Washington DC: Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Senator Mazie K Hirono have introduced the All Students Count Act, legislation that would require more comprehensive and equitable disaggregation of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) student data in K-12 schools.
“As someone who came to this country alone at 16 with nothing in my pockets, I deeply understand the unique challenges in the US education system that immigrant communities face. Our students deserve visibility at all levels. By ensuring that student data collections capture the diverse experiences of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander children, we can work to close the education gap in our communities,” said Representative Jayapal.
School districts, state education agencies, and the federal government have made significant progress in disaggregating and improving data on K-12 student achievement for major racial and ethnic groups, including “Asian” and “Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.”
However, these two categories condense dozens of distinct ethnic groups, each with unique histories and varying access to social and economic opportunities, making it difficult to identify or address disparities between students from those unique ethnic subgroups, according to a statement from Jayapal's office.
The All Students Count Act of 2026 would support equitable access to education by ensuring that student data collections capture the diverse experiences of AANHPI children.
Specifically, the bill would require the US Department of Education, state education agencies, and school districts to collect and report disaggregated data for a minimum of 15 Asian American and 6 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander subgroups.
It will also add an effective date of 18 months after the legislation has been enacted to give states and school districts time to make changes to their data collection and methodology.
