AAPIP Voices

The Power of Nuanced Data

Report Cover: iCount: A Data Quality Movement for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Higher Education (2013)

By Peggy Saika, AAPIP Executive Director

“Simply put, the aggregation of AAPI sub-groups into a single data category is a significant civil rights issue for the AAPI community that has yet to be resolved.” 
– Professor Robert Teranishi, New York University (NYU), Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE).

This quote set the context for a pioneering report “iCount: A Data Quality Movement for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Higher Education.” The report reveals how inadequate data conceals significant disparities in educational experiences and outcomes for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Additionally, the report highlights how AAPIs are organizing for systemic reform. 

Together with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI), AAPIP is leading a Public Private Partnership planning effort to transform funding to the AAPI community at the national level by aligning public and private priorities, and mapping private capital to public resources and assets. Education is one of the six issues identified as a community priority and will be part of a multipronged action plan. Stay tuned.