New York, NY — Committee of 100, a nonprofit organization of prominent Chinese Americans, today announced it has updated its state-by-state analysis of the prevalence of existing and potential legislation requiring the teaching of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history in K-12 social studies curriculum. As of October 3rd of this year, 12 states have statues that require AAPI studies curriculum, 33 states have academic standards that require ethnic studies, and 8 states have no statutes, recently introduced bills, or academic standards that require or make optional AAPI studies or ethnic studies curriculum.
“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, Committee of 100. “Public schools play a crucial role in shaping informed citizens. However, in many states, schools don’t teach students about the contributions of Asian Americans, even though Asian American history is American history. If children aren’t taught this, how can they grow into citizens who understand the experiences and challenges faced by all Americans?”
Committee of 100’s public policy research project identifies and classifies state-level (and the District of Columbia) statutes, bills, and academic standards of K-12 curriculum pertaining to the study of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, as well as other non-white racial and ethnic groups.
Committee of 100 researchers analyzed the laws, regulations, bills, and publicly available curriculum standards of all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia to determine which states have existing K-12 AAPI or ethnic studies curriculum requirements or legislative action that would enact such requirements. Committee of 100 cross-referenced state legislature websites, state statutes, keyword Google searches, and LegiScan to assess the existence and status of legislation and statutes, as well as state department of education websites and publicly available curriculum standards issued by state regulators and boards of education to determine the prevalence of AAPI and ethnic studies academic standards.
This research was originally conducted in 2022 and updated annually. The most current report is updated as of October 3, 2024. All definitions and methodologies identified here follow those laid out in the previous report.
Committee of 100’s research brief organizes the data into eight categories:
- states with established statutes that require AAPI studies curriculum;
- states with academic standards that include AAPI studies;
- states with recently introduced bills that would require AAPI studies curriculum;
- states with established statutes that require ethnic studies curriculum;
- states with academic standards that include ethnic studies;
- states with recently introduced bills that would require ethnic studies curriculum;
- states with established statutes or recently introduced bills for optional AAPI or ethnic studies that do not require curriculum; and
- states with no statutes, academic standards, or bills for AAPI or ethnic studies.
As of October 3, 2024:
- 12 states have statutes that require AAPI studies curriculum
- 4 states are considering recently introduced bills that would require AAPI studies curriculum
- 15 states have academic standards that require AAPI studies
- 22 states have statutes that require ethnic studies curriculum
- 3 states are considering recently introduced bills that would require ethnic studies curriculum
- 33 states have academic standards that require ethnic studies
- 8 states have no statutes, recently introduced bills, or academic standards that require or make optional AAPI studies or ethnic studies curriculum
Upcoming Free Education Webinar Series
Join Committee of 100 and The Asian American Education Project for a three-part webinar series that examines the rich contributions of Chinese Americans to U.S. society, both historically and in the present day. Specifically designed for Grades 6-9 educators and open to everyone, the series addresses three main topics: (1) the impact of the Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype on Chinese Americans, (2) Chinese American contributions in food, arts, and film, and (3) Chinese American contributions in business, science, and technology.
The first webinar will take place today (Thursday, October 17th) at 4PM ET, and then re-done for the West Coast at 7PM ET. RSVP information can be found here. Of note, attendees will earn New York City Department of Education CTLE credits through The Asian American Education Project.
Additional Information
For more information about the methodology and definitions used here, please refer to the methods section on pages three and four of the 2023 report.
The research, state maps, and interactive research map can all be found here.
About Committee of 100
Committee of 100 is a non-profit U.S. leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, healthcare, and the arts focused on public policy engagement, civic engagement, and philanthropy. For over 30 years, Committee of 100 has served as the preeminent organization committed to the dual missions of promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in all aspects of American life and constructive relations between the United States and Greater China.
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Contact:
Charles Zinkowski
Sr. Director of Marketing & Communications
czinkowski@committee100.org
