The grants in question were "awarded to teacher preparation programs that train future classroom teachers." However, as DOE highlighted, these millions of taxpayer dollars were given to institutions and universities to fund "training materials [for] 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." In addition to this, "many of these grants included teacher and staff recruiting strategies implicitly and explicitly based on race."

DOE's announcement went on to address other controversial aspects of the taxpayer-funded grants. The following trainings, among others, were pulled from the grant applications:

• "Requiring practitioners to take personal and institutional responsibility for systemic inequities (e.g., racism) and critically reassess their own practices;"
• "Receiving professional development workshops and equity training on topics such as 'Building Cultural Competence,' 'Dismantling Racial Bias' and 'Centering Equity in the Classroom';"
• "Acknowledging and responding to systemic forms of oppression and inequity, including racism, ableism, 'gender-based' discrimination, homophobia, and ageism;"
• "Building historical and sociopolitical understandings of race and racism to interrupt racial marginalization and oppression of students in planning instruction relationship building discipline and assessment."

According to DOE spokesperson Savannah Newhouse, the purpose of defunding these programs is to ensure "taxpayer dollars are used wisely to strengthen America's education system." As Newhouse emphasized, "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."

Additionally, Director of Outreach for Parents Defending Education Erika Sanzi told The Christian Post that it's "hard to overstate how radical these teacher trainings are." As a result, "all we see are declining outcomes for the students that these trainings purport to help most." In fact, leading up to DOE terminating the $600 million in grants, their Office of Civil Rights (OCR) sent a letter to the academic institutions that received some of the funding warning them that they need to end their DEI programs.

The letter gave the education agencies two weeks to complete the task, otherwise, they'll lose funding. It read:

"In a shameful echo of a darker period in this country's history, many American schools and universities even encourage segregation by race at graduation ceremonies and in dormitories and other facilities. Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon 'systemic and structural racism' and advanced discriminatory policies and practices. Proponents of these discriminatory practices have attempted to further justify them—particularly during the last four years—under the banner of [DEI]. ... But under any banner, discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is, has been, and will continue to be illegal."

Written by Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor, the letter concluded that DOE will "no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation's educational institutions. ... All students are entitled to a school environment free from discrimination. The Department is committed to ensuring those principles are a reality."

However, despite these efforts to eliminate these "discriminatory practices," the School Superintendents Association (AASA) released a statement that both opposed the cuts and defended the questionable programs. According to AASA, the fact that the OCR guidance seeks to hold accountable those who are "treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals" goes "beyond existing law to denounce policies designed to enhance diversity, even if they do not employ racial classifications or intentional racial balancing." The organization went on to emphasize that "the legal arguments underpinning this guidance could be successfully challenged in court."

And while it may be that the DOE's decision gets challenged, it appears evident that Americans are largely on board with their efforts to remove DEI and controversial ideologies from education and beyond. In fact, in a comment to The Washington Stand, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), chairman of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, explained how all of Trump's executive orders targeting DEI have been welcome initiatives.

"For too long," he said, "social justice warriors crusaded to mandate DEI in every corner of America." But "instead of merit, skills, and ability, DEI devotees pushed policies that are antithetical to American exceptionalism. From the classroom to the board room, Americans have felt the negative effects." As the congressman asserted, "DEI has bloated education budgets while telling students what to think instead of how to think. And America's savers and retirees have been forced to funnel their hard-earned money into underperforming funds to promote the Biden-Harris administration's environmental and social justice agenda."

As such, Walberg emphasized his approval for what is being done to topple these agendas. "I commend the Trump administration for dismantling DEI," he concluded. "Trump is setting America back on the path to a stronger, more prosperous future." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.

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