The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a reckoning on how educators, schools, and districts should support AAPI students and communities. In response to an increase in hate crimes and heightened xenophobia against Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) during the pandemic, MAEC’s Collaborative Action for Family Engagement (CAFE) disseminated a survey titled: “Asian American Pacific-Islanders (AAPI) Family Survey: Reflections and Thoughts on School Reopening” (hereafter referred to as “AAPI Family Survey”). The survey sought to learn about AAPI families’ experiences during the pandemic, gain insight into their challenges and concerns as schools reopened, and identify ways that educators and schools could support families.
The survey collected nearly 500 responses to the overarching question, “What are some important topics to consider as schools open?” CAFE identified five key areas where educators can support Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) families and students. Each key area highlights family voices, action steps, and resources to support enacting the recommendations.
Methodology
The survey was translated into the most popular languages spoken by AAPI communities in Pennsylvania and Maryland (Chinese, Korean, and Urdu) and disseminated across 20 states over two weeks in the summer of 2021. Out of 466 total responses, 74 surveys were completed in Chinese and 46 in Korean.
CAFE partnered with AAPI family leaders to develop and disseminate the survey. Their intentional outreach included phone calls and emails to faith-based and ethnic organizations and creating social media posts. Community partnership was critical to sharing the survey: CAFE learned the importance of identifying cultural leaders and reaching out to families where they congregate, such as faith-based and cultural community centers, ethnic organizations, and ethnic markets and restaurants.
Recommendations
CAFE produced five key recommendations that address topics and experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islanders and immigrant communities, such as language access, training on discrimination against AAPI students and families, and providing social, emotional, and mental health support for increased harassment and bullying incidents.
When reviewing the information, it is important to remember that the AAPI students are a heterogeneous group with vastly distinct histories and experiences. Additionally, these issues are not confined to the pandemic. Targeting Asian American and Pacific Islander populations in the United States has been a long-standing historical issue. The diversity of AAPI populations and the historical context of what is happening today should compel educators, administrators, and district leaders to be proactive in building lasting and meaningful relationships with your local communities and work toward long-term solutions to support AAPI students and their families.
- Develop culturally responsive support for AAPI students’ social, emotional, and mental wellness
- Build capacity to communicate health and safety protocols effectively to AAPI communities
- Support students’ academic needs
- Train educators on stopping discrimination against AAPI students
- Address educational inequities exacerbated by the pandemic
Recommendation #1: Develop culturally responsive support for AAPI students’ social, emotional, and mental wellness
It is no surprise that nearly two-thirds of all survey participants identified “supporting students’ social, emotional, and mental health” as one of the most important topics for consideration when schools reopened in the fall of 2021. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health issues have skyrocketed for students. For Asian American and Pacific Islander students, the isolation and stress from the pandemic have been heightened by increased anti-AAPI hate crimes and xenophobic rhetoric. The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) identified social, emotional, and mental health support as a priority for all students (U.S. Department of Education, 2021).
FAMILY VOICES
Respondents of the AAPI family survey suggest that teachers must prepare for AAPI students’ increased anxiety upon reentering the classroom, help students adjust to socializing and building relationships, and develop the cultural competency and social-emotional skill sets needed to support AAPI students and promote equity.
ACTION STEPS
As the pandemic becomes a normalized and ongoing condition in schools and communities, educators must be aware of its long-term effects on the emotional, social, and mental wellness of AAPI students. Normalizing the pandemic also includes normalizing the negative ways that the pandemic exacerbates ongoing harmful treatment and views of AAPI communities. Educators must be ready to support students’ mental wellness and dismantle the harmful social conditions AAPI students face.
- Build meaningful and lasting relationships with AAPI students and prioritize taking time to acknowledge that kids are going through a lot.
- Promote inclusive spaces and a school-wide community where AAPI students can openly communicate and reflect on their experiences with racism.
- Partner with student services staff to host locations where AAPI students and families can ask questions, share ideas, and express concerns.
RESOURCES
Supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander Mental Health
A webpage from Vibrant Emotional Health, a nonprofit organization based in New York City, contains mental health resources for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and a list of associations that support AAPI families.
Return to School Roadmap: A Guide for K-12 Schools and Communities for the 2021-2022 School Year
Online resource pages for schools, families, and communities that focuses on supporting students’ social, emotional, and mental health as one of the three landmarks required for student success.
Recommendation #2: Build capacity to communicate health and safety protocols effectively to AAPI communities
Since March 2020, schools and school systems have been responsible for communicating important information related to the pandemic, such as school closures, virtual learning, and health and safety protocols. Survey participants emphasized that school-family communication is more critical than ever: more than half of respondents selected “communicate around school system’s health and safety protocol” as an essential topic. When communicating with families, the need for language access was evident in survey responses. Out of 466 responses, over 25% of respondents completed the survey in a language other than English (74 in Chinese; 46 in Korean).
FAMILY VOICES
Responses from the AAPI Family survey reveal that building lasting and meaningful relationships between schools and AAPI communities is essential for successful communication. Communities recognize disparities in the level of support given to diverse student populations, so educators and school leaders must pay close attention to how resources are disseminated. It is critical that staff provide support based on differentiated needs, and that they include interested parties from the AAPI community in decision-making. Their inclusion, matched with staff support, will enhance rapport, trust, and communication.
ACTION STEPS
Educators should take a holistic approach when communicating with AAPI students and families. Language access, cultural competency, empathy, and social justice tools are essential ingredients for effective information sharing. Meaningful relationship-building with AAPI students, families, and communities helps educators better understand their AAPI students’ experiences and identify tools that meet the unique needs of their students.
- Get to know AAPI families in the school community by using culturally responsive forms of communication and, if applicable, apps like WeChat, Kakao Talk, and WhatsApp. Ask families what works best for them.
- Nurture long-term partnerships and engagement with organizations supporting AAPI families, such as cultural centers, faith-based institutions, and language schools, and disseminate information and resources widely.
- Prepare to meet the needs of AAPI families with limited English proficiency by translating documents and bringing in certified interpreters for virtual and in-person meetings.
RESOURCES
COVID-19 Response Toolkit for School Communicators
With collaboration from Be Clear, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman foundation created a comprehensive set of recommendations and templates around communication with families during COVID-19.
Information for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Parents and Guardians and for Schools and School Districts that Communicate with Them
Developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education, the fact sheet answers common questions about the rights of parents and guardians who do not speak, listen, read, or write English proficiently.
Recommendation #3: Support students’ academic needs
Nearly 25% of survey respondents reported “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their children’s virtual educational experience during the pandemic. Families listed challenges ranging from the difficulty of younger children learning online, a lack of social interactions with teachers and peers that limited language exposure for English learners, and disrupted education during the pandemic. These responses align with state and national reports indicating that fewer students are meeting proficiency standards in English Language Arts and Math due to the learning disruptions during the pandemic.
FAMILY VOICES
AAPI families are concerned about their children’s academic preparation amidst the challenges taking place during the pandemic. Responses from the AAPI Family reveal that families seek long-term plans from schools to address interrupted learning.
ACTION STEPS
Educators can help support AAPI students, families, and caregivers by keeping them engaged and included in the decision-making and community work required to realign learning. Actions and strategies should holistically address this sense of learning loss, considering access, social barriers, and challenges that AAPI students and their families face. This is an excellent opportunity to incorporate successful results and innovations in long-term planning.
- Develop a culturally responsive school improvement plan for increasing student achievement that incorporates evidence-based teaching and family engagement and represents staff perspectives with diverse areas of expertise (e.g., student services, special needs, and ESOL).
- Refer students with academic challenges to tutoring, academic summer programs, and other educational support efforts.
- Apply for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds for states to meet students’ learning needs.
RESOURCES
Best Strategies for Learning Loss Recovery—Hanover Research summarizes the research for added learning time within the structure of existing programs and describes research-based strategies for adapting district-wide programs to support students due to COVID-19 interrupted learning.
Addressing COVID-19 Learning Disruptions: Four Recommendations for Effective Tutoring Interventions—This report offers four recommendations to help leaders interested in exploring evidence-based tutoring interventions to accelerate student learning.
Recommendation #4: Train educators on stopping discrimination against AAPI children
Between April and June 2021, the number of hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders increased by over 2,000 (Stop AAPI Hate, 2021). AAPI families are concerned about their children being bullied and harassed. Nearly half of all respondents from the AAPI Family Survey selected “training educators on discrimination that AAPI children may experience” as an important topic to consider when schools reopen. Many survey respondents added in the open-response section that schools and districts should specifically address the perception that AAPI communities create or carry COVID-19 and mandate training on bullying and anti-racism of AAPI students and families.
FAMILY VOICES
The AAPI Family Survey reveals that families are worried that educators might not be prepared to stop racist actions against students. They recognize that the increase in bullying and hate incidents is part of an ongoing history of racism against AAPI populations. Respondents also expressed concern that the unique experiences and challenges faced by the AAPI community will be lost in any organization-wide actions that address racism.
ACTION STEPS
One important note is that hate crimes and acts against the AAPI community are rooted and have thrived in our nation’s history, laws, systems, and policies. Yet, the urgency to undo systems, practices, and policies unfairly falls on the targeted populations. All members of a school community must work together to stop racism and oppression.
- Learn about diverse local and national histories, experiences with oppression, and cultures of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
- Participate in professional learning opportunities on addressing discrimination against AAPI students, including bystander training and peer training.
- Learn terminology such as bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, intimidation, etc.
- Be prepared to stop bullying and other hate acts against AAPI students by using and sharing resources such as the state and district’s Bullying, Harassment, or Initiation Reporting Form.
- Develop and implement policies to correct misinformation that perpetuates the misconception that Asian Americans should be blamed for COVID-19.
RESOURCES
Responding to COVID Bullying, Bias, and Violence Against Asian Americans— Colorín Colorado’s AAPI resource page for educators and families includes reports, classroom resources, articles, videos, podcasts, and interviews that build educators’ capacity to support AAPI students and families.
Confronting COVID-19-Related Harassment in Schools: A Resource for Families—U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division & U.S. Department of Education, and Office for Civil Rights developed this resource document to identify how families and educators can respond to instances of race- or national origin-based discrimination.
Recommendation #5: Address educational inequities exacerbated by the pandemic
Families who responded to the survey indicated that many of their children with disabilities lacked access to school support. Similarly, respondents shared that English Learners missed social interactions with English-speaking peers and teachers and experienced delayed English language development. Supporting their children was even harder for limited English-speaking parents because of language barriers.
FAMILY VOICES
For many families, the shift to virtual and hybrid learning meant less in-person expert support, fewer social interactions, and more reliance on parent support for student education. This shift had disproportionate impacts on low-income families, children with disabilities, and English Learners. Educational inequities grew as students experienced the school year differently.
ACTION STEPS
Schools need to be able to identify intersectional issues related to ability, identity, the pandemic, and equity and take action to address these factors individually and as a whole. Misunderstanding can lead to enacting the wrong interventions and unintentionally harming students. Immersion and learning about complexities and diversity within AAPI communities will prevent potential stereotyping and harm to students.
- Identify the needs of AAPI families and resources through surveys. Surveys should inquire about access to technology, school supply needs, transportation, language access, preferred methods of communication, meeting availability, and feedback. Make sure the survey is disseminated through culturally responsive modes of communication, considering language.
- Promote safe spaces and inclusive activities for English Learners by leading events such as “Chat and Chew,” where two or three English learners meet and have an informal conversation during lunch or recess.
- Help enroll AAPI students who are English Learners in before- and after-school programs or community programs that can help them learn the social and academic language. Provide transportation as needed.
RESOURCES
Addressing Inequities in Education: Considerations for Asian American Children and Youth in the Era of COVID-19—Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD)’s brief also includes challenges Asian-Americans face with at-home learning, barriers to mental health support, and policy and practice implications for policymakers and educators.
Closing the Learning Gap: How Frontline Educators Want to Address Lost Learning due to COVID-19— This brief from Horace Mann organizes findings from surveyed teachers, expressing their concerns and ideas for closing the learning gap exacerbated by COVID-19.
