Dept. of Ed stops more than $600 million from funding CRT, DEI, other ‘divisive ideologies’
The topics being defunded included “Critical Race Theory; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); social justice activism; ‘anti-racism’; and instruction on white privilege and white supremacy.”
‘Teacher prep programs should be prioritizing training that prepares youth with the fundamentals they need to succeed for the future, not wasting valuable training resources on divisive ideologies,’ a Department spokesperson told Campus Reform.
The Department of Education has announced that it will defund “divisive ideologies” by hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Department announced on Monday that it “has terminated over $600 million in grants to institutions and nonprofits that were using taxpayer funds to train teachers and education agencies on divisive ideologies.”
[RELATED: Trump admin drafting executive order to abolish Department of Education: REPORT]
The press release noted that “[t]raining materials included inappropriate and unnecessary topics such as Critical Race Theory; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); social justice activism; ‘anti-racism’; and instruction on white privilege and white supremacy. Additionally, many of these grants included teacher and staff recruiting strategies implicitly and explicitly based on race.”
Some of the grant applications in question, which are meant to train educators, asked participants to uphold a worldview that posits the existence of so-called “systemic inequities,” take part in “equity training,” and affirm principles related to DEI and Critical Race Theory.
In a statement provided to Campus Reform, Savannah Newhouse, a Department of Education spokesperson, said: “As The Nation’s Report Card (NAEP) recently indicated, America’s students are falling dangerously behind in math and reading. Teacher prep programs should be prioritizing training that prepares youth with the fundamentals they need to succeed for the future, not wasting valuable training resources on divisive ideologies. The U.S. Department of Education will continue working to ensure taxpayer dollars are used wisely to strengthen America’s education system.”
The decision to end funds for “divisive ideologies” follows shortly after another major announcement from the Department.
On Friday, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor sent a “Dear Colleague” letter warning educational leaders–including in K-12 schools and in higher education–to stop promoting DEI if they want to hold onto federal taxpayer dollars.
[RELATED: Northeastern University scrubs DEI references online following Trump executive order]
Both the Dear Colleague letter and the slashing of $600 million are part of President Donald Trump’s broader push to combat DEI in education and elsewhere.
As part of that campaign, and in concurrence with the president’s anti-DEI executive orders, the Department has also canceled “ongoing DEI training and service contracts which total over $2.6 million” and “removed or archived hundreds of guidance documents, reports, and training materials that include mentions of DEI,” among other actions.
