AAPI/EDUCATION: Murray Supports Amendment in Bill to Fix NCLB to Strengthen AAPI Education Outcomes

(Washington, D.C.) – Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) fought to include an amendment authored by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) in her bipartisan bill to fix the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) national education law to strengthen reporting on student achievement for the major subgroups of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) populations. The amendment to the bill, the Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA), requires that school districts with more than 1,000 AAPI students report on student achievement for seven major Asian American subgroups and four major Pacific Islander subgroups, the same major race categories as the decennial census. The amendment failed in a 47-50 Senate vote yesterday, July 8^th.

“By improving transparency for how subgroups of AAPI students are doing in school, we can better serve those students and ensure they have the support they need in the classroom,” said Senator Murray. “Though I am disappointed this amendment failed,  I will keep fighting to improve reporting on student achievement, so parents, schools, and districts can better help students succeed.”

AAPI students often appear to perform well overall in school, but the data hide major educational challenges facing some subgroups within the AAPI community. This requirement to disaggregate student data will help shine a light on major educational challenges facing some subgroups of students. The Senate is beginning debate on Senator Murray’s education bill this week.