Education
Young people make up the largest proportion of the Asian Minnesota population, so their education is critical to our community and our State’s future prosperity. That’s why we focus our energy and resources on K-12 education by creating family- and student-centered agendas that integrate policy, community mobilization, and research strategies in order to improve how school districts value who young people are, build curriculum and support what’s culturally relevant, and improve accountability to parents and students. We don’t just want our students to be graduating, we want them to be college and career ready after high school.
Please contact info@caalmn.org to learn more about our Education issues.
Why Education?
CAAL’s data gathering and analysis find that Asian Americans represent between 20%-30% of Minnesota urban school districts student population. In some schools the Asian student population is as high as 70%. However, fewer Asian students (49%) are passing 3rd grade reading tests compared to all students (58%). Furthermore, Minnesota currently holds the highest average ACT score in the nation of 23 but Asian students, even at the aggregate level, hold a significantly lower average ACT score of 18. The lack of educator diversity is also cause for concern when only 2.5% of K-12 teachers in Minnesota are Asian Americans. Data such as these and other anecdotal stories demonstrate that educational systems are failing Asian students. This has serious implications for the future of Minnesota as a whole when its youngest and fastest growing Asian population is lagging behind.
Numbers matter. Our youth matter. That’s why we are committed to conducting research and disaggregating the data to show the full picture and highlight the ways we can better invest in and advocate for our young people.
Power, Politics, and Preservation of Heritage Languages
2020
This paper arose out of a partnership between the Coalition of Asian
American Leaders (CAAL) and Education Evolving following a summit
hosted by CAAL in June of 2019. The summit was attended by more than
100 racially and ethnically diverse educators from Minnesota, Wisconsin,
and California who came together to discuss how they approach teaching
and reclaiming language literacy.
Every Student Succeeds Act Initiative – Policy Brief
2019
By fully supporting
multilingualism and educational equity, Minnesota can simultaneously create
short-term education benefits for all students while simultaneously creating longterm workforce and social benefits for the entire state.
The following brief uplifts the Minnesota Multilingual Equity Network’s
equity agenda and recommendations to MDE for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Paths Forward on Education 2015
2015
CAAL engaged over 350 Asian American leaders from across ethnicities, sectors, and age groups to inform our strategic
direction. Two work groups dove into the quantitative data and guided key informant interviews to help us understand the
nuances within Minnesota’s Asian American population. The community’s voices and collective leadership now set the paths
forward on education and economic issues.
Data Disaggregation: Frequently Asked Questions
Check out this brief FAQ to learn about data diaggregattion and why we think it’s so important.