About the APA Education Forum

 
        The Asian and Pacific American communities are the fastest growing population across all ethnic groups in the U.S. Because of misinformation and misassumptions, many student groups within this population are underserved and underrepresented in national educational issues.  As we approach to the upcoming Census 2000, it has become necessary to re-examine the current educational services to the Asian and Pacific American (APA) communities across the nation.

        On October 2-4, 1998 three leading educational organizations collaborated to host a National Forum on APA Education.  The Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs (OMBELA), the National Association for Asian and Pacific American Education (NAAPAE), and the National Association For the Advancement and Education of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans (NAFEA) took the leadership in hosting this unique and empowering event that brought together educational and community leaders from the diverse Asian Pacific American populations across the United States.  Critical issues regarding the educational needs of APA students were presented and discussed by researchers, teacher educators, educational policy makers as well as field practitioners e.g. school administrators, teachers, community-based educators.  The six focus areas of the forum were:

1. Resources and Funding
2. Professional Development (pre-service, in-service, administration, teacher education)
3. Curriculum Development and Assessment
4. Home-School-Community Partnership
5. Leadership Training and Policy Advocacy
6. Research Agenda

Valuable information, suggestions and recommendation were generated throughout the three-day forum.  Proceedings from the forum have been edited and revised for publication and dissemination to impact and inform educational policy decision making relating to APA education.  Participants were enthused and committed to maintain the dialogues started at this national forum.  This web site has been created through the Pacific Southwest Regional Technology Consortium (PSR*TEC) to support this significant endeavor.  This web site is designed to disseminate the information generated at the forum; to network with other national organizations working for and with APA student populations; and to provide all committed and interested educators an online forum to continue to dialogue and advocate for APA educational equity and access.  This web site also identifies and links existing technology projects that support the development of biliteracy in the Asian languages.
 

| Home |