Trump Signs Seven Education Orders: Teachers Get 'the Authority Now to Have Discipline in Their Classroom' (April 23, 2025)

President Donald Trump signed seven executive orders on education, including one that gives teachers back control of their classrooms. It “gives teachers the authority now to have discipline in their classroom and discipline the person who is being disruptive,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in the Oval Office on April 23, 2025, as Trump signed the school discipline order, according to the transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

The order “revokes that prior guidance and puts us back in a place where, hopefully, the Department of Education can focus on education and teachers can focus on teaching in a safe environment,” White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf said [1].

The video above shows Trump signing the education orders on April 23, 2025. Quotes are from the American Presidency Project [1][2][3][4][5].

”Based on Objective Behavior, Not DEI”

The White House said the order would “restore safety and order in American classrooms by ensuring school discipline policies are based on objective behavior, not DEI.” [3]

“The Federal Government will no longer tolerate known risks to children’s safety and well-being in the classroom that result from the application of school discipline based on discriminatory and unlawful ‘equity’ ideology,” the order says [2].

It traces the problem to 2014 guidance from the Obama administration. “As a result, students were disciplined differently depending on their race, and some students who should have been suspended or expelled for dangerous behavior remained in the classroom,” the White House said [3].

The order cites the 2018 Federal Commission on School Safety, whose “seemingly obvious conclusion was that ‘disciplinary decisions are best left in the hands of classroom teachers and administrators.’” [2]

“Merit and Performance”

Another order takes on college accreditation. “Many of those third-party accreditors have relied on sort of woke ideology to accredit universities, instead of accrediting based on merit and performance,” Scharf said [1].

Trump asked about admissions. “So they’re allowing people into school that can’t do math, and yet kids who work really hard and are number one in their class at a high school someplace in New Jersey or in Mississippi, they can’t get into the best schools. What is that all about?” he said [1].

“Yes, I think that gets to your policy, sir, of meritocracy,” McMahon replied [1].

A third order enforces the law on foreign gifts to colleges. “We believe that certain universities, including, for example, Harvard, have routinely violated this law, and this law has not been effectively enforced,” Scharf said [1].

On a fourth, on disparate-impact rules, Scharf said: “We want to focus on results. We want to focus on actual fairness. We want to focus on merit, not things like disparate impact theory and the whole sort of diversity, equity, and inclusion cult.” [1]

“A Million” Apprenticeships

A workforce order sets a big goal. The administration is looking to get “new apprenticeships up to a million in the country,” Scharf said [1].

“Bring back trade craft to America so that people can work in these factories with great-paying jobs, and we’re going to train them, and we’re going to remake the American dream for all these people,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said [1].

“These are great salaries too,” Trump said [1].

HBCUs and AI

“Sir, during your first administration, you made promoting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, HBCUs, a major priority,” Scharf said. “We’re going to be setting up a White House initiative on HBCUs.” [1]

The AI order is meant “to ensure that we properly train the workforce of the future by ensuring that schoolchildren, young Americans are adequately trained in AI tools so that they can be competitive in the economy years from now,” Scharf said [1].

“That’s a big deal because AI is where it seems to be at. We have literally trillions of dollars being invested in AI,” Trump said [1].

”Make Schools Great Again”

A retired teacher from Charlotte, North Carolina, Annette Albright, thanked Trump. “This has been an 8-year journey for me to raise awareness to the violence that’s in public schools and the critical need to address violence in public schools,” she said [1].

“I spoke at the RNC, and I told millions that Donald Trump and his administration was going to make schools great again, and I feel that we’re on the right path,” Albright said [1].

Wounded veterans joined Trump too. “And we saw great reform in the VA: access—same-day access to prosthetics, mental health care, and we know that that is back,” said Sarah Verardo of the Independence Fund [1].

”A Great Patriot”

Asked about Elon Musk stepping back from DOGE, Trump said: “Well, first of all, I can’t speak more highly about any individual. He’s an incredible guy. He’s a brilliant guy. He’s a wonderful person.” [1]

“When you see those rockets go up and come back and land in the same gantry, nobody else can do that but this man,” Trump said. “I’d like to keep him for a long time.” [1]

Trump said Musk was treated unfairly and called him “a great patriot.” [1]

By the Numbers

7: executive orders Trump signed that afternoon [1].
1 million: the goal for new apprenticeships, per Scharf [1].
2014: the year of the Obama-era discipline guidance the order targets [2].
$1 billion: Google’s pledge for education and job training [5].

What Happened Next

The first lady took on AI education. On Sept. 4, 2025, first lady Melania Trump hosted the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education. “We are living in a moment of wonder, and it is our responsibility to prepare America’s children,” she said in her prepared remarks. “The robots are here. Our future is no longer science fiction.” [4]

Companies signed on. “Google committed $1 billion to support education and job training programs in the U.S.,” the company said in a White House release on Sept. 9, 2025, adding that it “will offer every American high school and their students, teachers and staff access to Gemini for Education for free.” [5]

For Leavitt on Harvard’s funding, see HYGO News’ page on April 15, 2025. For Trump at the AI summit in July, see the page on July 23, 2025.