“The Massachusetts Institute of Technology became the first university to reject a sweeping proposal from the Trump administration offering colleges funding advantages in exchange for far-reaching campus reforms,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said MIT President Sally Kornbluth: “In our view, America’s leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence. The people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences. Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education.”

New York Times: “Last week, President Trump made a surprise announcement that Harvard and the government were near an agreement that would allow the university to continue to receive billions in research funds. But a day later, his administration sent letters to nine universities that asked campus leaders to embrace a plan that would align the Trump administration’s political agenda with preferred access to federal research dollars.”

“Harvard officials have since discussed internally the possibility of seeking additional assurances from the administration that the university will not be subject to further demands once an agreement has been signed.”

“Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to cut ‘billions’ in state funding, including to USC, from any California campus that signs a Trump administration compact to agree to sweeping and largely conservative campus policies in exchange for priority access to federal funding,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“The Trump administration is laying out a set of operating principles that it wants universities to agree to in exchange for preferential access to federal funds,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The memo demands that schools ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions, freeze tuition for five years, cap international undergrad enrollment at 15%, require that applicants take the SAT or a similar test, and quell grade inflation.”

President Trump said his administration has reached a tentative deal with Harvard University, the Ivy League school that’s been embroiled in a bitter feud with the White House, Politico reports.

Said Trump: “We reached a deal with Harvard today.”

The president initially said all that was left was for Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “paper it out,” but later said McMahon “is finishing up the final details” and he thinks the administration has “a good chance of getting that closed.”

The deal could include Harvard paying $500 million, operating trade schools, teaching artificial intelligence and other unspecified actions.

“The Trump administration is escalating its fight with Harvard University by starting a process that could make the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university ineligible for federal grants over allegations of antisemitism on campus,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The White House is developing a plan that could change how universities are awarded research grants, giving a competitive advantage to schools that pledge to adhere to the values and policies of the Trump administration on admissions, hiring and other matters,” the Washington Post reports.

“The new system, described by two White House officials, would represent a shift away from the unprecedented wave of investigations and punishments being delivered to individual schools and toward an effort to bring large swaths of colleges into compliance with Trump priorities all at once.”

“Oklahoma’s superintendent, who has attracted national attention as he sought to install religion and rightwing viewpoints in Oklahoma schools, will resign to run a conservative education non-profit,” The Guardian reports.

“Ryan Walters, who has led public schools in Oklahoma since 2022, has in the past tried to put Donald Trump-branded Bibles into classrooms and to require teaching 2020 election conspiracies.”

Gallup: “A record-low 35% of Americans are satisfied with the quality of education that K-12 students receive in the U.S. today, marking an eight-percentage-point decline since last year.”

“The Education Department said that it is partnering with conservative organizations to present educational programming about patriotism, liberty and what it described as American values, as part of the observation of America’s 250th anniversary next year,” the Washington Post reports.

A new Generation Lab poll found that Charlie Kirk was almost universally known among college kids: 94% of students had heard of him, a remarkable level of name I.D. for any political figure.

However, most college students were not fans. A combined 70% of students said they either “strongly disagree” or “somewhat disagree” with Kirk’s views. Only 30% said they agreed.

“Ryan Walters, the Republican superintendent of schools in Oklahoma, instructed schools across the state to observe a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk on Tuesday,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Walters, a conservative who has sought to align with President Trump’s policies, has often waded into contentious national issues in his role. How and whether to honor Mr. Kirk has quickly become one of them.”

Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction says teachers who posted controversial comments on social media following the assassination of Charlie Kirk could lose their teaching licenses, WRIC reports.

State officials said they are keeping a close eye on how Florida teachers react to the killing of Charlie Kirk by pledging to investigate and punish any “vile, sanctionable” behavior from educators, Politico reports.

“Scores for 12th-graders in math and reading continued their years-long slide, reaching new lows on national tests,” the Washington Post reports.

“The declines were underway before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which broadly disrupted education, and scores have continued to fall. Policymakers had hoped there would be signs of recovery by 2024, when these tests were administered. Instead, the results were the latest indication of the pervasive challenges facing American schools and students.”

New York Times: “One major reason is an emerging divide within the administration between aides eager to deliver President Trump a political victory by announcing a deal and those who contend the current framework is too favorable to Harvard. Some Trump advisers argue that one way to strengthen the agreement would be to subject Harvard to an independent monitor who would ensure compliance. Harvard has consistently opposed that idea.”

“Talks have also slowed in recent weeks with Cornell University and Northwestern University.”