A report released in 2023 found all 50 states along with the District of Columbia have either laws in place or bills that have been introduced that set requirements and or standards for either Asian American Studies or ethnic studies.
Yet, teachers often struggle to find resources or materials to meet the requirement.
This week The Asian American Foundation unveiled its AAPI History Hub with the goal of making these resources readily available.
The online platform is designed with teachers grade k-12 in mind to provide them with materials they will need to teach Asian American and Pacific Islander history.
“Belonging starts with learning,” said Norman Chen, President and CEO of The Asian American Foundation. “When AANHPI students see themselves represented in the curriculum, and their peers learn about the profound impact that Asian Americans have had on this country, we can cultivate a sense of shared humanity. We believe the AAPI History Hub will help equip educators to foster that feeling of belonging and inclusion in classrooms across the country.”
April Yee of The Asian American Foundation sees herself as one of those students who never saw herself in the lessons she learned in her hometown in rural Ohio.
She told the Sacramento Bee the database will add videos, local materials, data maps and policy updates. It will also provide a place where teachers can communicate with each other and share the lessons they’ve learned in teaching their course materials.
The Committee of 100 in its review of laws regulating the teaching of AAPI history or ethnic studies stated as of July 2023, 11 states have AAPI Studies requirements, and 14 states have academic standards for Asian American Studies.
Other states have issued standards for Ethnic Studies and in so doing, have included Asian American studies.
The report suggested that those states unable to pass standalone bills for Asian American studies push instead for ethnic studies requirements.
“These changes bring us all together to create and foster more understanding,” says Swaranjit Singh Khalsa a Norwich, Connecticut councilman who told the Christian Science Monitor that he supported his state’s mandate for Asian American Studies. “The curriculum is not only going to educate our kids but our teachers, our professors, and our parents. So I think we are creating a much more educated society. It’s not just limited to schools.”
(An earlier version of this story misidentified April Yee’s first name. It has been corrected.)
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