CALIFORNIA COMMISSION ON ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN AFFAIRS
Brief Report: Public Hearing on Why Education Data Disaggregation Matters:
Challenges and Opportunities to Closing the Achievement Gap for Southeast
Asian American Students (September 2014)
The California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs (CAPIAA) was
established in 2002. Commissioners are appointed by the Governor and Legislature. The
Commission’s primary duty is to elevate the political, economic and social issues of the diverse
Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) communities across the state. In addition, advise
the Governor and Legislature on how to respond most effectively to the views, needs, and
concerns of APIAs.
On September 5, 2014 the Commission held a public hearing on Why Education Data
Disaggregation Matters: Challenges and Opportunities to Closing the Achievement Gap
for Southeast Asian American Students. The hearing was held in the Fresno City Council
Chambers and attended by educational institution administrators, educators, staff, elected
officials, community-based organizations, service providers, advocates, parents, students, and
community members. The hearing was followed by a public comments/questions session and
networking hour with the Commissioners and attendees.
The hearing was hosted by City of Fresno District 1 Councilman Blong Xiong and sponsored by
the Central California Asian Pacific Women (CCAPW) group and the Haas Institute for a Fair
and Inclusive Society.
Background
Data disaggregation is significant to demonstrate the unique social, economic, and educational
disparities among diverse Asian subgroups and critical to the development of programs and
services to address the various needs. For example, Southeast Asian American populations, a
subgroup of the larger Asian and Pacific Islander population, are diverse in terms of culture,
language, and social characteristics. These subgroups include but are not limited to the Hmong,
Laotian, Cambodian, and Vietnamese populations that have endured hardships and dislocation
after the end of the Vietnam War. Thousands of Southeast Asian families sought asylum in the
U.S. as refugees through family reunification programs in the 1970s – 1990s. They have a
significantly shorter history in the U.S. than other Asian groups and have had to learn to
navigate the different systems in this country with very little education and English skills.
Southeast Asian American students are often categorized as “Asian” and their lower academic
achievement rates are overshadowed by the Model Minority stereotype that all Asian students
excel in academics. These students face challenges such as limited English proficiency, high
rates of poverty, and cultural and linguistic barriers to navigating the educational system. For
example, the 2010 American Community Survey reported that 38.4% of Laotian, 39.2% of
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Cambodian, and 37.6% of Hmong, and 51.5% of Vietnamese Americans speak English less
than “very well.”
Hearing Overview
The hearing featured speakers and presentations about the 1) the factors that contribute to low
academic achievement rates among Southeast Asian American students, 2) use of data to
determine the recruitment and retention of these students in higher education, and 3) how data
disaggregation applies to determining funding for needed services as the state moves to local
control over funding.
The hearing agenda items included the following:
A Presentation of a Case Study: Educational Challenges among Southeast Asian American
Students at California State University, Fresno by the CSU Fresno Asian Faculty and Staff
Association representatives Gena Lew-Gong, Lecturer in Asian American Studies, Department
of Anthropology; Hiromi Kubo, Business Librarian, Henry Madden Library; and Yoshiko
Takahashi, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Victimology Option Coordinator, Department of
Criminology.
A panel of respondents on the following topics: Demystifying the Model Minority: The
Importance of Disaggregating Subgroup Data to Promote Success for Southeast Asian Youth
(See report attached) by Dr. Cassandra Joubert, Director, Central California Children’s Institute,
Professor in the College of Health and Human Services of California State University, Fresno;
Local Advocacy Efforts Around the State Local Control Funding by Alice Yang, Community
Resources Developer of Stone Soup Fresno; and Policy Advocacy Opportunities at the Federal
and Local Level by Jonathan Tran, Policy Director of Southeast Asian Resources Action Center
(SEARAC).
(See attached program agenda, speaker biographies, presentations, and reports).
Key Data and Findings
The hearing highlighted the following research findings about the educational disparities of CSU
Fresno API and Southeast Asian students:
 For 2013, API students had an 8% four-year graduation rate; a 43% six-year graduation
rate; and fell behind White and Hispanic peers as well as their API counterparts at other
CSU campuses in overall retention and graduation rates.
 Southeast Asian students (Hmong, Laotian, Cambodian, and Vietnamese) made up
54.5% of all Asian American students enrolled on campus.
 Southeast Asian students experienced challenges beyond the classroom such as
balancing familial obligations; lack of parental support in the home (70% of parents have
a high school degree or less); and must overcome significant academic deficits (97% of
incoming freshmen need English remediation and 70% need Math remediation).
 97% of Hmong students were first-generation college students.
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 Hmong students came from larger households (6.8 on average) and 62% were from
lower-income households (combined incomes of less than $24,000/year).
 Southeast Asian students were less likely to communicate with faculty about academics
or career plans and lacked trust for faculty and other students. However, they were more
willing to use – and more appreciative – of on-campus services such as the writing
center, financial aid, and student success services.
 Although CSU Fresno is a federally-designated Asian American and Native American
Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), there are no coordinated programs or
services targeted at API students’ needs on campus.
Recommendations
Although K-12 schools, colleges, and universities have begun to collect new data for the API
subgroups such as Southeast Asian students, research is needed to further analyze the
racial/ethnic subgroups cross-tabulated by gender, enrollment, and academic achievement, etc.
This data coupled with the stories of lived experiences of Southeast Asian students and their
families can further elevate their educational disparities.
New data that is collected and disaggregated by educational institutions need to be made
publicly available and accessible to students, parents, and stakeholders so that they can
provide input to address educational disparities and in the design of culturally and linguistically
responsive programs and services.
Further explore the idea of on-campus programs such as an Asian American Resource Center
and resources to coordinate and implement programs and support services to Asian American
students, particularly, to subgroups with low retention and graduation rates, low-income and
first-generation students. In addition, ensure active and consistent participation of faculty,
particularly, Asian American faculty and staff in campus-wide and CSU-wide diversity initiatives
that correlate with closing the achievement gaps for all Asian American students.
Revisit state legislation such as AB 1098 (Eng) that requires the Department of Education to
collect consistent statewide data and disaggregate the data by API subgroups across school
districts, colleges, and university campus. Consistent data disaggregation can significantly
impact the accountability of local control funding formulas that enable collaboration among
stakeholders to affect change in closing the educational achievement gap for API student
subgroups at all local school districts.
Federal legislation such as the All Students Count Act introduced by Congressman Mike Honda
would require State Education Agencies (Department of Education) to report disaggregated
data at the K-12 levels, include breakdown of API student populations by subgroups, and crosstabulation of gender and disability in their annual state report cards.
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