A recent Capital Times article, headlined “Asian students want their culture represented in Wisconsin classrooms,” quotes UW–Madison School of Education student Tony DelaRosa.
The article asks multiple Wisconsin area students in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community about their experiences learning (or not learning) about their culture in educational settings.
DelaRosa, who is pursuing a PhD in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, “has tracked AAPI teaching requirements in states around the country for an informational brief to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction on the subject,” notes the report.
According to DelaRosa’s research, eight states have adopted Asian American or ethnic studies requirements for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 schools. Another 14, including Wisconsin, have AAPI coalitions advocating for passage of a policy.
DelaRosa then comments on possible upcoming changes in Wisconsin legislation that would aim to increase teaching of AAPI history in the state. According to the article, Delarosa says that it will take robust community and administrative work to help guide districts and teachers, though there also needs to be flexibility for local communities to highlight the history in a way that’s most relevant to them and their students.
He tells the Capital Times: “Let’s not rush it … and then let’s take some time to just sit down with the community and ask them, ‘What do you think is needed? What is out there already available to us?’ ”
To learn more, check out the full report in the Capital Times.