AAPI Education Equity Campaign
CACF launched this campaign to drive a progressive AAPI vision for equity, inclusion, and integration in New York City public schools.
As Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) advocates for educational equity, we call for an education system that values diversity, inclusivity, and integration, while standing in solidarity with marginalized communities and empowering them to have a voice.
CACF envisions equitable, inclusive, and engaging school systems that truly serve the public and meet the needs of each individual student – helping them learn, grow, freely express themselves, and develop critical thinking skills and a strong sense of identity, self-confidence, and belonging so they can reach their fullest potential.
Through our Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Education Equity Campaign, we hold systems accountable to providing safe, supportive, and welcoming learning environments that are fully equipped to serve all students in all of their complexities. Public schools ought to be for the public good. All students, including AAPI students, deserve a challenging and inspiring education without having to compete for limited opportunities.
Contrary to pervasive stereotypes, AAPI students and their families in the New York City public school system continue to face system-wide issues that include overcrowding, bullying, lack of quality language accessible and culturally responsive services, lack of inclusive curriculum, underfunding of programs for multilingual learners, and more. Yet, AAPI students and families continue to be misrepresented or excluded and their needs ignored within critical conversations on decision-making in school reform.
The AAPI Education Equity Campaign drives a progressive AAPI vision for public education, fighting alongside fellow communities of color and immigrant communities for an equitable education system for the most marginalized students.
By the numbers.
16.6%
AAPI students currently make up 16.6% of the New York City public school student population.
7.2%
7.2% of NYC school teachers are AAPI.
22%
Nearly 1 in 4 of all English language learners in New York City public schools are Asian American or Pacific Islander.
CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
As Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) advocates for educational equity, we are calling for an education system that not only values diversity, inclusivity, and integration but also stands in solidarity and empowers marginalized communities to have a voice in the system.
CACF has called on Governor Hochul to direct $800,000 of the $20 million AAPI Equity Budget towards supporting the integration and implementation of AAPI curricular materials into New York State public schools’ history and social studies curricula. This work will ensure students across New York State see AAPI voices, contributions, civic impact, and connections to other peoples’ experiences and struggles in their classrooms.
View our community sign-on letter here.
View our list of resources from our Solidarity, Intersectionality, and AAPI Curriculum Panel at the New York City Black Studies Summit here.
CACF held a series of parent guided conversations to understand the needs, concerns, hopes, and dreams AAPI parents have regarding their children’s education and identify the challenges they face in the New York City public education system. View our report here.
Affiliations/Groups
Education Equity Action Plan (Black Studies), Commission Member
Integration Coalition, Member
New Yorkers for Racially Just Public Schools, Steering Committee Member
New York Immigration Coalition Education Collaborative, Member
A Vision for Educational Equity and Solidarity
“Our schools are one of the best places to start having the tough conversations needed to unlearn the white supremacist ideas and anti-Blackness we’ve internalized, to revise our perspectives on justice to include all of us, and to truly stand together for our collective liberation. We don’t need more police task forces because we already see that increased policing in schools not only doesn't make our peers safer, but ultimately harms them. We need you to recognize and address our fears and needs in ways that are culturally responsive for all marginalized communities rather than divisive. We call on our appointed officials and electeds to commit to, invest in, and act on the difficult work needed—work that marginalized students themselves have been doing—to address the inequities that continue to leave behind the majority of students in this city, and that force them to fight over scraps when we all deserve so much more."
—
ASAP statement at New Yorkers United Against Anti-Asian Hate and White Supremacy Rally on March 27, 2021
Support for English Language Learners
“There needs to be an alternative way to measure our success rather than using the standardized test. Having the ESL program extended due to not passing the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) significantly impacts us. It prevents English Language Learner students from taking advanced classes such as AP and honors which exceedingly affects our academic performance and college readiness. The COVID pandemic intensified the deficiencies in ELL education. Schools should constantly provide bilingual staff to deliver family support and stay in communication with ELL students and their guardians to better understand their needs. ELLs are now a great portion of total citywide enrolled students. I’m speaking from my own experience, but all ELLs should be heard and seen. Together, we can work for students’ better academic futures.”
—
ASAP Youth Leader Sufan Wan’s testimony before New York City Council’s Education Committee Oversight Hearing on COVID Impact on English Language Learners (ELLs) on February 28, 2022
Healthier Learning Environment
“As a South Asian, it is often very common to assume that all Asians are academically smarter and more successful than the general public. There is this underlying preconceived notion that all Asian Americans are hard-working and seem to be already living the ‘American Dream.’ However, in reality, the model minority myth sets a false narrative in an attempt to segregate AAPI communities, thereby promoting misleading racial stereotypes. Speaking about myself, having these cultural expectations added extra pressure on my back. I can recall my 3rd-grade classmate being surprised by the fact that my reading and math skills were terrible as they asked with a confused grin, ‘Aren’t you all supposed to be smart?’ This was definitely a microaggression and it discouraged me from asking for help. I distinctly remember telling my parents to find me a tutor that was not close to my school, so I can avoid seeing people from class. These cultural stereotypes perpetuated by the model minority myth have stigmatized students like me from accepting our flaws and seeking further assistance.”
—
ASAP Youth Leader Mamoona Hassan
Access to Culturally Responsive Resources
We often see pushes for “Diversity,” “Integration,” or even “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I),” but what do these terms really mean? What does diversity look and feel like? It’s not enough to have a diverse student body. As racial relations become increasingly tense, we need students across various backgrounds and perspectives to understand how to truly empathize, integrate, and learn from each other. In order to facilitate that understanding, we need representative, culturally responsive school staff and curriculum.
For an AAPI student, the impact of a more representative U.S. history course can extend beyond learning new events that demonstrate the richness of AAPI history. It can be a way to contextualize Asian and/or Pacific Islander issues in America that we live in today. Likewise, the impact of an AAPI guidance counselor can be more than an additional POC staff. That guidance counselor can be a resource to safely rely on or someone who better understands how cultural and ethnic influences dictate home life.
Who to Contact
For more information on the AAPI Education Equity Campaign, please contact Kulsoom Tapal, Education Policy Coordinator, at ktapal@cacf.org.