Sacramento School District Releases Disaggregated Graduation Rates for Asian American and Pacific Islander Students
For Immediate Release - September 22, 2017
Contact: Nancy Xiong, HIP Organizer, 916-382-0177
Sacramento School District Releases Disaggregated Graduation Rates for Asian American and Pacific Islander Students
SACRAMENTO, CA -- On Wednesday, during its inaugural Graduation Task Force meeting, Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) shared graduation data that included smaller Asian American and Pacific Islander ethnic subgroups previously categorized in the larger “Asian” racial category or “Other Asian” subgroup. This is the first time SCUSD has ever released disaggregated graduation data for the AAPI student population--helping policy makers, parents and community members understand the tremendous diversity within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
“This new data, in addition to giving us an understanding of our own community, helps us identify shared challenges students of color face particularly as we work in solidarity towards greater educational equity.”
As Hmong Innovating Politics Executive Director Cha Vang described, “this important development was made possible by the leadership of Board Trustee Mai Vang who spearheaded the effort and new Superintendent Jorge Aguilar, who immediately upon becoming superintendent, mobilized District staff to share this information. Cha, a member of SCUSD’s Graduation Taskforce added, “for years, our communities have been in the dark--unable to track the progress and the challenges Mien, Lao, Khmer and Hmong students face. This new data, in addition to giving us an understanding of our own community, helps us identify shared challenges students of color face particularly as we work in solidarity towards greater educational equity.”
The disaggregated graduation data also sets a new precedence for SCUSD as the Superintendent and District staff have expressed a commitment to continue disaggregating AAPI data to help community members better understand other indicators of student achievement and campus climate. Board Trustee Mai Vang stated, “I am incredibly proud that Sacramento City Unified took this important step of making sure communities are accurately reflected in our data. In particular, i am thankful for Superintendent Aguilar and District staff for their leadership and commitment to helping us better understand how students, who were previously invisible, are performing. This first step gives us a tremendous opportunity to dive deeper and identify barriers and opportunities to improve student success at local and school site level."
HIP is committed to working with community partners and our allies in the on-going work to improve access to education for all student and in particular, reducing disparities among low-income, English-learners and communities of color.
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