Dive Brief:
- A dozen states had statutes requiring Asian American and Pacific Islander studies curriculum in K-12 schools as of Oct. 3, while recently introduced bills in another four states would require these studies, according to updated research by the nonprofit Committee of 100.
- According to the research, 22 states have statutes requiring ethnic studies, and six of those — California, Oregon, Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee and Connecticut — include AAPI studies in their academic standards for ethnic studies. Additionally, three states have recently introduced bills that could make ethnic studies a requirement.
- Efforts to expand AAPI education aim to combat the rise in discrimination against Asian Americans since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought waves of sentiment against people of Asian descent.
Dive Insight:
The push for Asian American and Pacific Islander history education in schools has found legislative successes across the nation over the last year.
“For almost two centuries, the AAPI community has made significant contributions to the U.S., yet Asian Americans are still battling the stereotype of being perpetual foreigners,” said Cindy Tsai, interim president of Committee of 100, in a press release. Committee of 100 is a nonprofit membership organization of prominent Chinese Americans created to address the issues impacting the Chinese community in America.
Tsai added that “public schools play a crucial role in shaping informed citizens.”
The committee conducted a state-by-state analysis of existing and potential legislation requiring the teaching of AAPI history in K-12 and will update its findings yearly. The data is gathered by analyzing laws, regulations, bills and publicly available curriculum standards of all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Committee of 100 suggests that while some states may not have statutes or standards specifically requiring AAPI study, it can be incorporated into ethnic studies under statewide curriculum.
Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition dedicated to ending racism and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, found in a recent report that anti-South Asian hate increased at a high rate ahead of the 2024 election alongside the political prominence of both Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Usha Vance, wife of Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance.
Iva Shah, programming co-chair of Teach AAPI — a nonprofit organization that provides pre-K through 7th-grade curriculum resources like lesson plans, cultural event planning and virtual programming — says she has seen interest in AAPI history evolve over the years.
“I think when people reach out to us, they're not always necessarily coming from a place of pain. I think they're coming from a place of wanting to ensure that their students feel seen, that their students get a sense of belonging,” Shah said.
Shah added that legislation allows Teach AAPI to identify the states and areas in need of AAPI curriculum materials to meet these statutes and who to reach out to.
Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Kansas, Iowa, Maryland, Kentucky and Alaska have no statutes, recently introduced bills or academic standards that require or make optional either AAPI or ethnic studies curriculum. The Committee of 100 recommends education stakeholders in these states consider advocating for such legislation and also work with statewide curriculum officials to include AAPI studies.
In states where ethnic studies exists without a requirement to include AAPI history, Committee of 100 advises looking at the statute or standards to see if they allow curriculum writers the authority to integrate AAPI history.
