A newly released report (Foreign Influence and Anti-Israel Bias In K-12 Classrooms – An Investigation of Brown University’s Choices Program) by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) reveals extensive foreign influence and anti-Israel bias in US K-12 classrooms, infiltrating schools through Brown University’s Choices Program. This curriculum, used by over 8,000 schools across all 50 states and reaching more than one million students, operates with undisclosed foreign funding and systematically distorts historical facts to delegitimize Israel. The report raises serious concerns about transparency, oversight, and compliance with federal disclosure laws.
ISGAP has distributed the report widely across Capitol Hill and the administration, including the Departments of Education and Justice. Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-CA), Chair of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, stated:
“ISGAP’s latest report suggests foreign influence from Qatar has infiltrated the Choices Program at Brown University, a curriculum widely used in K-12 schools across the country. I look forward to working with ISGAP and colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that foreign influence does not promote antisemitism in American schools.”
The investigation details how the Choices Program has systematically altered its curriculum over the past decade, shifting it toward an increasingly anti-Israel perspective. These changes include the removal and omission of key historical documents, the misrepresentation of Israel’s capital in maps, and the exclusion of balanced perspectives on Israeli history and diplomacy. The report also reveals that Qatar Foundation International (QFI) has played an undisclosed role in shaping the program’s curriculum and teacher training, influencing how American students are taught about the Middle East and Israel.
A critical lack of transparency and oversight in schools using the Choices Program further compounds these concerns. Schools are not informed when curriculum content is modified, and the proprietary nature of the digital curriculum prevents parents, school boards, and educators from reviewing changes. This raises serious ethical and legal questions about accountability in education.
Additionally, the report exposes the Choices Program’s opaque legal and financial structure, which operates under Brown University’s name while maintaining an ambiguous status that obscures compliance with federal disclosure laws. There is substantial evidence suggesting that Brown University may have failed to disclose foreign funding as required under the Higher Education Act. The report also warns of potential risks related to student and teacher data being exposed to third-party entities.
