Higher Education Reform Initiative
Develop and advance higher education policy reforms at the state and national levels.
Policy Priorities
Reform America’s Dysfunctional Higher Education Accreditation System
Rethink Public Financing of Postsecondary Study to Encourage Competition and Accountability
Open New Pathways to Family-Sustaining Careers
Combat the Politicization of Higher Education and Encourage Viewpoint Diversity on U.S. Campuses
Protect Students’ and Professors’ First Amendment Rights
Universities are among the most important institutions in American society—responsible for advancing science, fostering economic growth, transmitting a cultural inheritance to the next generation, and preparing young people for citizenship and family-sustaining careers. Unfortunately, although U.S. universities are lavishly funded by state and federal taxpayers, many of them are failing to live up to their important public responsibilities.
The America First Policy Institute’s Higher Education Reform Initiative works to develop and advance policy reforms at the state and national levels. We envision a competitive higher education marketplace that does a better job of graduating students with in-demand skills and credentials at a reasonable cost to families and taxpayers. Universities should also prepare graduates for citizenship and lifelong learning through rigorous academic programs delivered in an environment that fosters free inquiry and a wide range of viewpoints.
Team
Latest
Expert Insights
|
August 26, 2026
Restoring Equal Treatment Under the Law: Ending Disparate Impact Doctrine
Disparate impact doctrine holds that a policy or practice can be considered “discriminatory” even when it does not intentionally treat people differently based on a protected characteristic, such as race or sex. Instead, the focus is on whether the policy has substantially different effects on protected groups. This understanding inverts the traditional understanding of discrimination (treating people differently), otherwise known as “disparate treatment.”
Statement
|
August 21, 2026
The American Bar Association Meets Accountability
Today, the Department of Education released a new report addressing continued defiance of federal civil rights law by the American Bar Association’s Council. This action follows a formal request from the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) to the department to investigate the ABA Council’s compliance with federal recognition criteria.
Op-Ed
|
July 20, 2026
10 Years Ago, I Traded Honesty for a Degree
It was the morning after President Trump’s surprise victory in the 2016 election. Just before 8:00 a.m., I walked into the Brewster Building at East Carolina University to make copies for an exam I would be proctoring later that day. I was in my second year of graduate studies in American history, and after the previous night’s dramatic election results, I was curious to see how the campus was taking the news.
Commentary
|
July 15, 2026
DEI has Devastated America’s Colleges and Universities
Just a few days ago, we celebrated America’s 250th birthday, and the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. This proclamation launched America on a path to freedom, opportunity, and prosperity unrivaled in human history. The central premise of the Declaration of Independence is the notion that all men are created equal, and the pursuit of this ideal has fueled American success since the nation’s inception.
State Model Policy
|
June 18, 2026
Modernizing Employment Data Act
The unemployment insurance (UI) system, established under the Social Security Act of 1935, operates as a federal-state partnership in which federal law mandates the payroll tax while states administer their own programs. As part of this framework, states collect quarterly wage data from employers.
Topics
129
issues
Videos
Selected...
A New Era for College Sports: The Saving College Sports Proposal Outshines the SCORE and SAFE Acts
Selected...
Supporting the Emerging Civil Rights State
Selected...
Detransition Awareness Day
Selected...