% of 53 cancer studies could be replicated, and most research in psychology journals did not replicate. That means the conclusions are so dubious that when someone else took the same steps, they didn&#8217;t get the same results.
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A National Association of Scholars report described the perverse incentives: &#8220;While scientists pursue research funding for discovery, institutions want research grants to generate revenue. Because scientists are employees, and administrations are employers, administrations’ interests will always have the upper hand. This is the means whereby academic scientists are reduced to being generators of revenue, not agents of discovery.&#8221;
That group said that in 2023, the federal government gave universities $60 billion in research grants, $22 billion of which went to overhead. If the overhead rate was reduced to 15%, it would have freed up $14 billion, which could be used on actual research or simply to save taxpayer dollars.
The National Science Foundation spent $7.4 billion in research and development grants in fiscal 2024. Although the Department of Health and Human Services, and its arms like the National Institutes of Health, make more awards to colleges, there is additional bloat in NSF funding because of a congressional requirement, Open the Books found.
Congress, through a bill called the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, required those grants to include what it calls &#8220;broader impacts&#8221; work, requiring scientists to do DEI and public relations work. &#8220;These requirements fundamentally transformed universities and their approach to scientific research,&#8221; the report said.
For example, a $600,000 grant for a chemistry project called “Unravelling the Nature of Elusive Transition Metal-oxyl Complexes” now included a hidden slush fund, under &#8220;broader impacts,&#8221; for &#8220;recruiting Underrepresented Minority (URM) high school students to STEM fields.&#8221; A $1.5 million project to develop a dog-like robot at Rutgers University had a &#8220;broader impacts&#8221; slush fund to &#8220;leverage diversity programs at Rutgers University to recruit and support underrepresented groups.”
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill received $7.7 billion in science grants over a decade and had an overhead rate of 52-55%. A $510,000 chemistry grant for &#8220;vapor deposition techniques&#8221; was siphoned off for &#8220;promoting LGBTQ+ participation in scientific research and in society as a whole.&#8221;
The DEI programming was concealed under line-items that appeared to be for legitimate scientific research. &#8220;When critics of Trump’s plan to eliminate NSF discuss funding cuts to science, they don’t mention that funds for actual scientific discovery are already being cut into with Congressionally mandated, ideologically motivated, side projects,&#8221; Open The Books said.
Trump has attempted to remove identity-based &#8220;broader activity&#8221; mandates, but some recent grants have included them nonetheless, Open The Books found.
Universities are fighting the 15% overhead cap. But at a minimum, &#8220;universities, which have suffered reputational blows from hard-left campus activism and programmatic activities in recent years, could additionally volunteer to release data on overhead flows and amounts to regain the trust that taxpayer dollars are being put to good use,&#8221; the report said.
It is colleges &#8212; not the Trump administration &#8212; who have been anti-science by diverting limited funds, it concluded, saying &#8220;hijacking grant proposal requirements to further ideological goals&#8221; is &#8220;a secret tax on research and development.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-zealand-scrapped-all-social-science-funding-trump-could-too">New Zealand Scrapped All ‘Social Science’ Funding. Trump Could Too.</a>

University of Michigan Ann Arbor

How Universities Divert Federal Science Grants To DEI And Administrative Bloat

Donald Trump

Back in September, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/zohran-mamdani-social-workers-nypd-mayors-race-interview/">stated</a> that his administration, should he succeed, intended to dedicate $1 billion to the overhaul of public safety, which would include the hiring of many more social workers.
Following his election win, Mayor-elect Mamdani then <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mamdanis-top-incoming-aide-chief-architect-radical-proposal-overhauling-nypd">announced</a> that the “chief architect” behind the proposal, 34-year-old California native Elle Bisgaard-Church, was joining his staff, leading many to speculate that the controversial proposal now has real momentum.
While it remains to be seen how Mamdani and his administration will actually handle policing in New York City, it appears a substantial increase in the hiring of social workers is on the way. For many Americans, the idea that this new approach to policing will reduce crime — especially violent crime — is absurd. But for the far-left, it is not just about implementing an alternative solution to policing, it is about growing the ranks of credentialed supporters of anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion — or ADEI — in public institutions, especially schools.
This isn’t the first time in recent years that tax dollars will be used to increase the number of social workers. From 2021 to 2024, the Biden administration’s Department of Education <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/granted-social-work/">distributed</a> over $100 million in grants to universities to recruit and train more school social workers. Twenty-two of the universities that received funding currently weave ADEI into all levels of their degree coursework.
But the integration of ADEI into social work goes beyond a few outliers, it is a core principle of the accrediting organization and schools of social work. In fact, over 55% of the almost 900 accredited schools currently list ADEI as part of their program objectives and philosophy. It is through these accreditor competencies, biased application <a href="https://form.jotform.com/80024346548152">screenings</a>, required <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/granted-social-work/">courses</a>, and student <a href="https://socialwork.asu.edu/sites/g/files/litvpz286/files/2025-07/Fall%202025%2C%20First%20Semester%2C%20SWG%20541%20%281%20of%202%29%2C%20MSW%20Generalist%20Learning%20Contract%20and%20Evaluation%20Sonia%20-%20Form%20Preview.pdf">evaluations</a> that schools of social work have become a tool for advancing left-wing orthodoxy into society and K-12 education.
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the accrediting agency, not only weaves ADEI throughout eight of the nine student <a href="https://www.cswe.org/getmedia/bb5d8afe-7680-42dc-a332-a6e6103f4998/2022-Educational-Policy-and-Accreditation-Standards-(EPAS).pdf">competencies</a>, but it also includes ADEI as a core element in the organization’s educational policies and standards for which universities are evaluated. Rutgers University’s School of Social Work goes a step further by adding a tenth competency aimed at developing a student’s “<a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/2025-04/2022_Enhanced%20MAP_Competencies%202024_April.pdf">Liberatory Consciousness”</a> — the ability to “understand and identify how white supremacy, racism, and other forms of stigma, prejudice, discrimination, and oppression” impact people and communities. Additionally, CSWE’s standards state that social work programs must “recognize the pervasive impact of White supremacy and privilege and prepare students to have the knowledge, awareness, and skills necessary to engage in anti-racist practices.”
However, long before entering their respective social work programs, many applicants are screened for their commitment to anti-racism and DEI through essays, personal statements, and question sets. For example, Metropolitan State University of Denver’s (CO) program <a href="https://www.msudenver.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2026-MSW-Personal-Statement-Prompts.pdf">states</a> it seeks students who are committed to “ADEI work,” and requires an essay that prompts them to discuss any experiences and specific roles they have had engaging with ADEI. A University of Alaska Anchorage <a href="https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/academics/college-of-health/departments/school-of-social-work/msw/_documents/2026-27-MSW-admissions-booklet.pdf">document</a> titled “Program and Admissions Information” declares that the purpose of the writing sample is to evaluate an applicant&#8217;s understanding and commitment to “social justice, diversity, and anti-racism.”
Just as <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/corrupted/">Colleges of Education</a> prepare future K-12 teachers to advance social justice and DEI in the classroom, so do social work programs.
In fact, the School Social Work Association of America’s (SSWAA) “<a href="https://www.sswaa.org/racial-equity-and-social-justice">Racial Equity &amp; Social Justice Resources</a>” page states that “school social workers are well positioned to be transformational leaders in promoting equity, inclusivity and supportive school environments.” The site also links to the organization’s “<a href="https://www.sswaa.org/_files/ugd/486e55_0be666d8efd241aba23af719e33856fc.pdf">Solidarity Statement with Black Lives Matter</a>.”
<div id="attachment_1015125" style="width: 785px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1015125" class="size-large wp-image-1015125" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Wisconsin-social-workers-775x576.jpg" alt="Credit: Wisconsin Department of Public Education" width="775" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Wisconsin-social-workers-775x576.jpg 775w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Wisconsin-social-workers-300x223.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Wisconsin-social-workers-768x571.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Wisconsin-social-workers-1536x1141.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Wisconsin-social-workers.jpg 1911w" sizes=" (max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px" />Credit: Wisconsin Department of Public Education</div>
For years, there has been a concerted effort to increase the number of social workers inside K-12 schools. According to Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction <a href="https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/sspw/pdf/17-24_SSW_Trend_Data.pdf">data</a>, from 2017 to 2024, licensed and employed school social workers in the Badger State increased from 620 to 840. Overall, the percentage of schools with at least one social worker increased from 27% to 39%, while the per student to social worker ratio dropped to 1,014 to 1. The target <a href="https://www.sswaa.org/national-census">goal</a> of SSWAA is 250 to 1, or roughly 200,000 school social workers.
There is no doubt that too many young Americans have real mental health issues that need to be addressed. But inserting social workers, trained to be champions of anti-racism and DEI, into every school as a remedy is nonsense.
It is well past time for state and federal legislatures to rein in university social work programs and their accreditor.
* * *
Rhyen Staley is Director of Research for Defending Education. He holds a master’s degree in elementary education and has over a decade of classroom experience in both public and private schools.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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US-POLITICS-VOTE-NEW YORK-MAYOR

Mamdani And The Expanding Army Of DEI-Trained Social Workers

American Universities

College

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Opinion

Police

social worker

Zohran Mamdani

Last week, the White House convened an education roundtable with U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon titled, “Biased Professors, Woke Administrators, and the End of Free Inquiry on U.S. Campuses.”
Secretary McMahon opened the event by <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-secretary-of-education-linda-mcmahon-participates-white-house-roundtable-left-wing-ideological-capture-of-universities">stating</a>, “It was an honor to be at the White House today with this dedicated coalition of students, faculty, institutional leaders, and policy advocates to highlight the issue of woke ideology and the capture of our institutions of higher education. DEI policies have turned universities from free marketplaces of ideas to purveyors of manufactured ideological conformity, chilling free speech and undermining academic rigor.”
She <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-secretary-of-education-linda-mcmahon-participates-white-house-roundtable-left-wing-ideological-capture-of-universities">explained</a>, “We are committed to working with higher education leaders to reverse course from these decades of decline.”
The Secretary highlighted actions taken by the Trump Administration, including dissolving DEI programs, enforcing merit-based practices, and guiding universities to comply with federal law, noting that over 400 institutions have made substantive changes. The U.S. Department of Education is working to incentivize universities to operate with fairness, academic rigor, and civil discourse.
Providing strong, positive leadership, Secretary McMahon <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/secretary-mcmahon-white-house-remarks-12325-112619.pdf">shared</a>, “We want to provide every opportunity for colleges to recommit themselves to principles like non-discrimination, open discourse and neutrality, financial responsibility, resisting foreign influence, and putting students first.” She called for a recommitment to principles of reason, individual excellence, and non-discrimination to create a “golden age” of higher education.
This was the second in a series of higher education roundtables. The first roundtable was held at the White House on November 19, titled “Administrative Bloat and Low-Value Programs: How U.S. Universities are Failing American Families and How They Can Reform.” It addressed higher-education affordability and key components of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including new caps on graduate loan borrowing aimed at reducing costs and boosting accountability.
Undeniably, the Trump Administration is providing pivotal leadership to reform public higher education. As Eric Bledsoe, Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy with a focus on education, explained at last week’s roundtable, “universities serve a public interest and must be held accountable by the public.” Bledsoe also noted that higher education should be about “cultivating mature citizens who are prepared for the workforce.”
It’s common sense 101, and thankfully for the American people, this administration is working overtime to change the status quo and cultivate a return to normalcy in public higher education, which has been overtaken by wokeness.
In October, the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” was released by the Trump Administration and sent initially to nine institutions. It outlined eight “priorities of the U.S. government in its engagement with universities that benefit from the relationship.” It clearly <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Compact-for-Academic-Excellence-in-Higher-Education-10.1.pdf">notes</a> that “Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values” other than those outlined “if the institution elects to forego federal benefits.”
The priorities are as follows: equality in admission, marketplace of ideas and civil discourse, non-discrimination in faculty and administrative hiring, institutional neutrality, student learning, student equality, financial responsibility, and foreign entanglements.
The Compact <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Compact-for-Academic-Excellence-in-Higher-Education-10.1.pdf">reads</a>: “The leadership of an academic institute is directly responsible for its strategy, success, and adherence to legal and governmental requirements.” More specifically, each year, the institute’s President, Provost, and Head of Admissions will be required to certify that the university abides by the principles outlined in the Compact.
Violators — whether willfully or negligently — will lose benefits for at least one year. Repeat offenders will lose benefits for at least two years. Additionally, funds advanced to the university by the federal government during the year of violation must be returned. Most <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Compact-for-Academic-Excellence-in-Higher-Education-10.1.pdf">notably</a>, “any private contributions to the university during the year(s) in which such violation occurred shall be returned to the grantor upon the request of the grantor.”
Universities collectively receive hundreds of billions of dollars each year, yet do not deliver soundly on their mission. This much-needed accountability is a major step in the right direction.
As Secretary McMahon <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/secretary-mcmahon-white-house-remarks-12325-112619.pdf">communicated</a> at the most recent White House education roundtable, she is inviting those leading higher education institutions to join her in “creating a golden age of academe — committed to reason, not racial preferences. Merit, not marginalizing the so-called ‘oppressor.’ Individual excellence, not ideological indoctrination.”
University leaders would be wise to get out of the business of indoctrination and discrimination and instead focus on fulfilling their institution’s mission of open inquiry and excellence in academics. Even if they do not align with the Trump Administration, agree with the Compact, or value meritocracy, their institution’s bottom line will be better for it. And most importantly, so will their students and our nation.
* * *
Dr. Keri D. Ingraham is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute, Director of the American Center for Transforming Education, and a Senior Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Universities II. Google Gemini design.

Ending The Woke Monopoly: White House Takes Aim At Higher Ed’s Ideological Capture

Ivy League

Linda McMahon

Public Schools

Trump Administration

White House

Woke Culture

One person is dead and another is in critical condition after a shooter opened fire at Kentucky State University Tuesday.
The Frankfort Police Department responded to an &#8220;active aggressor&#8221; at the historically black university around 3:35 p.m., <a href="https://www.wlwt.com/article/injuries-reported-shooting-kentucky-state-university/69677946" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to WLWT. The shooting happened at a dorm on campus known as Young Hall, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/09/us/kentucky-state-university-frankfort-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Police have taken a shooter, later identified as Jacob Lee Bard of Evansville, Indiana into custody. He was not a student at the school, according to police.
“We will share more information as available,” Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear <a href="https://x.com/GovAndyBeshear/status/1998495044144427362" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in an X post Tuesday. “Law enforcement are on scene, and a suspect has been arrested. Let’s pray for all those affected.”
The school remains &#8220;on lockdown until further notice,&#8221; the police department said.
A university official told <a href="https://www.wkyt.com/2025/12/09/one-dead-multiple-injured-after-shooting-kentucky-state-universitys-campus-suspect-custody/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WKYT</a> that the shooting left multiple people injured.
Police are expected to hold a press conference at 7:00 p.m. local time to share updates on the developing situation, according to WKYT.
The shooting comes nearly two weeks after an Afghan migrant opened fire on two National Guard soldiers deployed to Washington, D.C., by the Trump administration, resulting in the death of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom.
The attack also follows two separate shootings at historically black universities in October, according to CNN.
One of the shootings, which occurred near Howard University in the nation&#8217;s capital, left five people injured.
The next day, at least one person was killed and six others were hurt at an attack on Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University during the school&#8217;s homecoming weekend.
Kentucky State University has more than 2,200 students and 450 faculty and staff, <a href="https://www.kysu.edu/about-ksu/index.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the school&#8217;s website.

Untitled design – 2025-12-09T161956.508

Shooting At Kentucky State University Leaves One Dead

Crime

Kentucky

Shooting

A new <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/12/08/us-news/f-grades-handed-to-14-colleges-in-antisemitism-report-card-as-jewish-students-forced-to-hide-identities/">report</a> by the civil rights watchdog StopAntisemitism finds that antisemitism has become widespread and deeply entrenched across American college campuses, with many Jewish students reporting fear, harassment, and inadequate institutional protection.
Based on a survey and incident data from 90 colleges, the group’s annual “report cards” show that 39% of Jewish students have concealed their identities on campus, while 62% say they have been directly blamed for Israel’s actions in Gaza. Fifty-eight percent report experiencing antisemitism personally, and nearly two-thirds feel unwelcome in parts of campus amid escalating anti-Israel protests.
Fourteen colleges received failing grades, including Columbia University, the New School, Harvard, Yale, Brown, Penn, MIT, Northwestern, and UC Berkeley. According to the report, these institutions allowed a “pervasive” and sometimes violent environment to develop, one marked by harassment, property vandalism, hateful communications, and protest disruptions. Columbia and the New School were specifically cited for federal findings of “deliberate indifference” toward Jewish students. StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez argued that the worst-performing schools have become “ground zero” for antisemitism in higher education.
Some institutions improved. Cornell rose from an F to a C for more responsive administrative action, while Vassar increased from a D to a B. Fifteen schools earned A ratings — including Baylor, Clemson, Elon, and Colorado State — highlighted as examples of campuses that consistently enforce standards and act proactively against antisemitism.
The fallout has extended to federal intervention. In July, the Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/columbia-university-retreats-as-trump-scores-historic-220m-settlement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">administration reached a high-profile settlement </a>with Columbia, requiring the school to pay $200 million to the federal government and $20 million to Jewish employees, in exchange for lifting freezes on federal funding and ending several investigations. Columbia also agreed to eliminate race-based DEI initiatives, ensure merit-based admissions and hiring, provide compliance data, and take steps to better support Jewish students. University leadership emphasized that while they disputed wrongdoing, they recognized the need to address harmful incidents.
Harvard likewise <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-finds-harvard-discriminated-against-jewish-students-threatens-funding">faced</a> a federal civil rights finding in June. A letter from the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that Harvard violated Title VI by failing to stop discrimination, threats, and physical intimidation against Jewish and Israeli students. Investigators cited assaults, hate imagery, rule-breaking demonstrations, and lenient discipline of offenders. The administration warned Harvard could lose federal funding without swift reforms. Harvard disputed the findings but acknowledged antisemitism as a serious problem and said it was committed to improving campus safety and inclusion.
Overall, only 62% of surveyed Jewish students would recommend their schools to other Jews. StopAntisemitism urged universities nationwide to emulate the highly rated institutions by condemning antisemitism unequivocally, enforcing clear policies, and ensuring transparent investigations into hate-based incidents.

Pro-Palestinian-Student-Protests-at-Columbia-University

Almost 40% Of Jewish Students Have Hidden Their Identity On Campus: Report

antisemitism

Israel

Universities

Thanksgiving is a time when families thrive, and our conservative movement can learn key lessons from this uniquely American tradition as we move forward together.
Let’s begin with what’s best about the day: a shared table, familiar laughter, and the quiet grace of gratitude. Gratitude is not the fruit of harmony; it is the seed. Traditions renew; children grow up knowing the laugh of a cousin; and an uncle regales with stories of where the family came from. The mystic chords of memory, those invisible threads that bind generations, grow stronger and endure.
Thanksgiving is meant to be practiced. The meaningful work of breaking bread with people who vote differently, pray differently, and have different points of view preserves more than a holiday tradition. Amongst people you don’t always like but with whom you share a deep bond is where public deliberation starts — a practice foundational to American self-government. We keep the muscle memory of belonging to something larger than ourselves.
What’s true for our families is, of course, also true for our conservative movement and the nation we all endeavor to save.
Ronald Reagan is often remembered for saying, &#8220;All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” What is left out, however, is the line that follows: “So, tomorrow night in the kitchen, I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven&#8217;t been teaching you what it means to be an American, let &#8217;em know and nail &#8217;em on it. That would be a very American thing to do.&#8221;
Let the talking begin this week — and let our conversations be an invitation to those we love to once again find unity in our purpose, first as families and then as a nation. At Heritage, we’ve started this family conversation, centered around four questions plain enough to ask around the dinner table and significant enough to guide a movement and save a republic:
What does it mean to be a flourishing American family?
What does it mean to honor the dignity of work and secure the future of free enterprise?
What does it mean to have true national security?
What does it mean to be an American citizen?
At Heritage, we have a point of view, confident in our thinking and our institution’s 52 years of robust intellectual history. We believe that united, good-faith conservatives will engage in this discussion. We are also certain we know what a restored America looks like:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Marriage and family celebrated, not ignored or mocked.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Work dignified, wages rising, and two incomes a family choice, not a necessity.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Borders secure, military strong, enemies deterred.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Children learning truth — not ideology — in educational institutions that parents control.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Faith respected, civic virtue restored, patriotism the norm.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Government limited, debt shrinking, freedom expanding.</li>
</ul>
We call this Heritage 2.0 inside our organization, where every colleague contributed to its creation. We present it to you as our battle plan to save America.
Let there be no mistake; we are taking back Washington to save America. That puts a target on us — from the uniparty, the entrenched bureaucracy, and the deep state. Now may be a suitable time to reiterate with clarity our message to the purveyors of the status quo: Bring it on.
We sweat not for the elites, but for everyday Americans. We toil not to be keyboard warriors but to chart a course of national renewal. The future of conservatism — a fusion of old and new right — will succeed when we return power to the people.
Today’s populism didn&#8217;t emerge in a vacuum. It arose from failed leadership, calcified institutions, and elites who prioritized bureaucracy over everyday Americans. The people aren&#8217;t seeking minor fixes; they&#8217;re challenging the very credibility of the system, and often, they&#8217;re spot on. This ought to inspire our movement!
The clearest path to returning power to the people is through a wholehearted rejuvenation of federalism. We will never lose sight of the many millions who feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. More than any organization across the country, Heritage is fully engaged in the work required to ensure a free, self-governing people can raise families and engage in community and commerce with peace, principles, and prosperity.
Of course, the people will decide our future, as President Trump last week noted, appealing to the beauty of our American system. We are clear-eyed that our effort comes at a time of cultural and civic strain. But we’ve been here before. My friend and predecessor Ed Feulner wrote in his book The March of Freedom that conservatism is “a broad social movement of diverse but reinforcing beliefs, gathering travelers on the same journey — pilgrims who argue over the topography of their promised land but move in the same direction.”
As Vice President Vance also said, the forces arrayed against conservatives of all stripes have massive resources, and there is a point where infighting becomes counterproductive.
So, let us pull up chairs at the family table. Let us channel that turbulent passion and refine it with cool reason through public deliberation. Let us all be builders of a better America. Just as we will nurture the family tree through open dialogue, let us build America’s next 250 years under a thriving canopy of vibrant, interconnected branches rooted in self-governance.
Our Heritage is our future. Through it, together, we will save the republic and secure its future.
* * *
Kevin Roberts, Ph.D., is president of the Heritage Foundation.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
* * *
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Roberts III

Thanksgiving, The Family Table, And A Playbook For The Work Ahead

Border

Conservatives

Faith

Family Values

Heritage Foundation

Marriage

Republicans

The Ohio state House of Representatives passed a bill along party lines last week that would allow public schools to teach on the &#8220;positive influence of religion,&#8221; particularly Christianity, in history courses.
House Bill 486, titled the &#8220;<a href="https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb486">Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act</a>,&#8221; would codify teachers&#8217; rights under the state constitution to instruct their students on how Christianity positively shaped U.S. history, according to one of the bill&#8217;s sponsors, state Rep. Gary Click, NBC Columbus affiliate WCMH <a href="https://www.nbc4i.com/news/politics/charlie-kirk-bill-to-teach-positively-about-christianity-passes-ohio-house/">reported</a>.
&#8220;The teaching of the historical, positive impact of religion on American history is consistent with the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. An accurate and historical account of the influence of Judeo-Christian values on the freedom and liberties ingrained in our culture is imperative to reducing ignorance of American history, hate, and violence within our society,&#8221; the bill states. &#8220;Accurate historical instruction regarding verifiable, historical impacts of religion on American history is factual and is not proselytization or a violation of the First Amendment.&#8221;
The text of House Bill 486 provides examples of how public school teachers can teach on the positive influence of Christianity, such as the faith of the pilgrims, the clear presence of Christianity in the Mayflower Compact, the appeal to divine power in the Declaration of Independence, and Christianity&#8217;s influence on the U.S. Constitution. The bill is named after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, a devout and outspoken Christian, who was assassinated while speaking on the Utah Valley University campus on September 10.
“Charlie was a committed Christian, whose life and work will serve as a testament to the power of conservative ideals combined with a legacy of faith for generations to come,” Click said.
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All 62 Republicans in the Ohio House voted in favor of the legislation, while all 27 Democrats opposed it. It now heads to the state Senate, where Republicans hold a 24-9 majority.
“It’s essential that we highlight the positive influence religion has had throughout our history – uniting communities, enriching our shared values, and safeguarding our First Amendment rights as Americans to speak and worship freely,” said Republican state Rep. Michael Dovilla.
The bill was criticized by education and civil liberties groups and advocates for the separation of church and state. The Ohio American Civil Liberties Union <a href="https://www.acluohio.org/news/house-bill-486-opponent-testimony/">argued</a> that the bill &#8220;is obviously designed to paint Christianity in the most positive light while deliberately avoiding the negative.&#8221;
&#8220;The ACLU of Ohio submits HB 486 is, at a minimum, unneeded,&#8221; the organization added. &#8220;Politicians leaning on schools and universities to teach their version of Christianity and religion is an idea rejected centuries ago, and for good reasons.&#8221;
Gabe Guidarini, chairman of the Ohio College Republican Federation, pushed back on the criticism, arguing, “This bill does not impose a belief system, it simply allows teachers and professors to include historical truths that have too often been neglected — how faith shaped the resolve of the pilgrims, guided our Founders’ convictions, inspired movements that provided us the liberties we enjoy today and informed the moral fabric that has bound our republic together since its birth.&#8221;

Charlie Kirk

Charlie Kirk-Inspired Bill Allowing Schools To Teach Christianity’s ‘Positive Influence’ Nears Law

History

Ohio

Religion

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced six interagency agreements (IAAs) with four federal agencies to take another major step forward toward fulfilling the promise of dismantling the 45-year failure of the astronomically expensive and ineffective department.
The agreements are with the Department of Labor, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of State. According to a <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-announces-six-new-agency-partnerships-break-federal-bureaucracy">press release</a> from the Department of Education, “by partnering with agencies that are best positioned to deliver results for students and taxpayers, these IAAs will streamline federal education activities on legally required programs, reduce administrative burdens, and refocus programs and activities to better serve students and grantees.”
The six agreements are as follows. First is the Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. Going forward, the Department of Labor will begin playing a larger role in the administration of federal K-12 education programs to enhance <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fact-sheet-department-of-education-ed-and-department-of-labor-dol-elementary-and-secondary-education-partnership-112465.pdf">alignment</a> with workforce and postsecondary programs, resulting in “a cohesive, unified strategy for talent development.”
Second is the Postsecondary Education Partnership, which is also between the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. It will streamline the administration of postsecondary education programs and <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fact-sheet-department-of-education-ed-and-department-of-labor-dol-postsecondary-education-partnership-112464.pdf">will</a> “create a better coordinated Federal approach to postsecondary education and workforce development to help more Americans achieve career success.”
Third is the Indian Education Partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of the Interior. This includes the Department of the Interior administering Indian education spanning from elementary, secondary, and higher education, as well as career and technical education and vocational rehabilitation. This will ensure Native American students are better served with education, training, and workforce programs.
Fourth is the Foreign Medical Accreditation Partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. It leverages the expertise of the Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate whether the accreditation standards for foreign medical schools are comparable to those of U.S. medical schools. According to a <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fact-sheet-department-of-education-ed-and-department-of-health-and-human-services-hhs-foreign-medical-accreditation-partnership-112462.pdf">fact sheet</a> in conjunction with the press release, the “accreditation standards must be comparable between U.S. and foreign medical schools in order for American students enrolled in medical schools outside of the U.S. to be eligible for federal student loans.”
Fifth is a second agreement between the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, termed the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Partnership. The partnership <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fact-sheet-department-of-education-ed-and-department-of-health-and-human-services-hhs-child-care-access-means-parents-school-partnership-112460.pdf">will</a> “promote innovation and process improvements in pursuit of better outcomes for parents and children” by streamlining policies and program requirements, and also <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/fact-sheet-department-of-education-ed-and-department-of-health-and-human-services-hhs-child-care-access-means-parents-school-partnership-112460.pdf">providing</a> “campus-based child care services to low-income students.”
Sixth is the International Education and Foreign Language Studies Partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of State. It enhances the efficiency of the Fulbright-Hays grant programs, which equip Americans with skills critical to our national security and interests.
Speaking of these partnerships, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said, “Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission.” The mission is nothing other than — with the votes necessary from Congress — to eliminate the ineffective U.S. Department of Education, which has wasted trillions of dollars without improving student learning.
Continuing, Secretary McMahon explained what lies ahead: “As we partner with these agencies to improve federal programs, we will continue to gather best practices in each state through our 50-state tour, empower local leaders in K-12 education, restore excellence to higher education, and work with Congress to codify these reforms. Together, we will refocus education on students, families, and schools — ensuring federal taxpayer spending is supporting a world-class education system.”
Since January, the Trump Administration has been focused on cutting wasteful spending within the U.S. Department of Education and removing harmful ideologies. For example, just three days after taking office, under the President’s direction, the <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-takes-action-eliminate-dei">U.S. Department of Education</a> took action to “eliminate harmful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.” This <a href="https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/cultural-issues/article_89d2f95a-da74-11ef-881f-c31173f69a5c.html?seyid=48320">included</a> placing U.S. Department of Education staff leading DEI initiatives on administrative leave, removing more than 200 web pages containing DEI resources that promote or endorse harmful ideological programs, and cutting over $2.5 million of DEI contracts.
<div id="attachment_1002607" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1002607" class="size-large wp-image-1002607" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2205418285-864x576.jpg" alt="US President Donald Trump holds an executive order after signing it alongside US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon (R) in the East Room of the White house in Washington, DC, March 20, 2025. US President Donald Trump will sign an order March 20, 2025 to start dismantling the Department of Education, fulfilling an election campaign pledge and a long-held dream of American conservatives. By law, the Education Department -- created in 1979 -- cannot be shuttered without the approval of Congress, and Republicans do not have the votes to push that through. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2205418285-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2205418285-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2205418285-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2205418285.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Credit: Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images.</div>
In March, President Trump signed the “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/improving-education-outcomes-by-empowering-parents-states-and-communities/">Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities</a>” executive order <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-empowers-parents-states-and-communities-to-improve-education-outcomes/">directing</a> Secretary McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
President Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjnoGgEJvLs">explained</a> and communicated confidence, stating, “We are going to be returning education very simply back to the states where it belongs. And this is a very popular thing to do, but much more importantly, it is a common-sense thing to do, and it is going to work. Absolutely, it is going to work.” Signing the executive order was a foundational first step toward eliminating the department.
Despite the opposition&#8217;s rhetoric, dismantling the Department of Education is about partnering with other federal agencies to improve efficiency, break down bureaucracy, and return education to the states where it rightfully belongs. This will give moms and dads a bigger voice while providing for greater accountability for academic results.
The recent 43-day government shutdown highlighted the lack of need for the federal education department. Just two days before the major IAAs partnership announcement, Secretary McMahon <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2025/11/16/school-funding-trump-dismantle-education-department/87251723007/">wrote</a> in USA Today on November 16, “The Schumer shutdown underlined just how little the Department of Education will be missed. As such, the Trump administration will work to end federal micromanagement of our schools and empower state and local leaders to create high-quality education programs that lead to a rewarding career. We know that the stakes could not be higher.”
These strategic actions under Secretary McMahon’s leadership mark a decisive departure from decades of federal bureaucratic bloat and chart the much-needed path forward toward making good on President Trump’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-empowers-parents-states-and-communities-to-improve-education-outcomes/">executive order</a> commitment to return “power over education to families instead of bureaucracies.”
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Dr. Keri D. Ingraham is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute, Director of the American Center for Transforming Education, and a Senior Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Correction: The title of this article has been updated.
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