Register here for January 2026’s Program

After registering at above link, or CWI webpage above, you will receive a confirmation email containing the link to. join the meeting on Tue., January 27, 2026, 12 noon to 1:15 PM (ET).

Challenges To Continue Progress Toward Education Equity Despite Deliberate Federal Efforts to Reverse It

Overview of Trump 2 Actions To Destroy Progress Toward Education Equity – Alotta Taylor, Vice President, Diversity, CWI
The landscape of U.S. education in President Trump’s second term (beginning January 2025), has significantly changed and has been shaped by challenges such as funding battles, structural changes to the federal role and policy shifts affecting diversity, equity, and student protections. These primary challenges stem from significant federal funding cuts, attempts to dismantle the Department of Education, a push for conservative cultural policies regarding issues like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), changes to Title IX and gender identity, and curriculum content. Many of these actions have prompted numerous lawsuits and created uncertainty for K-12 and higher education institutions. Our presenters will primarily focus on gender equity issues but many of the topics will also apply to all who face education discrimination related to other categorizations such as race, immigration status, sexual identity and disability.

The CWI January meeting will discuss key education challenges and explore ways to protect civil rights within US educational institutions and programs. A candid discussion on these topics will include the following:

1. Preserving the Implementation of Title IX and Other Civil rights laws – Jeanette Lim Esbrook, Vice President, Legal Affairs, CWI, former Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Acting Assistant Secretary, and Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Department of Education, will discuss the effects of the
current administration’s agenda for shaping education civil rights in the Department of Education and the Justice Department. She will provide updates on OCR staff reductions, regional office closures, limitations on complaint activities and transfers of program authority to other agencies while efforts to eliminate the ED continue. An OCR Alumni Collective was formed to preserve and further the civil rights laws enforced by OCR and plan for future reestablishment of those capabilities. (See www.ed-ocralum.org) The Collective activities include working with state and local civil rights offices by transferring information and offering training on issues of policy and investigation practices of the former federal OCR. Discussion of efforts to confront and counter the deregulatory agenda of the administration including the elimination of LGBTQ+ rights and important investigative procedures such disparate impact that helped to identify violations. She will discuss recent Title IX court cases including the Supreme Court’s oral argument about consideration of the rights of trans athletes.

2. Title IX Impacts- Susan Moen, Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS) advisory board member and founder of Jackson County SART in Southern Oregon: will explore how the Trump Administration’s return to the 2020 Title IX Rule is threatening the rights of transgender students to exist safely in schools and inhibiting investigations into gender-based discrimination, harassment and assault as well as limiting OCR appeals. She will then discuss ways that state and local education agencies, parents, students, school staff and non-profit advocates can continue to ensure gender equity rights in schools when federal Title IX protections have been rolled back. For example, to what extent are states, and school districts supporting Title IX Coordinators? Non-federal resources for education about Title IX and information on utilizing state laws and school-based policies will be provided. https://stopsexualassaultinschools.org/toolkits/ is one resource that will be referenced. How can this federal opposition be used to popularize new non federal strategies to strengthen gender equity in education?

3. The Importance of Fighting the De-professionalization of Women Dominated Occupations – Connie Cordovilla, Vice President, Membership, CWI. The Trump administration has recently pushed to redefine what counts as a professional degree. These career fields are primarily held by women and have long been the backbone of our communities. Connie Cordovilla will discuss the sneaky origin of this ED change in graduate student loans and how it might be stopped. It is quite important to fight the de-professionalization of women dominated occupations which would result from the Trump administration plans. This issue shows how a fairly obscure change in ED procedures can have a major impact on our lives.

Time permitting comments and questions from the zoom participants are welcome.