Foreign Influence in K-12 Schools: Eye-Popping New Figures Do you know who funds your child’s classes? A new report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is exposing the depth and breadth of foreign actors that have been influencing American public education. There’s already a trove of reporting available regarding China’s efforts to benefit from American university research, scientists, and resources — and to gain control over coursework and seats for Chinese nationals. Ditto Qatar’s efforts to socialize its Choices Program curriculum, which famously was integrated at Brown University among others. But what the FDD team has reported is a mountain of evidence of a more insidious problem: soft influence operations that begin in grade school, America’s K-12 classrooms. The report isn’t a series of broad brushtrokes; it brings facts, figures, receipts and detailed case studies to light regarding three foreign entities: Qatar, China and the Islamic Development Bank, which includes stakeholder nations like Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran. ”Foreign Funding and Influence in America’s K-12 Education System” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FDD REPORT The Islamic Development Bank pumped $17 million into Islamic private schools across America. China, which rightfully got major blowback to its Confucius Institutes at the collegiate level, utilized a lesser-known nonprofit, the Center for Bridging Cultures, to make grants to public schools and invite district leaders on trips to China. And then there’s Qatar, a nation whose financial ties Open the Books has been examining for years. Qatar Foundation International Author Jonathon Schanzer writes, “If foreign funding and foreign influence are a problem in higher education, then it stands to reason that there might be a similar problem in K-12 schools. And that is exactly what the team found. Millions of dollars, donated by Qatar Foundation International, have found their way into American schools.” It started last year when Open the Books filed public records requests with two hundred K-12 school districts in search of influence by Qatar through its affiliated nonrpofit Qatar Foundation International. As a pilot study, we found QFI had a sophisticated soft influence operation, what we coined “cradle to graduation” programming; and they had stringent reporting requirements to measure efficacy and reallocate funds when they weren’t getting optimal results. We published those findings in The Federalist here: Exclusive: Qatar’s Influence Network In American Public Schools Has Unwitting Teachers Advancing Its Propaganda