OneClickPolitics

Call to Action: Support All Students Count Amendment

As your constituent I write to express ardent support for Senators Hirono and Heller's All Students Count Amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act (ESEA). The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), a coalition of over 30 Asian American and Pacific American organizations around the country, strongly supports the disaggregation of Asian American and Pacific Islander data.  NCAPA, educators, administrators, community-based organizations, civil rights groups, and student groups across the country have endorsed the All Students Count Act to require AAPI data disaggregation. Supporters include the National Education Association, the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.  Today, I ask for your support of this amendment.

Our country has made significant strides in collecting disaggregated data about student achievement for major racial and ethnic groups.  However, current policies do not accurately document the demographics within many communities. Sadly, highly diverse groups such as AAPI students are still reported in their aggregate form.  Such aggregated data fails to identify critical academic achievement gaps and prevents decision makers from addressing those gaps through effective policies. For example, the “Asian” racial group is comprised of more than 48 distinct ethnic groups, and lumping data for Asian students together has masked the educational inequities faced by large sub-sets of the Asian American population, particularly Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander groups. As such, many of those students do not receive the necessary support needed to achieve academic success.

To ensure that all students will, indeed, be counted, the All Students Count Amendment will ask Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with a minimum of 1,000 Asian American and Pacific Islander students to further segment the data they are already required to report for K-12 schools in their annual report cards. These data would include race categories used in the decennial Census. Based on the 1,000 student AAPI threshold, fewer than 500 out of 10,000 districts across the country would be required to disaggregate the aforementioned student data, minimizing burdens on LEAs.  This data is for reporting purposes only and will not be required as a part of state accountability systems.

The All Students Count Act Amendment is a welcome step toward ensuring that all students are counted and recognized, so that they can have equitable access to the resources they need to achieve a world-class education. Equal educational opportunities create pathways to success for all, which are essential for our nation’s economic future.
Please contact your Senator and ask them to support Senators Hirono and Heller's All Students Count Amendment.
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