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A judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily reinstate some of the education grants it had nixed as part of its work to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
U.S. District Judge Julie Rubin in Maryland said that the U.S. Department of Education’s termination of the grant awards is “likely to be proven arbitrary and capricious, because the Department’s action was unreasonable, not reasonably explained, based on factors Congress had not intended the Department to consider,” and were “otherwise not in accordance with law.”
The end of the grants could have a “grave effect on the public,” Rubin wrote, including “fewer teachers for students in high need neighborhoods.”
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The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the National Center for Teacher Residencies and the Maryland Association of Colleges for Teacher Education filed a lawsuit earlier this month against the U.S. Department of Education and President Donald Trump for the administration’s termination of more than 100 educator preparation grants.
An analysis by the National Center for Education Statistics found that 80% of public school teachers in the 2020-2021 school year were white, 9% were Hispanic and 6% were Black.
The plaintiffs claimed that the grants were funded under Congressionally appropriated programs.
National Center for Teacher Residencies CEO Kathlene Campbell applauded the restoration of the grants.
“At a time when we as a nation are enduring local teacher shortages, especially in critical areas of need, we must not fall short in supporting the preparation of teachers,” Campbell said in a statement. “That’s why this ruling is paramount in supporting current and future teachers of the education field.”
A federal judge in Boston also recently ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore grants for teacher preparation in eight states.
The U.S. Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request from CNBC for comment.