Chinese Communist Party infiltrates US kindergartens.

American parents who⁤ have children enrolled in K-12 ​schools⁤ already have plenty‍ to worry about: how to keep their kids safe, shield their innocence from over-sexualized books,⁢ and prevent woke school districts from dumbing down math curriculums, to name a few. A new investigative report by Parents Defending Education adds another concern: how to prevent the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda ‌from infiltrating American classrooms.

The Chinese Communist Party’s Influence in American​ Classrooms

In the last two ‍decades, besides building up the Chinese military, the CCP⁣ has⁤ focused on developing⁢ soft power by spreading its propaganda overseas through myriad methods, including taking advantage ‌of the academic freedom in overseas ⁣educational institutions to shape favorable narratives about China and suppress unfavorable views. One of the​ CCP’s well-known influence operations is establishing⁣ overseas ⁢Confucius Institutes.

What are Confucius Institutes?

The Chinese⁣ government fully funds and manages these CIs, including supplying teachers and teaching materials,‍ with the stated goal of teaching in K-12 schools and universities. CIs also sponsor international conferences and​ research papers on China-related topics. In truth, ⁢CIs are the CCP’s propaganda machines on foreign campuses disguised as education centers.

Li Changchun, a standing member of the Politburo who came up ‌with the idea of establishing CIs abroad, called them‍ an “important part of China’s overseas ​propaganda set-up.” China’s current dictator, Xi Jinping,⁤ increased funding for ​oversea⁢ influence operations such as CIs because he regarded them as effective vehicles to “give a good ⁤Chinese ⁤narrative, and better communicate‍ China’s ⁢message to the world.”

Since launching in 2004, ⁢CIs have quickly expanded ⁤their⁤ worldwide presence. As of 2020,⁤ there were about 1,000 Confucius Institutes in dozens of countries on six continents, including more than 100 on American college⁤ campuses.

The⁢ Chinese government has also infiltrated America’s K-12 schools through Confucius Classrooms — an offshoot program of CI — sister school partnerships, and other⁤ programs since 2009. According to Parents ⁤Defending Education, about 143 schools across ‍34 states‌ and Washington, ⁤D.C., have had some form of CI-affiliated programs.

The Impact on Education

As the overseas Confucius‌ Institutes grew, so did the complaints against them. Most critics focused on the management ⁢of CIs⁢ on college campuses ‌and the restrictions they‍ put on academic ‌freedom and free⁢ speech. CIs have been noted to present students with only ‌the CCP-sanctioned version of Chinese ⁤history, which omits the CCP’s ‍human ⁢rights violations, including persecutions of Christians and Muslims, and to‍ avoid certain political ​events such⁢ as the Great Chinese Famine, the⁤ Cultural Revolution, and the 1989​ Tiananmen​ Square Massacre. In⁢ 2020, the U.S. State Department officially designated CI “the Chinese Communist Party’s overseas propaganda⁢ and influence operation.”

While CIs on college campuses have attracted the most media attention and alarmed Congress, the​ American public paid little ⁢attention to the CCP’s expansion of similar programs in K-12⁢ schools. Thus, Parents Defending Education performed a valuable public service by publishing its investigative report titled “Little Red Classrooms: China’s Infiltration In American​ K–12 Schools.”

The PDE report uncovers some very troubling⁤ facts. Between 2009 and 2023, the CCP provided over $17 million to fund various Confucius Institute-affiliated programs in 143 K-12 schools in the U.S., including top‌ high ⁢schools such as Thomas Jefferson High ⁣School for Science and Technology (TJ) in Virginia and 20 school districts ⁣near U.S. military bases. The report found that at least seven schools still operate Confucius Classrooms or similar programs.

CCP Influence⁢ in School ‌Districts

The “Financial exchanges‌ between K-12 ​schools and the Chinese government range from a few thousand dollars to, in Thomas Jefferson High School’s case, more than a million dollars.” Furthermore, the PDE report unearthed TJ’s ties to Tsinghua University High School — the high school affiliated with one of China’s top military schools, Tsinghua University, the alma‌ mater of the CCP’s current leader, Xi Jinping.

The ‍report found that CCP-affiliated programming and funding vary by school district and demonstrated ‍how sophisticated ⁤and persistent the CCP’s ⁣influence campaigns ‌have become. ⁣Hanban, a Chinese Ministry of Education⁢ subdivision, managed CI and affiliated programs‌ until 2021. Some⁤ schools, such as Carver Middle School, became “Confucius Schools” by working directly with Hanban.

Some school districts partnered with Confucius ⁢Institutes ⁢on college campuses nearby. For example, the ⁤Confucius Institute at St. Cloud University in ‍Minnesota provided $65,000 in grants, equipment, books, and ⁣curriculum to support the Confucius Classrooms at the St. Cloud Area School District. Other ​districts “mask Chinese government‍ funding through third-party nonprofit ⁤entities.” For instance, Highland Park Independent School District in Texas received funding from the International Leadership of Texas Global, a nonprofit organization, to facilitate its “Chinese core ​curriculum.”

Two U.S.-based organizations, ⁤the College Board and Asia Society, worked directly with⁣ Hanban to bring Confucius⁢ programs⁤ to American ‍universities and K-12 schools. The PDE’s report noted that Asia Society was ‌a key participant in establishing Confucius ⁤Institutes and⁢ Confucius Classrooms until its relationship with ⁢the programs ended in June 2021.

The CCP’s Foreign Influence Operation

Regardless of the outward variety of these CI-affiliated programs, they share one thing in common: They are CCP-funded foreign influence operation beachheads in our society. A Senate report estimates that‌ since 2006, “China has directly ⁣provided over $158 million in funding to U.S. schools‌ for⁤ Confucius Institutes.”

The CCP⁢ is willing to invest so heavily‌ in CIs because it seeks to indoctrinate young minds with CCP propaganda and cast ⁢doubt on values we hold dear, such as free speech and the rule of law. The CCP learned from Mao’s Cultural Revolution that to destroy a society’s⁣ culture and‍ values, one must first destroy schools.

The backlash against CIs in recent years has led many colleges ‍and school districts to⁤ shut down CIs and​ affiliated programs. As of June this year, the National Association of‌ Scholars reports that 111 CIs have ⁤closed⁢ or are in the process of‌ closing, and only ⁢10 CIs remain open in the U.S. Amid ‍all​ the controversies surrounding CIs, Hanban rebranded⁣ itself and became ⁢the Center for Language Education and Cooperation in 2021 but has continued to offer ⁢CI-like programs under different names.

Some American universities and school districts ‌couldn’t resist ⁤CCP’s money either, even with ⁤all the ⁣risk it entails.⁤ The National Association of Scholars found at ⁣least “28 American⁣ universities have replaced ​their CIs with‍ a⁢ similar program, and 58 have maintained close relationships with their former Confucius Institute ‌partner.”

Some schools’ ​inability to say⁢ no to the⁣ CCP’s money and influence and ⁢the CCP’s willingness ‍and ability to continue to promote ‍CI-like programs⁢ in disguise present a‍ consistent challenge to American policymakers and parents. We must remain ​vigilant and demand that schools, universities, and nonprofit organizations involved in education disclose funding sources ​for foreign language ‍and‌ cultural programs.

When necessary, lawmakers must hold accountable schools that fail to report their⁢ foreign funding sources by withholding federal and state funding. Meanwhile, parents must closely examine curriculums and textbooks providing “cultural​ and language” immersion programs and push back against overt and covert political indoctrination.

We as a society must be willing to devote considerable time and resources to protect our education system from the CCP’s infiltration. Make no mistake, the ‍CCP ⁢is‌ playing the long ‍game and⁢ won’t give up easily.