Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education Act

The Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education Act (TRACE Act) would establish new parental notification and transparency requirements for public schools receiving federal education funding. Schools would be required to inform parents about their rights to access information regarding foreign government or foreign entity influence in their schools.

Specifically, the bill would give parents the right to review and copy at no cost any curriculum or professional development materials that schools obtained using funds from a foreign government or foreign entity of concern. Parents would also have the right to know in writing how many school personnel are compensated using foreign government funds and to receive information about any donations or financial agreements between the school and foreign governments or foreign entities of concern.

Proponents argue the bill addresses concerns about foreign influence in American K-12 schools, particularly citing examples of Chinese government-funded educational programs. The bill passed the House in December 2025 and is now in committee in the Senate for consideration. If enacted, schools would need to establish procedures to respond to parental requests for this information as a condition of receiving federal education assistance.