MinnCAN's presentation on Asian Pacific American Student Achievement in Minnesota

1. ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN
STUDENTS IN MINNESOTA’S
PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM
August 18, 2014
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2. 2 Background

3. About MinnCAN
¨ Education advocacy non-profit
¨ Launched in 2011
¨ 12,000+ members
¨ Committed to closing academic opportunity and
achievement gaps through research, communications
and advocacy
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4. Native American Student Achievement
¨ Published fall 2013
¨ Equity and asset-based
report completed in
partnership with
Minnesota’s Native
American communities
¨ US Sec. of Ed Arne
Duncan calls report
“bold and courageous”
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5. 5 Academic achievement in context
• Asian American students in Minnesota
compared to peers across the state
• Asian American students in Minnesota
compared to peers across the country

6. Minnesota student demographics
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7. National student demographics
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8. Educational attainment
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9. Associate degree attainment
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10. 3rd-12th grade academic achievement:
Reading
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11. 3rd-12th grade academic achievement:
math
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12. National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP)
¨ “Nation’s Report Card”
¨ 2013 data shows us that for Asian American
students in Minnesota…
¤ The achievement gap is shrinking in 8th-grade math
¤ The achievement gap is widening in 8th-grade reading
¤ 4th-grade math: 29th of 36 states
¤ 4th-grade reading: 32nd of 37 states
¤ 8th-grade math: 28th of 33 states
¤ 8th-grade reading: 28th of 31 states
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13. ACT scores for MN vs. US
Geography
Race/
Ethnicity
English
Score
Math
Score
Reading
Score
Science
Score
Composite
Score
Minnesota
All Students 22.2 23.1 23.1 22.8 23.0
Asian 19.0 22.1 20.3 21.0 20.7
National
Average
All Students 20.2 20.9 21.1 20.7 20.9
Asian 22.5 25.0 22.9 23.1 23.5
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14. Graduation rates by race:
Minnesota vs. the nation
All Students
Minnesota’s failure to address academic opportunity
gaps for students of color means that our statewide
graduation rate is below the national average.
White or Caucasian
Asian/Pacific Islander
Asian/Pacific Islander students are leading the
nation in graduation rates, but are below the
national average in Minnesota.
Hispanic or Latino
Black or African American
American Indian/Alaska Native
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15. 15 Charter schools
Minnesota charter schools serving a high
percentage of AAPI students

16. Charter school environment
¨ Large number of charter schools serving Hmong
population
¨ Why?
¤ Home language spoken by staff
¤ Culturally-relevant teaching and school environment
¤ Safe and supportive schools + character development
¨ Impact on student achievement
¤ With a few exceptions, schools are performing well-below
state averages for academic achievement
¤ Several schools have been in lowest quartile for
proficiency and growth for more than three years
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17. 17 School profile
Closing the “belief gap” at Community of Peace
Academy in St. Paul, MN

18. Overview and demographics
¨ Located on the east side of St. Paul
¨ 800 kids, PreK-12th grade public charter school
¤ 90% students of color
¤ 85% free/reduced lunch
¤ 50% Asian American
¤ 17% special education
¤ 13% English learner
¨ In 2012, Asian American students performed close
to the state averages for all students in reading and
math
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19. Strategies for success
¨ Emphasis on data, data, data
¨ STEP: Strategic Teaching & Evaluation Process
¤ Developmental literacy assessment for grades preK–3.
¤ Tools to monitor progress that are aligned with scientifically
established milestones in reading development
¤ Partner with U of Chicago’s Urban Education Institute
¨ Data informs instruction: “You’re not waiting until mid- or end-of-
year to see where you students are at. Teachers get very
excited about the data.”
¨ Focus on character development and academic achievement
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20. Policy/practitioner recommendations
¨ Emphasis on cultural competency, classroom
management and methods (rather than theory)
during teacher prep
¨ Student engagement rather than punishment—
revamped discipline policy keeps kids in class
¨ Students, parents and teachers responsible for
student achievement
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21. 21 Legislative and policy context
• Updates
• Concerns
• Recommendations

22. 2014 Legislative Sessions: Update on
Education Legislation
¨ MN passed the Learning for Academic Proficiency
and Success Act (LEAPS)
¤ Multilingualism as an asset
¤ Provides additional support for Minnesota’s English
Language Learners through:
n Preparing educators to effectively teach English Language
Learners
n Teach content (math, literacy, science) in student’s home
language
n Special “seal” on Minnesota High School diploma for
proficiency in more than one language
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23. Concerns & policy recs
¨ Maintain high state standards
¤ Allow time for standards to settle—stop “moving the
goal posts” and changing testing requirements
¤ Do not eliminate state standardized testing
¨ Address lack of diversity amongst teachers and
administrators
¤ Increase diversity in the Department of Education
¤ Maintain teacher prep quality: don’t lower the bar for
entry into the profession
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24. Policy recommendations, cont.
¨ Close the disparity in access to information
¤ Provide data broken down by ethnicity, socioeconomic
indicators, and generation status
¨ Address lack of accountability and oversight for
charter schools
¤ Reward excellence
¤ More accountability for persistently underperforming
schools
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25. Thank you
¨ Mee Moua and her team, AAAJ-AAJC
¨ Sia Her and her team, Council on Asian Pacific
Minnesotans (CAPM)
¨ Steve Huser, MN Department of Education
¨ Dr. Heidi Barajas, U of MN Urban Research and
Outreach-Engagement Center
¨ Community of Peace Academy
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26. Contact information
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¨ Daniel Sellers, Executive Director, MinnCAN
¤ www.minncan.org
¤ daniel.sellers@minncan.org
¤ @dsellers22
¤ @MinnCAN