Understanding the Trump Administration’s Educational AI Policies

Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan

Last month, the White House released Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan. Proclaiming that America is in a “race to achieve global dominance in artificial intelligence,” the administration goes on to proclaim that, “Winning the AI race will usher in a new golden age of human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security for the American people… An industrial revolution, an information revolution, and a renaissance—all at once. This is the potential that AI presents.”

The plan itself consists of three pillars:

1. Accelerate AI Innovation,
2. Build American AI Infrastructure, and,
3. Lead in International AI Diplomacy and Security.

And although much of the plan is out of the purview of higher education, there are a few items that will potentially impact colleges and universities. The plan:

• outlines the need to encourage open-source and open-weight AI models and ties the development and use of those models to academia, among other players;
• advocates for the development of AI Centers of Excellence and domain-specific efforts that would include academic stakeholders in order to accelerate the development and adoption of national AI systems;
• calls for empowering American workers in the age of AI by having the Departments of Education, Labor, and Commerce, along with the National Science Foundation, prioritize AI skill development “as a core objective of relevant education and workforce funding streams,” and,
• Calls for the empowerment of American workers through the training of a skilled workforce that can facilitate the development of AI infrastructure. This would not only include engineers and computer scientists but also trades such as HVAC and construction. To do so, the plan goes on to state, “Led by DOE, expand the hands-on research training and development opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students and educators, leveraging expertise and capabilities in AI across its national laboratories. This should include partnering with community colleges and technical/career colleges to prepare new workers and help transition the existing workforce to fill critical AI roles.”

Department of Education’s July 22, 2025, Dear Colleague Letter

RE: Guidance on the Use of Federal Grant Funds to Improve Education Outcomes Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The purpose of this Dear Colleague Letter is to:

• provide grantees with guidance on the use of federal funds for artificial intelligence;
• outline how grantees can use AI to “enhance teaching and learning; and,
• expand access, and support educators, without replacing the critical role they play.”

Towards this end, the letter outlines three areas that funds can be used for:

1. AI-based high-quality instructional materials, including adaptive instructional tools; high-quality personalized learning materials; and training for educators, providers, and families on how to use AI tools effectively and responsibly.
2. AI-enhanced high-impact tutoring, including intelligent tutoring systems for individualized and real-time academic support; hybrid human/AI tutoring platforms; and diagnostic and scheduling tools that leverage AI to match learners and tutoring services.
3. AI for college and career pathway exploration, advising, and navigation, including AI platforms that help students identify and explore career pathways; virtual advising systems that assist students with course planning, financial aid, and other transitions to postsecondary education or careers; and predictive models that assist in identifying students in need of additional support.

Perhaps more importantly, the Dear Colleague Letter includes five principles of responsible AI use that include:

1. Educator-led: AI should support teachers, providers, tutors, advisors, and education leaders.
2. Ethical: Within the K-12 realm in particular, educators should help students navigate AI to be able to evaluate the validity of AI outputs, to understand the appropriate use of AI in the context of social media, to learn with—rather than exclusively from—AI, and to leverage the promise of AI to be contributing members of a free society.
3. Accessible: AI tools or systems should be accessible for those who require digital accessibility accommodations, including children, educators, providers, and family members with disabilities.
4. Transparent and explainable: Stakeholders, especially parents, should understand how systems function and participate meaningfully in decisions about the adoption and deployment of new technologies.
5. Data-protective: Systems must comply with federal privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Call for Public Comment Proposed Priority and Definitions

Secretary’s Supplemental Priority and Definitions on Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education
(Docket ID ED—2025—OS—0118)

On July 20^th, the Department of Education also released a call for public comment regarding the Secretary’s supplemental priority and definitions on advancing artificial intelligence in education. In this call for public comment, the Department lays out its priorities around artificial intelligence as well as a proposed regulatory definition of artificial intelligence literacy. Arguing that “As AI becomes more integrated into the tools and systems that shape elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education, it is increasingly important for students to develop AI literacy.” The Department goes on to discuss what it refers to as “powerful opportunities” for AI to support teaching and learning. These include:

• personalized instruction,
• analysis of student progress,
• identification of learning gaps, and,
• tailored student support.

Although much of this document focuses on K-12 instruction, it does include several higher education areas, including the recommendation that colleges and universities “Expand offerings of AI and computer science courses as part of an institution of higher education’s general education and/or core curriculum.” It also advocates for providing professional development around AI skills for pre-service and in-service teachers, a role that higher education is uniquely qualified to fill. Additionally, the Department suggests that institutions should create dual enrollment opportunities for students to earn postsecondary and industry-recognized credentials in AI coursework. Finally, of note, the Department urges that AI be leveraged to “Promote efficiency in classrooms and school operations through the application of AI technologies that reduce time-intensive administrative tasks.” The call for public comment also includes a proposed definition of artificial intelligence literacy:

Artificial intelligence (AI) literacy means the technical knowledge, durable skills, and future ready attitudes required to thrive in a world influenced by AI. It enables learners to engage, create with, manage, and design AI, while critically evaluating its benefits, risks, and implications.

WCET largely concurs with the Department’s priorities and definition of AI literacy. However, in our public comment, we proposed the following changes in bold: “Artificial intelligence (AI) literacies mean the interconnected technical knowledge, durable skills, and future-ready mindsets required to thrive in a world influenced by AI. They enable learners to engage, create with, manage, and design AI while critically evaluating its benefits and risks, as well as its ethical, social, political, economic, and cultural implications.” We believe, in accordance with the scholarship of experts such as Angela Gunder, CEO and Founder of Opened Culture, that it is more accurate to describe AI literacy as a plurality of literacies that operate on a continuum rather than dichotomously. We also believe that it is essential to underscore the critical implications of AI by explicitly calling out those implications.

We suggest that institutions or individuals who are interested in AI in postsecondary education consider submitting a public comment by August 20th.

In Conclusion: We’re at a Crossroads

Even if higher education is only minimally called out in these documents, digital learning leaders have a strong role to play in influencing these policies both at the national level and at their institutions. Whether it’s through the public comment process or just staying abreast so you can help shape the development of your campus policies, digital learning leaders are well-positioned to advocate for the ethical, responsible, and effective integration of AI in teaching and learning.

Here at WCET, we are committed to helping you stay informed of the federal government’s AI efforts that directly impact higher education institutions. We are at a crossroads, and now is the moment for digital learning leaders to lend their expertise towards helping us navigate the increasingly complex landscape of artificial intelligence. Too much is at stake for us to stay on the sidelines.

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This post was written by Van Davis, WCET