Qatar Foundation International Publishes US K-12 Teacher Training Report Amid Federal Investigation
Qatar Foundation International released a 143-page study celebrating its work training U.S. K-12 Arabic teachers weeks after announcing closure following congressional inquiries into foreign influence
Qatar Foundation International (QFI) published a major research report in June 2026 examining its work with American K-12 Arabic teachers, just weeks after the organization announced it would “wind down operations” in the United States.
The timing of the 143-page study, titled “Teaching Arabic as a Global Language in U.S. K-12 Settings: How Do Teacher Identity and Critical Language Awareness Matter?,” comes as QFI faces scrutiny from federal investigators and members of Congress over allegations that it conducted a multi-decade influence operation in American schools. The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) submitted findings to the U.S. Department of Education and multiple congressional committees in May 2026 documenting what it described as more than $65 million in funding across 220 programs between 2009 and 2025.
QFI promoted the new report on its Instagram account earlier this month, stating that “the report offers new insights into how K-12 Arabic teachers in the United States navigate Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), Colloquial Arabic, teacher identity, and classroom practice.”
Qatar Foundation’s Institutional Structure
Qatar Foundation International is the U.S.-based member of the Doha-based Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. According to Influence Watch, QFI was originally founded in 2009 as a 501(c)(3) private foundation but terminated its nonprofit status in 2012 and transferred its remaining funds to Qatar Foundation, which is registered as a foreign agent with the U.S. Department of Justice.
A 2015 QFI memo, cited by Influence Watch, states that the U.S.-based group was formed “for the purpose advancing the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser and the vision of Qatar Foundation.” The memo identifies QFI’s CEO as Sheikha Hind bin Hamad Al-Thani, daughter of former Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
The New Report: Content and Authorship
The report was authored by Georgetown University Professor Lourdes Ortega, along with Saurav Goswami, Hina Ashraf, Rima Elabdali, and Esha Mukherjee. According to the study, it draws on 143 survey responses from Arabic teachers across K-12 and higher education, along with in-depth interviews with teachers working in U.S. K-12 contexts.
The report examines how teachers incorporate both Modern Standard Arabic and colloquial dialects into instruction, and identifies what it describes as three “meaningful reasons” for dialect integration: “to bond with and support heritage students, to foster greater out-of-class communicative competence, and to cultivate students’ love for the Arab world and Arab cultures.”
Based on its findings, the study produced five professional development modules for Arabic teachers titled “Critical Language Awareness in Arabic Language Teaching,” which QFI has made available to educators.
Congressional Investigation and Allegations
The report’s publication follows a May 2026 investigation by ISGAP that documented QFI’s activities across multiple layers of the U.S. education system. According to the ISGAP report, submitted to federal authorities and congressional committees, QFI’s activities “extended well beyond what QFI describes solely as Arabic language education,” and included curriculum development, teacher training, and partnerships with federally funded university programs.
The ISGAP investigation documented several specific allegations:
QFI’s curriculum platform Al-Masdar included a lesson titled “Express Your Loyalty to Qatar” featuring a YouTube video of Qatari bankers expressing loyalty to the country and its leaders, according to documentation reviewed by the Middle East Forum. Another lesson titled “Whose Terrorism?” asked students to debate whether “Israeli soldiers taunting and shooting children in Palestinian refugee camps, with the assistance of U.S. military aid” should be considered terrorism.
Teachers participating in QFI-funded professional development programs were required to produce lesson plans and submit them for review by QFI staff, according to the ISGAP report.
A New York City public school receiving QFI funding was found using classroom materials in which Israel was omitted from maps and replaced with “Palestine,” according to the report, which states this prompted a formal congressional inquiry.
QFI facilitated a program bringing United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) officials into U.S. public school classrooms through virtual partnerships with UNRWA schools, according to the investigation. The program, called “My Voice-My School,” reportedly culminated in advocacy projects that occupied one-third of the instructional year.
Bipartisan Congressional Response
The ISGAP findings drew responses from members of Congress across party lines.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) stated that the report documents “the institutional capture of our universities, K-12 schools, teacher training initiatives, and national educator networks by foreign adversaries who seek to control and manipulate the American education system.”
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) said: “American classrooms should never serve as vehicles for foreign government influence. When a regime like Qatar’s quietly shapes what is taught, who is invited to speak, and which ideas are amplified on our campuses, the American people have a right to know.”
Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA), chair of the House Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education subcommittee, stated he looks forward to working with colleagues “to protect academic integrity from foreign agendas.”
Georgetown University’s Qatar Connections
Ortega, the lead author of the new QFI report is affiliated with Georgetown University, which has extensive financial ties to Qatar. According to Department of Education records cited by the Middle East Forum, Georgetown has received $333 million from Qatar since 2011, more than any other U.S. university.
Georgetown operates a branch campus in Doha — Georgetown University in Qatar —which was established in 2005 “in partnership with Qatar Foundation.” The campus is located on Qatar Foundation’s Education City complex.
According to Georgetown’s website, Professor Ortega received funding from Qatar Foundation International through its “Call for Research on Arabic as a Global Language” grant program.
QFI’s Closure and Qatar Foundation’s Continued Expansion
QFI informed partners in early June 2026 that it was “winding down its operations,” according to a leaked email. The email stated that QFI is “committed to ensuring an orderly transition for our community and working collaboratively so that existing programs may conclude or evolve responsibly with local institutions.”
The closure occurred one week after ISGAP published its report, according to ISGAP’s timeline.
While QFI winds down its U.S. operations, Qatar Foundation announced new study-abroad agreements with three Historically Black Colleges and Universities at the NAFSA 2026 international education conference: Hampton University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Prairie View A&M University.
Dr. Charles Asher Small, executive director of ISGAP, stated: “While we welcome QFI’s apparent closure, the broader network of influence remains intact. Protecting American education cannot depend on the voluntary withdrawal of foreign-funded organizations.”
The publication of QFI’s report celebrating its teacher training work, released after the organization announced its closure and amid ongoing congressional scrutiny, has raised questions among researchers and lawmakers about transparency and accountability in foreign-funded educational programs.