A newly released report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) has uncovered extensive foreign influence and anti-Israel bias in US K-12 classrooms through Brown University’s Choices Program. This curriculum, used in over 8,000 schools across all 50 states and reaching more than one million students, allegedly operates with undisclosed foreign funding and distorts historical facts to delegitimize Israel. The findings raise serious concerns regarding transparency, oversight, and compliance with federal disclosure laws.
ISGAP has distributed the report to lawmakers 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 hosted at Brown University, a curriculum widely adopted in K-12 schools across the country. I look forward to working with ISGAP and colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure foreign influence does not promote antisemitism at American schools.”
The investigation highlights how the Choices Program has systematically manipulated educational materials over the past decade, gradually shifting its curriculum to present an increasingly anti-Israel perspective. The report details the removal of key historical documents, the misrepresentation of Israel’s capital in maps, and the exclusion of balanced perspectives on Israeli history and diplomacy. It further reveals that Qatar Foundation International (QFI) has played an undisclosed role in shaping the curriculum and teacher training, thereby influencing how American students are taught about the Middle East.
A major concern raised in the report is the lack of transparency and oversight in schools using the Choices Program. Schools are reportedly not informed when curriculum content is altered, and the proprietary nature of the digital curriculum prevents parents, school boards, and educators from reviewing changes. The report also exposes the opaque legal and financial structure of the Choices Program, which operates under Brown University’s name while maintaining an ambiguous status that obscures compliance with federal disclosure laws. The findings suggest that Brown University may have failed to disclose foreign funding as required under the Higher Education Act.
Dr. Charles Asher Small, Executive Director of ISGAP, warned about the dangers of foreign influence in American classrooms, stating, “This is a direct attempt to manipulate American students by embedding ideologically motivated foreign propaganda in their education. Foreign entities with known ties to extremist ideologies should not be shaping how our children learn about history and the Middle East. The lack of transparency and oversight in this case is a threat to educational integrity and democratic values.”
In response to these findings, ISGAP is calling for immediate action, including the suspension of the Middle East Choices Program for K-12 students pending a comprehensive review, a federal investigation by the US Department of Education and Department of Justice, congressional oversight hearings, stronger enforcement of federal disclosure laws, and full transparency in K-12 curriculum development. The report’s revelations have intensified calls for accountability, as lawmakers and advocacy groups push for immediate reforms to ensure that foreign influence does not compromise the integrity of American education.