Exclusive: President Trump to sign executive order bringing AI to K-12 schools
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What we know now about Trump's executive order on Education Department
Now that President Trump has signed an executive order to dismantle the Education Department, what happens next? Here is what we know now.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Wednesday aimed at bringing artificial intelligence into K-12 schools, according to a senior administration official.
The directive, which Trump is set to sign from the Oval Office, instructs the U.S. Education and Labor Departments to create opportunities for high school students to take AI courses and certification programs, and to work with states to promote AI education, according to a White House summary of the order reviewed by USA TODAY.
Trump's action will also direct the Education Department to prioritize the application of AI in discretionary grant programs for teacher training, the National Science Foundation to prioritize research on the use of AI in education, and the Labor Department to expand AI-related apprenticeships.
The order ‒ one of seven education-related directives Trump is expected to sign April 23 ‒ underscores an area of bipartisan concern in Washington, namely how best to incorporate AI into teaching. Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed fears about American students falling behind other nations, particularly China, as the technology becomes more advanced and integrated into the workforce.
In addition, Trump will create a White House Task Force on AI Education, which will include Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and will be chaired by Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
The group will develop a "Presidential AI Challenge," the White House said, which will highlight and encourage the use of AI in the classroom. The task force will also be responsible for establishing public-private partnerships to provide resources for AI education in K-12 schools.
Read more: Which college degrees are best? How AI is throwing a wrench in the debate.
A bipartisan congressional report issued in December 2024 said, "K-12 educators need resources to promote AI literacy." However, it also acknowledged that AI in the workforce and schools must be deployed within the bounds of labor and antidiscrimination laws.
Though conservatives and liberals agree on the need to embrace some aspects of AI in schools, they have clashed over the role of federal regulations in that process.
"AI will likely revolutionize the way students learn, but the federal government doesn't need to be involved," concluded a Republican recap from an April committee hearing on AI in education.
Read more: How AI is affecting the way kids learn to read and write
The Washington Post was the first to report on April 22 about a draft executive order circulating among federal departments to incorporate AI into K-12 classrooms.
Trump's executive order will instruct the labor secretary to financially incentivize AI-related apprenticeships. Apprenticeships have been widely embraced in recent years by Democrats and Republicans, including McMahon, as essential alternatives to college.
The new White House initiative comes after an embarrassing viral moment for McMahon, who on April 8 confused AI with A1, a popular steak sauce, during a conference in San Diego. (Initially, she used the acronym correctly, but she stumbled as she continued her public remarks.)
Read more: Education Secretary Linda McMahon confuses AI with A1; sauce brand capitalizes on blunder
Shortly after his inauguration in January, Trump signed an order rescinding regulations for AI expansion that had previously been adopted by former President Joe Biden. Trump also promoted a $500 billion private investment from three tech companies that planned to build new AI data centers.
In March, President Trump signed a separate order seeking to dismantle the Education Department. The agency still exists, however (though with just half the workforce it once had). Only Congress can entirely abolish federal agencies.
Read more: Their time at the Education Department may be over. The grieving isn't.
A coalition of states sued the Trump administration more than a month ago, alleging the mass layoffs at the Education Department were illegal. A court hearing to consider a preliminary injunction on the firings is set for April 25.
Joey Garrison is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. Follow him on X at @joeygarrison.
Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
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