Congressional hearing raises concerns about Chinese Communist influence in K-12 classrooms.
America’s K-12 Classrooms at Risk of Chinese Communist Party Influence
A congressional hearing has raised concerns about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) using Mandarin language programs to spread communist ideology and exert its soft power in American K-12 classrooms.
Confucius Classrooms, which are K-12 versions of Confucius Institutes (CI) found in universities, are language programs funded and controlled by the CCP. In August 2020, the CI program’s D.C.-based headquarters was designated as a “foreign mission” by the State Department due to its biased Chinese language and cultural training for U.S. students, which is part of Beijing’s propaganda efforts. These language programs are guided by the CCP’s United Front Work Department, the agency responsible for influence operations.
“The CCP is not funding these programs because they want us to learn,” emphasized Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, during the hearing organized by the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education under the House Education Committee.
According to Mr. Gonzalez, the CCP is taking advantage of America’s open society in an “asymmetric information warfare.” The CCP-backed language programs play a crucial role in shaping American public opinion to downplay the threat posed by the People’s Republic of China, as Mr. Gonzalez highlighted in a report as early as 2015.
“We should learn Mandarin. I studied Mandarin myself and Japanese and Korean. However, this is not about language learning. This is about a foreign Communist Party-run country attempting to influence our thoughts and actions,” he added.
Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education (PDE), a parent activist group, called on lawmakers to pass a law mandating disclosure of foreign investment in K-12 schools. Currently, this requirement only applies to higher education institutions. She also recommended a lower minimum disclosure threshold of $10,000, compared to the $250,000 required for colleges.
A recent investigation by PDE identified CCP-funded Chinese language teaching programs in at least 143 K-12 school districts across 34 states and the District of Columbia.
In 2019, a Senate investigation revealed the presence of Confucius Classrooms in 519 schools in the United States. The report also highlighted that Chinese language teachers under Confucius Institutes were required to report to the Chinese embassy within one month of arriving in the United States. These controls on teachers aimed to export China’s censorship of political debate and suppress discussion of sensitive topics.
“We greatly appreciate the House Education Committee’s attention to the issue of foreign funding in America’s K-12 schools. This is not an attack on Chinese language and cultural programs or the Chinese people, but a call for investigation and transparency,” Ms. Neily told The Epoch Times after the hearing. A PDE survey conducted in June found that 87 percent of parents believe schools should be required to disclose funding from foreign governments.
“Families deserve information about foreign funding in schools so they can assess whether these programs align with their values. Such oversight is already in place at the university level and should be extended to K-12 schools. Hopefully, this can be an area of agreement between the two parties moving forward,” she added.
Ms. Neily’s comments were partly in response to criticism from Democratic lawmakers. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), the ranking member of the committee, argued that the hearing was a waste of time with a potential government shutdown looming. He accused committee Republicans of injecting divisive politics into classrooms and promoting conspiracy theories. Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (R-Ore.) shared that her daughter studied Chinese in China without concerns about CCP influence.
After the hearing, Mr. Gonzalez expressed his bewilderment, stating, “It was baffling to hear elected members of Congress downplaying the CCP’s intrusion into American students’ education through Confucius Institutes and Classrooms as alleged foreign interference.”
In what ways does the CCP’s investment in language programs serve as a strategic tool to advance its own agenda and exert influence abroad?
Tates, with concerns over censorship and propaganda. These findings raised alarm bells about the potential influence of the CCP in American classrooms.
The CCP’s goal is to shape narratives and influence public opinion in its favor. By infiltrating language programs and cultural education in K-12 classrooms, the CCP can subtly spread its ideology and exert soft power over young and impressionable minds. This poses a significant risk to American values, democracy, and national security.
It is crucial to understand that the CCP’s investment in these language programs is not driven by a genuine interest in fostering cultural understanding or promoting educational exchange. Instead, it serves as a strategic tool to advance its own agenda and project its influence abroad.
The recent designation of the CI program’s headquarters as a ”foreign mission” by the State Department underscores the concerns raised regarding its biased training and propaganda efforts. These programs are not independent; they are guided and controlled by the CCP’s United Front Work Department, which is responsible for carrying out influence operations.
Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, emphasized during the congressional hearing that the CCP is not funding these programs for the purpose of genuine learning. He urged policymakers, educators, and parents to recognize the underlying motives and take proactive measures to protect American classrooms from foreign influence.
One proposed solution is to introduce legislation mandating disclosure of foreign investment in K-12 schools. Currently, this requirement only applies to higher education institutions. Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education, highlighted the necessity of extending this mandate to K-12 schools and lowering the minimum disclosure threshold to ensure transparency and accountability.
The investigation conducted by Parents Defending
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