STORIES OF EDUCATIONAL WAYFINDING: Supporting the Educational Voyages of Native Hawaiian and Pacific

STORIES OF EDUCATIONAL WAYFINDING: Supporting the Educational Voyages of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Students

LEAD AUTHORS Max A. Halvorson, PhD Santino G. Camacho, PhD Candidate, MPH

CO-AUTHORS Koa Beck, MSW Tressa Diaz, PhD Buddy Kalanikumupaʻa Seto-Myers Jenn Nguyễn, PhD Candidate, MA, M.Ed. Jane J. Lee, PhD, MSW Zewei (Victor) Tian, M.Ed. Alyssa Ledesma, MSW, LSWAIC

SENIOR AUTHORS Min Sun, PhD Michael Spencer, PhD The following core contributors assisted in data collection, cleaning, coding, and copy-editing reports: Dani Canaleta, Marcus Conde, Tasi Jones, Whitney Lane, and Mikyla Sakurai.

COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD Our Community Advisory Board, consisting of Sui-lan Hoʻokano, Kiana McKenna, Inez Olive, Sili Savusa, and Adrianna Suluai, provided critical input to the design, execution, and interpretation of the studies, and reflected and represented the views of their communities in these roles.

We also acknowledge the Community Advisory Board for our sister study on Asian and Asian American youth – Jen Chong Jewell, Erin Okuno, Ay Saechao, and Frieda Takamura – for their involvement in the overall conception and design of the study.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is with a sense of responsibility and a spirit of serving communities that we present our report on educational opportunities among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NH/PI) students in Washington’s K-12 schools.

These reports will provide the Committee on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA) and the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC) with quantitative and qualitative data, along with community-driven recommendations, needed to inform policies and strategies to close educational opportunity gaps for NH/PI students. This work represents a collaborative effort on several levels. A research team consisting of researchers from the NH/PI and As/ AsAm communities was assembled across the University of Washington's School of Social Work and College of Education. Our research team combined a wide range of expertise and resources to develop two distinct reports.

Although study resources were shared, we have taken care to represent the unique needs and stories of each set of communities.

We appreciate the work of Leah Forester and UW School of Social Work Marketing and Communications on the graphic design and

MAX HALVORSON

layout of this report.

We are grateful to CAPAA and EOGOAC in driving this important work forward and prioritizing an update to the initial in-depth study completed by Drs. David Takeuchi & Shirley Hune in 2008. We also hope this report might serve as a resource for communities to use to build on community strengths and address community needs.

We thank the Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI), the Education Research and Data Center (ERDC), and the Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) for sharing important quantitative data on indicators of student performance and wellness, and for their in-depth consultation and research collaboration. These institutions and teams have done extensive and thoughtful work in data disaggregation, allowing for a deeper understanding of the NH/PI community than was previously possible.

Finally, we deeply appreciate the students, educators, administrators, and community advisory board members who participated in our research directly. Our communities shared their personal challenges and triumphs, as well as hopes and dreams for the education of NH/PI youth in Washington.

SANTINO CAMACHO

TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .....................................................5 RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................11 1. An Introduction to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Youth: Growing, Diverse, and Interconnected ............................................................13 2. Inclusion of NH/PI Data to Drive Equitable Policy ...........................................................30 3. K-12 Academic Achievement: Advancing Academic Equity .........................................................35 4. Finding Success beyond High School: Postsecondary Achievement for NH/PI Youth .......39 5. Building Belonging and Wellbeing through Connection and Representation ..............................44 6. Infusing NH/PI Cultures and Histories into K12 Education ..............................................................59 7. Uplifting Educator Representation and Developing Cultural Humility ....................................67 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS .....................75 INDEX ................................................................................80 REFERENCES ....................................................................81

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AN INTRODUCTION TO NH/PI YOUTH: GROWING, DIVERSE, AND INTERCONNECTED Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NH/PI) youth and families are full and engaged participants in their learning communities.

NH/PI persevere in the face of social and economic challenges, historical underrepresentation in the educator workforce and the school curriculum, and stereotypes about their personalities and academic skills. In recent years, strides have been made in NH/PI representation and equity in education data systems, including disaggregation of NH/PI data in federal and state systems from the antiquated “Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI)” category. Though there is an increasing awareness of NH/PI communities as a distinct group from Asians and Asian Americans with specific cultures, educational experiences, and learning, NH/PI continue to experience challenges in their education and wellbeing.

The NH/PI population is the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in Washington state, with 114,189 total residents as of the 2020 census, compared to 27,654 as reported in the 2008 Education Disparities Report. When considering the welfare of NH/PI students nationally, Washington is one of the most important states to consider, as Washington ranks in the top 5 by population share for Native Hawaiians, Sāmoans, Tongans, Chamorros, Marshallese, and Fijians. Due to differing histories of settler colonialism and Pacific nations’ political relationships with the US government, citizenship within NH/PI communities varies

greatly depending on the island(s) families are from. Citizenship status can impact access to economic benefits and healthcare in the US, which have direct impacts on the educational experiences of youth. Moreover, the challenges of navigating multiple cultures and political statuses are compounded by significant socioeconomic challenges, as over one-third of NH/PI families experience food insecurity.

NH/PI youth are also diverse, with NH/PI in Washington being indigenous to many different nations, states, and territories across Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. In addition, 43% of NH/PI individuals in Washington identify as multiracial and an estimated 14% of NH/PI youth in OSPI schools identify as Queer or Transgender Pacific Islanders (QTPI). Rather than ignoring this diversity, we highlight it as a strength of the NH/PI community and acknowledge the complex ways in which NH/PI youth navigate systemic oppression within the education system.

In the current report, we sought not only to assess the current state of NH/PI educational achievement in Washington state as of 2025, but also to uplift the voices of students, educators, and community members in shaping recommendations to close achievement gaps and advance OSPI’s mission to serve all students.

THE CURRENT UPDATE: DATA SOURCES AND METHODOLOGY Using a mixed-methods approach, we collected both quantitative data and qualitative data to examine education disparities among NH/PI

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CONT. youth and to develop community-informed recommendations. Quantitative data included formal metrics such as grades, graduation rates, and standardized testing scores provided by the Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI), as well as measures of student wellbeing from the Washington Healthy Youth Survey administered to a representative sample of students statewide.

Qualitative data were gathered through focus groups and interviews with students, educators, and administrators who shared their perspectives on the needs and challenges of NH/PI youth.

To ensure that recommendations were grounded in community expertise, we convened a Community Advisory Board (CAB) composed of leaders in the Washington NH/PI community to help interpret findings and shape recommendations.

In our quantitative analysis, we intentionally disaggregated NH/PI data from Asian/Asian American (As/AsAm) data, and when possible, we examined data on specific NH/PI communities (e.g., Yapese, Chamorro). For qualitative data, we prioritized representation across diverse Pasifika backgrounds and regions within the state.

NH/PI ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT CONTINUES TO LAG BEHIND PEERS Notwithstanding rich histories and ways of knowing among NH/PI communities, K-12 academic achievement data reveal persistent

and concerning disparities in educational outcomes for NH/PI youth that have not improved since the 2008 report. Whereas data on standardized test scores appear to reflect widening disparities across the intervening years, graduation data may provide some evidence of progress. Disaggregated data reflect variability in academic outcomes, with challenges for non-Chamorro Micronesian youth and relatively fewer challenges for Native Hawaiian and Chamorro youth.

These disparities start early – only 1 in 3 NH/PI youth enter kindergarten with the skills needed for a smooth transition. They persist through K-12 education – between 2010 and 2024, approximately 3 in 4 NH/PI students (73%) enrolled in OSPI high schools graduated within 4 years, as compared to 79% of all students.

And when considering postsecondary outcomes, NH/PI youth were less likely than most other racial and ethnic groups to complete a 2-year degree (14%) or 4-year degree (21%) in the years following high school graduation. Among those who did complete these programs, however, wages were comparable to members of other racial and ethnic groups during the first few years in the workforce.

In interviews conducted for this 2025 study update, educators acknowledged (and at times perpetuated) the pervasive stereotypes and lack of representation that students often work against: “I hope that they can see it within themselves and getting out of that categorized mindset that just because you're a Poly boy doesn't mean you have to play football. Just because you're a Poly girl doesn't mean you have to play volleyball. Get into another career path. You don't have to fall under the

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CONT. categories of what society tells you are…go be a frickin’ scientist.” While educators expressed hope for their students’ long-term success, they noted that there needed to be “more creative, more flexible ways that students can earn a diploma” because academic standards do not always align with to students’ goals or interests.

BUILDING STUDENTS’ SENSE OF BELONGING & WELLBEING THROUGH CONNECTION & REPRESENTATION Pasifika cultures share a holistic sense of wellbeing that values relationships with family members, ancestors, community members, land, oceans, and skies. This worldview can conflict with the American education system, leading to disidentification and disconnection.

Students and educators drew a parallel between a lack of wellbeing and a feeling of disconnection to the school environment. One educator shared “they're not reflected in the curriculum at all. Or celebrated in their buildings for who they are...” A student shared, poignantly: “It just brings me back to my cousin's school. He goes to Utah, and…it's one of the most populated state of Tongans…they had the Tongan mat on the wall decoration 'cause there's that many Tongans and just seeing that…almost made me cry…I wish I had that.”

NH/PI students in Washington experience significant challenges to their wellbeing, contrary to stereotypical beliefs that NH/PI youth are carefree. Statewide, NH/PI youth exhibited the highest rate of depression symptoms of all major racial and ethnic groups, with 2 in 5 (40%) reporting a period of feeling

depressed in the past year. Chamorro (53%), Marshallese (42%), Native Hawaiian (39%), and other combined NH/PI (Chuukese, Kosraean, Palauan, Yapese; 45%) youth were especially prone to depressive symptoms. Anxiety problems were also common among NH/PI youth, with more than 1 in 3 (34%) NH/PI youth reporting at least mild anxiety. Perhaps most alarmingly, nearly 1 in 5 (19%) NH/PI youth report having thoughts of suicide at least once in the past year. QTPI students, particularly Transgender QTPI students, had greater disparities in mental health outcomes compared to straight and cisgender NH/PI students where more than 1 in 3 (35%) of QTPI and 2 in 3 Transgender QTPI (67%) reporting having thoughts of suicide at least once in the past year.

INFUSING NH/PI CULTURES AND HISTORIES INTO K-12 EDUCATION A consistent and emphatic theme shared by our NH/PI student and educator interviewees, as well as by our Community Advisory Board, was the importance of bringing Pasifika culture and history into the educational environment to build student belonging, engagement, and investment in their school communities. During our interviews, students and educators shared how NH/PI students had challenges connecting with their classes because they did not see much of their Indigenous cultures and histories represented in the standard curriculum. As one student shared, “You want to feel included and represented. We mostly hear about bad events, but I also want to learn how we came together as people – how we survived and thrived.”

Despite these challenges, schools can build

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CONT. connection with NH/PI students and communities by honoring Pasifika identities and allowing these identities to be celebrated in the school setting.

These programs teach Siva Sāmoa (traditional Sāmoan dance) and other cultural practices through their Nuanua knowledge corner.

Fortunately, NH/PI communities have worked together to create outstanding models for integrating community and culture into schools.

Creating institutional support through formal partnerships and acknowledging staff who go above and beyond can advance OSPI’s mission of increasing student belonging and, in turn, educational outcomes.

In Eastern Washington, Marshallese community members implemented a culture and language elective course that allowed students to engage academically with topics around their Marshallese genealogical practices, family, storytelling, language, and culture.

For example, the United Territories of Pacific Islanders Association of Washington (UTOPIA WA) partners with King County and Pierce County schools to engage youth in programs that cultivate leadership, safety, and cultural identity among QTPI, QTBIPOC, and NH/PI youth.

Finally, in the Enumclaw school district, an immersive educational experience based on Pacific Northwest Tribal Canoe Journeys emerged as a key program to increase engagement and graduation rates among Native youth. The potential for NH/PI youth to benefit from similar programs, given shared culture as seafaring Indigenous peoples, is high.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CONT. CONFLICTING SCHOOL AND FAMILIAL RESPONSIBILITIES Having to choose between family, culture, and school is an impossible decision to make for NH/PI students in the Washington K-12 education system. Death, funerals, and grief are sacred moments in the lives of NH/PI peoples. Across Oceania there are distinct practices and ceremonies that are held to commemorate the life of a loved one and grieve their passing. These ceremonies can last anywhere from 1 week to 1 month. To our knowledge, there are currently no formal policies in Washington’s K-12 education system that address student needs for extended bereavement, including accommodations for the length of time needed for cultural bereavement ceremonies. Creating an education system that cares for these cultural needs and celebrates NH/PI students is likely to have profound effects on their academic achievement.

UPLIFTING EDUCATOR REPRESENTATION AND DEVELOPING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE EDUCATORS

When NH/PI students worked with NH/PI educators, paraeducators, and non-NH/PI teachers who had culturally responsive pedagogical practices, both students and educators noted the support, safety, and trust that these educators provided. NH/PI educators are severely underrepresented in identified as NH/PI (US Bureau of Labor

Statistics). In Washington’s OSPI schools, these numbers are higher, but NH/PI students still struggle to see themselves represented in the educator workforce. Across districts, the percentage of teachers who identify as NH/PI ranges from 0.0% to 2.6%.

As one NH/PI paraeducator shared, “I think having teachers that represent our students is really important…students need to see that there are people who look like them, who understand their culture and are in places… where they can look up to, or people they can look up to...it does make a difference when there are teachers who truly represent their students”. Having positive role models can help to counter harmful stereotypes experienced by NH/PI youth that can label them as unintelligent, aggressive, lazy, and/or exotic.

Increasing NH/PI representation in schools also help call attention to these damaging beliefs.

DISABILITIES & ACCOMMODATIONS FOR NH/PI YOUTH

During the 2023-24 school year, the number one request from parents to the Washington State Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds (OEO) was for assistance related to special education, inclusion, and equitable access. NH/PI families were no different, with the highest proportion (60%) of requests to OEO involving special education. NH/PI students with disabilities face unique discrimination in special education spaces when these intersections interweave with NH/ PI stereotypes that create perceptions of NH/PI students as aggressive and disruptive. One

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CONT. teacher even noted that NH/PI boys are sometimes put in special education classes when there isn't evidence to support that change because the threshold for "misbehavior" is lower for NH/PI boys. In addition, stigma remains within NH/PI cultures and other communities of color. Continued recognition, education, and endorsement of a strengthsbased perspective when working with families, can address these challenges. In addition, highquality language navigation services are critical for discussing these complex topics.

ROOTING LEARNING IN EDUCATIONAL DREAMS NH/PI students dream of futures filled with growth, achievement, and the ability to uplift their families and communities. One student expressed, “For me, it's…my older sister. She just recently graduated college, and she's also going towards the medical field...If I can dream it, then I can do it.” Some students dreams were also tied to wanting greater representation in their education: “I’ve been wanting to be a teacher…I’ve never seen a Marshallese teacher…

It influences me because like I could start something." These dreams also encompass certain non-negotiables in caring for family and community, as captured by a student: “You know, the Fa’a Sāmoa way. Take care of your own. Take care of your grandmother, you know they brought you here, so help them…Help them where they are.”

goal. But it's the other things that feel important…how are you in community with each other and with yourself, and what are the things you need to learn in order to do that?

And what are the ways in which we need to think about our planet and like non-human parts of like how we interact with the world? I wonder if we were in a place, that with more of the aligned values…how our Pacific Islander students and families would show up differently, and what success would look like.”

These educational dreams challenge us to reflect on whether our systems align with the values that we claim to hold: growth, achievement, family, and community. Within many NH/PI worldviews, right relationships with family, community, the natural environment, and ancestors are critical for wellbeing and, in turn, educational success. The following pages offer policy and program recommendations informed by students, educators, data, and community input, to transform Washington’s K12 education system to better support these dreams.

NH/PI educators all shared dreams of generating an education system that centered Pasifika Indigenous cultural values: “Working harder to make more money is not the end

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RECOMMENDATIONS 1. BOLSTER LANGUAGE SERVICES FOR NH/PI FAMILIES. Effective language navigation services in NH/PI languages (e.g., Marshallese) are essential for family engagement and educational support. Schools and districts should use administrative data and engage communities to identify language needs and share resources across districts, especially for less commonly spoken languages.

2. DISAGGREGATE NH/PI FROM AS/ASAM DATA IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES AND DISAGGREGATE NH/PI DATA TO THE ETHNIC GROUP LEVEL WHEN POSSIBLE. Aggregating data can obscure inequities. Educational data on NH/PI should be disaggregated by ethnic group (e.g., Tongan, Yapese, Kosraean) whenever possible. OSPI and ERDC should offer training and guidance on disaggregation practices for educators and administrators.

If small group data must be suppressed or combined, name the communities represented and consider qualitative approaches or partnerships with community-serving organizations to understand community needs​and priorities.

“Double count” multiracial youth in educational data so they remain visible in community-specific data, and continue to develop guidance, with community input, for representing the growing number of multiracial youth in the statewide discourse on achievement and opportunity gaps.

3. PROMOTE CULTURAL HUMILITY FOR ALL EDUCATORS AND NH/PI HISTORICAL AWARENESS All educators should receive training on NH/PI history, values, and relational wellbeing and reciprocity for Indigenous and NH/PI students. Incorporating frameworks such as Indigenous Connectedness can strengthen student bonds to school. Minimally, educators should meet the Professional Educator Standards Board's (PESB's) Cultural Competency, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CCDEI) standards. Pre-service and in-service training for educators and administrators should heighten awareness of NH/PI students’ high rates of mental health challenges.

4. INVEST IN AND SUPPORT THE MENTAL HEALTH WORKFORCE AND NH/PI STAFF Expand investments in school mental health, with attention to hiring, training, and retaining NH/PI professionals.

NH/PI educators and paraprofessionals often serve as informal counselors and should be supported and compensated for this work. Offer financial and professional development pathways, especially for paraeducators without 4-year degrees.

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5. EMBED NH/PI CULTURE INTO SCHOOLS AND CLASSROOMS. Support initiatives that bring NH/PI culture into schools, including credit-bearing activities through Mastery-Based Learning. Ethnic studies courses should include NH/PI histories, aligning with Washington State’s ethnic studies graduation requirement.

6. INCREASE NH/PI REPRESENTATION IN THE EDUCATOR WORKFORCE. NH/PI teachers are the most underrepresented of all teachers. Invest in recruiting, training, and retaining NH/PI educators. Opportunities supported by the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) and Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) should be highlighted in particular: Recruiting Washington Teachers, Bilingual Educators Initiative, Paraeducator Certificate Programs, and Apprenticeship Programs. Cultural competence training should not rely on the “AAPI” umbrella term, but address the distinct experiences of NH/PI communities. Consistent with HB1541 (the Nothing About Us Without Us act), partner with and compensate NH/PI community organizations to develop these educational opportunities.

7. APPROACH DISABILITY AND ACCOMMODATIONS WITH CULTURAL AND STRENGTHS-BASED PERSPECTIVES When assessing disability and crafting individualized education plans, professionals should work against biases that may lead to overdiagnosis of behavioral problems and underdiagnosis of learning challenges. Embrace strengths-based approaches and address stigma within communities of color.

School psychologists and service providers should use self-assessment tools to reflect on their practices.

Recognize cultural obligations (e.g., bereavement practices) and provide flexible accommodations so students and families are not forced to choose between school and family.

8. SUPPORT AND AFFIRM QUEER AND TRANSGENDER PACIFIC ISLANDER (QTPI) YOUTH In line with OSPI’s commitment to LGBTQIA+ students, interweave QTPI narratives into the development of NH/PI studies curriculum, cultural programs, and educator training. Collaborate with QTPI community groups to expand and improve data gender and sexual orientation data categories and ensure culturally specific identities are acknowledged. Provide school districts with communitydriven resources and training.

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1

AN INTRODUCTION TO NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER YOUTH: GROWING, DIVERSE, AND INTERCONNECTED

NH/PI: THE FASTEST-GROWING RACIAL OR ETHNIC GROUP IN WASHINGTON

share for nearly all the largest NH/PI communities, including Native Hawaiian, Sāmoan, Tongan, Chamorro, Marshallese, and Fijian. Moreover, NH/PI in Washington comprise a share of the population that is three times as high as the NH/PI share of the total US population (1.5% vs. 0.5%) and ranks #3 (after Hawai‘i and California) in the total number of NH/PI residents. Sāmoans are the largest NH/PI group in Washington (31% of total NH/PI population), followed by Chamorros (23%) and Native Hawaiians (13%).

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NH/PI) students are among the fastest-growing student groups in Washington. From 2010 to 2020, NH/PI were the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in Washington, rising 62.4% to 114,189 total NH/PI residents in 2020 (see Table 01). This demographic is over 4 times larger than the population count (27,564) in the prior iteration of this report completed in 2008.

We use the abbreviation NH/PI informed by our partners at the Pacific Islander Community Association of Washington (PICAWashington) in part to distinguish Native Hawaiians, who have a Trust Relationship

When considering the welfare of NH/PI students nationally, Washington is one of the most important states to consider, as Washington ranks in the top 5 by population

TABLE 01: US AND WASHINGTON NH/PI POPULATION AND GROWTH, 2010 TO 2020 United States

Washington

N

%

% Growth 2010-2020

N

%

% Growth 2010-2020

NH/PI alone or in combination

1,586,463

0.50%

29.50%

114,189

1.50%

62.40%

NH/PI alone

689,966

0.20%

27.80%

64,933

0.80%

60.40%

NH/PI in combination

896,497

0.30%

30.80%

49,256

0.60%

65.00%

7.40%

7,705,281

Total

331,449,281

14.60%

DATA SOURCE: AAPIDATA DASHBOARD AND US CENSUS

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with the US government, from other Pacific peoples. NH/PI are Indigenous to islands in the Pacific Ocean and descend from people who have cared for their lands, oceans, and skies for centuries before European exploration and continue to do so.1 Within Washington state, the majority (55.1%) of NH/PI residents live in either King or Pierce counties, with roughly equal numbers in each (33,519 in King, 29,358 in Pierce). King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties had the largest number of NH/PI residents in both 2020 and 2003 census data. Clark, Spokane, Thurston, and Kitsap counties also have sizable NH/PI populations as of 2020 data,

with over 5,000 residents in each (see Table 02). NH/PI students of Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction schools are mostly concentrated in southern King County (Federal Way, Auburn, Kent, Highline), Pierce County (Bethel, Tacoma, Clover Park, Puyallup), and Clark County (Evergreen, Vancouver) areas.

In the remainder of Section 1, we present the history and context needed to understand how families experience Washington’s K-12 public education system with respect to culture, history, and socioeconomic circumstances of NH/PI families.

TABLE 02: WA COUNTIES RANKED BY TOTAL NH/PI POPULATION County

2020 Rank

2020 Total

% in 2020

2003 Rank

2003 Total

% in 2003

King

1

33,519

29.4

1

10,055

36.9

Pierce

2

29,358

25.7

2

6,504

23.9

Snohomish

3

10,431

9.1

3

2,161

7.9

Clark

4

8,667

7.6

5

1,475

5.4

Spokane

5

6,834

6

7

754

2.7

Thurston

6

6,078

5.3

6

1,241

4.6

Kitsap

7

5,972

5.2

4

1,920

7.1

Whatcom

8

1,823

1.6

10

278

1

Benton

9

1,242

1.1

DATA SOURCE: 2003 & 2020 US CENSUS DATA

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TABLE 03: K-12 NH/PI ENROLLMENT BY DISTRICT. MISSING VALUES INDICATE DATA NOT AVAILABLE IN 2008

School District

Enrolled NH/PI Students 2024

Enrolled NH/PI Students 2008

Federal Way

1322

577

Bethel

1212

Tacoma

1055

Auburn

1013

Kent

872

582

Evergreen (Clark)

757

269

Vancouver

752

270

Clover Park

738

408

Puyallup

715

259

Spokane

705

Highline

625

North Thurston

488

Franklin Pierce

474

415

Everett

346

168

Fife

297

104

Mukilteo

283

150

Seattle

266

424

NOTE: MISSING VALUES INDICATE DATA NOT AVAILABLE IN 2008. DATA SOURCE: OSPI.

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TABLE 03: K-12 NH/PI ENROLLMENT BY DISTRICT. MISSING VALUES INDICATE DATA NOT AVAILABLE IN 2008

School District

Enrolled NH/PI Students 2024

Enrolled NH/PI Students 2008

Central Valley

238

Cheney

222

Renton

195

Central Kitsap

193

414

Edmonds

180

109

Mead

173

South Kitsap

169

Kelso

120

Tukwila

108

Yelm

106

Marysville

104

102

NOTE: MISSING VALUES INDICATE DATA NOT AVAILABLE IN 2008. DATA SOURCE: OSPI.

COLONIZATION AND HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATIONAL DISPARITIES NH/PI families and youth live, thrive, and pursue their dreams in the context of diverse colonial histories, as they hold ancestry from Pacific Island nations with distinct (but often interrelated) languages, cultures, and political histories. Citizenship status within NH/PI communities varies depending on the islands that families come from and has

unique impacts on access to social safety net provisions and public economic and healthcare benefits in the US – factors that directly shape the educational experiences of youth.2–9 Our community partners in this work also stressed the importance of factoring NH/PI communities’ Indigeneity in understanding their academic success. Table 04 demonstrates the expansiveness of Oceania and the respective islands, cultures, nations, and communities to which NH/PI communities draw genealogical connections. Within the US, Native Hawaiians, Chamorros and Carolinians

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from Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Sāmoans are Indigenous to lands within the national boundaries of the US. The Kingdom of Hawai‘i was annexed by the US in 1893. Due to Hawai‘i’s eventual conversion to a US state in 1959, Native Hawaiians are full US citizens and have full access to social, civil, and constitutional rights such as education, healthcare, voting representation in congress, and voting for the US president.10–12 Native Hawaiians also have a formal trust relationship with the U.S. government that is similar to American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) but lacks a federally recognized governing body.

Sāmoans born in American Sāmoa and Chamorros born in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) are Indigenous to the US but have no formal treaties with the US government. American Sāmoans hold US National citizenship status, meaning they cannot obtain certain jobs requiring security clearance, nor have full legal voting rights unless they become naturalized citizens.10,13,14 Residents of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are US citizens.6,15 However, those living in Guam and the CNMI cannot participate in US presidential elections, do not have voting representatives in congress, nor do they have US Senators.6 Though not Indigenous to the US, many of

these Pacific communities were subject to Western imperialism in the Pacific that began with Ferdinand Magellan’s landing on the island of Guåhan (Guam) in 1521 including the Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French, and Germans, and similarly are impacted by the colonial impacts of these settler colonial entities.

Pacific Islanders who are Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Kosraean, Yapese, Marshallese, and Palauan are Indigenous to islands that were once governed by the US as Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands from 1947 to 1994 after World War II.9,16 These Pacific Islanders are now citizens of independent Pacific Island nations – the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau – and have non-immigrant status under the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) of 1986 and 1989 that their nations hold with the US federal government (see Table 01). Although COFA is meant to provide access to welfare, healthcare, and other benefits their status as non-immigrants is challenged by state structures such as welfare benefit applications.4,9,16 For example, partial citizenship status has historically created challenges for COFA Islanders by limiting access to welfare resources like Medicaid and unemployment insurance because they do not have alien registration numbers often required to apply for welfare.17

TABLE 04: NH/PI COMMUNITY AND COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Group

Indigenous Homelands

Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians)

Hawai‘i (Hawai‘i, Maui, O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Ni‘ihau, Kaho‘olawe)

CHamoru/Chamorro

Guåhan (Guam), Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (Luta, Tinian, Sa’ipan, Pågan)

Carolinian

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TABLE 04 CONT: NH/PI COMMUNITY AND COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Group

Indigenous Homelands

Sāmoan

Sāmoa (Savai‘i, Afi, Manono, Apolima, Upolu) American Sāmoa (Tutuila, Ofu-Olesega, Ta‘ū, Aunu‘u)

Marshallese

Republic of the Marshall Islands (Ailinglaplap Atoll, Ailuk Atoll, Arno Atoll, Aur Atoll, Ebon Atoll, Enewetak Atoll, Jabat Island, Jaluit Atoll, Kili Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Lae Atoll, Lib Island, Likiep Atoll, Majuro Atoll, Maloelap Atoll, Mejit Island, Mili Atoll, Namdrik Atoll, Namu Atoll, Rongelap Atoll, Ujae Atoll, Utirik Atoll, Wotho Atoll, Wotje Atoll)

Māori

Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Chuukese

Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae)

Yapese

Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae)

Pohnpeian

Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae)

Kosraean

Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae)

Tahitian

Ma'ohi Nui (French Polynesia)

Tokelauan

Tokelau (New Zealand)

Tongan

Kingdom of Tonga

Fijian

Republic of Fiji

Papuan (West Papuan)

Papua New Guinea, West Papua

Palauan

Republic of Palau

i-Kiribati

Republic of Kiribati

Tuvaluan

Tuvalu

Ni-Vanuatu

Vanuatu

Solomon Islander

Solomon Islands

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

18

Furthermore, COFA Islanders’ non-immigrant status allows them to enter and leave the US freely but does not guarantee them permanent residence.

Colonization is a key factor affecting the health and wellbeing of NH/PI students. For example, Marshallese communities have experienced adverse effects to their health and wellbeing due to the Castle Bravo nuclear tests conducted by the US Government. These tests have led to

intergenerational health consequences for Marshallese communities including cancer and disability that have affected long-term economic wellbeing. At least in part due to these colonial histories, NH/PI families living in Washington face significant social and economic barriers, with 58% of NH/PI students reporting receipt of free or reduced-price lunch. Some communities are especially impacted, with Tongan (74%) and Sāmoan (71%) youth accessing free and reduced lunch at especially high rates (see Figure 01).

FIGURE 01: % OF NH/PI YOUTH RECEIVING FREE OR REDUCED-PRICE LUNCH, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY

80% 60%

65%

71%

71%

74%

50%

40%

61%

57%

20%

According to the AAPI Community Data Dashboard, among NH/PI living in Washington state, “Other Pacific Islanders”, which primarily encompasses Pacific Islanders from non-US governed Island nations, and Fijians had the first and second highest percentage of being below the income threshold for Medicaid eligibility.18 These groups likely include large numbers of NH/PI who do not hold US citizenship nor are COFA Islanders which can limit their access to Medicaid benefits.19,20 Furthermore, Poverty and income inequality specifically have well-established impacts on

(c om bi ne d)

N H /P I

(n ot lis te d) O th er

O th er

N H /P I

To ng an

Sā m oa n

H aw ai ia n

N at iv e

M ar sh al le se

Ch am or ro

0%

student academic success, attendance, and absenteeism.21 Chamorus (7%) and Sāmoans (9%) are also more likely to live below the 138% Medicaid eligibility federal poverty threshold compared to Native Hawaiians (5%) in Washington state.

Socioeconomic challenges affect NH/PI students' ability to meet school attendance standards and academic success. This socioeconomic context is critical to understanding the ensuing data on academic achievement and well-being as these students may need to prioritize attaining basic needs.

LANGUAGE AS ESSENTIAL FOR FAMILIAL ENGAGEMENT & CULTURAL IDENTITY There are between 1,400 and 1,500 Indigenous languages in Oceania that compose nearly 21% of the languages spoken globally.22 In Washington’s public schools, OSPI data indicate that over 5,000 youth are identified as multilingual learners as of 2023. More than simply a means of communicating, language is a critical component to maintaining Indigenous knowledge systems and original instructions – cultural protocols, ways of being, and practices – that facilitate overall Indigenous wellbeing .23 Historically, the use of Pacific languages in schools across Oceania has been limited, regulated, or banned. Limiting and preventing the transference and practice of

these Indigenous languages in schools has commonly been used as a tool of assimilation and a form of anti-Indigenous racism that negatively impacts the health and wellbeing of Indigenous communities and youth.24,25 From this perspective, Pacific languages are a form of cultural engagement and expression that can facilitate positive educational outcomes and wellbeing.

For NH/PI living in diaspora – away from their Indigenous homelands – finding resources for Indigenous language learning can be challenging. Social pressures to learn English and to assimilate to ways of living in the continental US can create challenges for NH/PI students in Washington to learn their Indigenous languages.

In our qualitative data, a student describes this dilemma when asked what opportunities they would like to see at their school:

“For me personally, would be the ability to be able to talk, speak and learn and know Tongan. Because I'm only second generation American but having first generation American parents means they got to, they had to sacrifice you know Tongan or English and obviously to get a career here you need to learn English.

But not knowing my language is probably one of the things I regret the most because I can't – it's like a missing puzzle piece. I can't really connect with my people the way that I want to.”

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Interview data demonstrated that programs

education. During interviews, one educator

providing language acquisition and integrate

shared, with respect to parents whose

curriculum motivated positive educational

native language is not English:

outcomes for NH/PI youth, including a greater sense of belonging and increased

“That's a big disconnection, when it's come to

school participation. An educator shared:

talk about school. Parents cannot even say, hey, how was school today? Do you need me

“They feel like that's [the cultural program at

to sign any paper? Or maybe they're signing

school] their home. You know, like I said, they

something that they don't understand

don't want to miss. And many families now

because, it's not in their language.”

want to move to the area so they can enroll their student there. Because of course

Language services are essential and have

students talk to each other! We have a

the potential to address the challenges with

program with dance, but we still learn about

family engagement that arise for many

history. We still learn about social studies,

teachers who serve NH/PI students. One

they teach us math in our language...they use

educator shared:

their techniques to teach our math which make us more understand.”

“We have a Marshallese program in the school that teach our language and teach

In addition to cultural engagement for

our culture. They see their student more

students, language provides a path to

respecting them. You know other people.

parent engagement in their childrens’

Rather than, you know in the past.”

RECOMMENDATION 1.1: Language navigation services in NH/PI languages are essential for facilitating family engagement and assisting educators in meeting the needs of students and their families. Schools and districts should assess administrative data to identify language needs, and share resources for languages that are spoken by a smaller number of families.

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21

CENTERING INTERSECTING IDENTITIES & YOUTH EXPERIENCES

There are limited models for care provision for NH/PI with disabilities that exist in the US. Historically, NH/PI peoples embraced their family members and communities who had

NH/PI youth are shaped not just by a single Pasifika identity, but by a complex and interconnected set of social and political identities. These interwoven identities – socioeconomic status, race, sexual orientation, gender etc. – create unique experiences of oppression by systems and structures of power that impact NH/PI youth educational wellbeing, their sense of belonging, and how they are perceived by others.24,26–30 Our study acknowledges how NH/PI students must navigate multiple systems of oppression within school systems and their everyday lives.

NH/PI YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES

disabilities.31–33 Through the introduction of Western disease and moral disability frameworks, how NH/PI communities value and view their community members with disabilities has shifted.31–33 In Aotearoa (New Zealand), community-based frameworks for addressing structural inequity experienced

by Pasifika peoples with disabilities have been developed through Whaikaha, the Ministry of Disabled People. The Atoatoali’o framework draws from the Sāmoan word atoatoa and li‘o, meaning to fit/sit perfectly in a circle.34 This framework aims to generate systems of care for Pasifika peoples with disabilities through the values of alofa, fa‘aaloalo, tautua, and va fealoa‘i – values of love and compassion, respect, service, and

During the 2023-24 school year, the most

relationality. Through centering Sāmoan

common request from parents to the

practices, these collective practices are

Washington State Governor’s Office of the

important values and underpin the ways in

Education Ombuds (OEO) was for assistance

which many Pasifika cultures provide care for

related to special education, inclusion, and

all their community members.

equitable access. NH/PI families were no different, with the highest proportion (60%)

Within the OSPI system, NH/PI youth receive

of requests to OEO involving special

services for documented disabilities at

education. In addition to the inherent

generally similar, if perhaps slightly lower,

challenges in navigating these systems and

rates to the overall student population. For

supporting youth with disabilities families

example, 5.5% of all OSPI students receive

often face communication barriers, stigma

services for specific learning disability,

within the NH/PI community surrounding

compared to 5.0% of NH/PI students.

disability diagnoses, and harmful stereotypes

Similarly, 2.4% of all students receive services

from educators and other school

for autism spectrum disorders, compared

professionals. These factors can lead to

with 1.5% of NH/PI. In contrast, NH/PI

overdiagnosis of behavioral issues and

students were less likely to be diagnosed

underdiagnosis of learning problems.

with health impairments (3.6% vs. 1.2%).

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TABLE 05: PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS RECEIVING DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS AT OSPI SCHOOLS All %

NH/PI (%)

Autism

2.4%

1.5%

Communication Disorders

3.2%

2.0%

Deaf-Blindness

0.0%

0.0%

Deafness

0.0%

0.1%

Developmental Delays

2.4%

2.1%

Emotional/Behavioral Disability

0.8%

0.3%

Health Impairment

3.6%

1.2%

Hearing Impairment

0.1%

0.2%

Intellectual Disability

0.5%

0.6%

Multiple Disabilities

0.4%

0.4%

Orthopedic Impairment

0.0%

0.0%

Specific Learning Disability

5.5%

5.0%

Traumatic Brain Injury

0.0%

0.1%

Visual Impairment

0.1%

0.0%

PERCENTAGES CALCULATED BASED ON N=16,821 NH/PI STUDENTS AND N=1,156,481 TOTAL STUDENTS.

In the 2023 Healthy Youth Survey,35 approximately 2 in 5 (40%) NH/PI students reported having a disability or chronic health condition – higher than some groups in the 2023 Healthy Youth Survey. Rates for other major racial or ethnic groups ranged from 30% among Asian or Asian American (As/AsAm) to 53% among AI/AN. This includes 19% of NH/PI students with a developmental or intellectual disability, and 10% with a learning disability.

encouraging them to access these services. As one NH/PI educator noted during interviews:

NH/PI educators and paraeducators are often the individuals who take on the responsibility of supporting families and

Educators who have strong bonds and trust with NH/PI families, particularly those who are also NH/PI or who are close allies to their

“I think of the families and I think of the parents wanting the supports for their students and how they advocate for that and what they need for that, and oftentimes – I am the one as a teacher – I'm their point person. I provide that information and walk them through the system, in getting the supports for their students.”

communities, help students to gain access to disability resources. As one NH/PI paraeducator noted, “it's often not broadcasted about what you can do to be a part of those programs and how to get the resources for people to come to your homes and help with self-care at home.”

Disability accommodation services aren't usually well-advertised, and families may find it challenging to access and participate in them if they do not have people within their communities supporting them in navigating these systems. NH/PI educators are also critical for helping students get enrolled in special education or ensuring that students aren't incorrectly put in special education. Our Community Advisory Board members who work closely with families of youth with disabilities shared the importance of reducing stigma by adopting a strengths-based approach in schools.

Addressing this stigma is likely to lead to more engagement in needed services.

RECOMMENDATION 1.2: Approach disability from a strengthsbased perspective and explicitly consider the role of stigma among communities of color.

RECOMMENDATION 1.3: When assessing disability and crafting individualized education plans, professionals should work against biases that may lead to overdiagnosis of behavioral problems and underdiagnosis of learning challenges.

School psychologists and other service providers who work with communities of color should examine their practices for bias using self-assessment tools.

MULTIRACIAL IDENTITIES Racial identity is layered and complex.

Identifying as multiracial extends beyond family lineage and is further complicated by aspects such as lived family experience, culture, ethnicity, physical appearance, selfregard, and public perception. For example, a student may identify privately as Hawaiian and Chinese, but introduce themselves as a Hawaiian student. These chosen and stated identities may differ from how students are perceived, and change across contexts.

Multiracial NH/PI students are also impacted by intersectional systems of systemic racism and settler colonialism, where the politics of blood quantum have historically been used to disidentify or discount NH/PI claims to belonging to their Indigenous communities and cultures.36,37 Nearly half (43%) of NH/PI living in Washington identify as multiracial (see Figure 1). This is the second-largest multiracial group by proportion after AI/AN. Notably, both groups share a history of settler colonialism on their Indigenous homelands, often resulting in displacement and migration –factors that likely contribute to their multiracial heritage.

FIGURE 02: PERCENTAGE OF RACIAL GROUPS IDENTIFYING AS MULTIRACIAL IN WASHINGTON, US CENSUS DATA 70% 60% 50%

61%

40%

43%

30%

31%

20%

22%

10% 0%

13% AI/AN

Asian

Black

NH/PI

White

While there are threads of commonality across multiracial experiences, multiracial identity is multi-layered and fluid, with multiracial individuals identifying differently across the lifespan.38 Experiences are often varied and encompass alienation, impostor syndrome, a connection to multiple communities, and in some situations, privilege relative to monoracial peers. NH/PI student experiences of social exclusion – alienation and impostor syndrome – are rooted in settler colonial ideologies that have historically undergirded policies and social practices used to restrict NH/PI people’s ability to make claims to their Indigenous homelands, resources, and peoples.36 The consequences of multiracial identity for NH/PI youth may depend on where youth live relative to their native lands. In Washington, these youth grow up, at least in part, away from their native lands, and this disconnection can have a strong impact on their sense of self and belonging. During our interviews, NH/PI youth share a range of responses from strengths to hardships that reflect the complexities of identity in the context of colonization, assimilation, racism, and acculturation. Students reflected on both the strengths and challenges associated with identifying as multiracial NH/PI. I have my fair share of both because I get a lot from just one person, like my grandma, because she's full Filipina and she likes talking about the Philippines and she's talking about her culture and what they do.

And when it comes to my Chamoru side.

Every time there's a party it’s all Chamoru people...they have bonds between them that I see more culturally than other people at my school.

Navigating multiracial identity entails not only how NH/PI youth identify and feel internally about their racial and ethnic identities, but also the external social experience of how others perceive and treat them.39 Navigating multiple racial stereotypes can be a challenge for multiracial youth: For me, I feel like I've experienced, like kind of both stereotypes like. I don't, I guess, like my teachers kind of thinking that I’m good at math. I don't know. Like, the Asian stereotype that, like Asians are better at math. And, for like my Sāmoan side, a lot of like my teachers, they just kind of joke that ‘cause Sāmoans are like big and like strong, and scary, I guess. I don’t know.

QUEER AND TRANSGENDER PACIFIC ISLANDER STUDENTS (QTPI) STUDENTS Pasifika peoples have always had genders and intimacies that existed outside of cisheternormativity – the normalizing structures that privilege cis-binary gender and heterosexuality. Before colonization by Western nations, NH/PI peoples across Oceania had societies, cultures, and communities that embraced genders that embodied peoples’ journey beyond masculinity and femininity, including Fa‘afafine, Gela’, Mamflorita, Māhū, Kakol, Vakasalewalewa, Fakaleiti, and many more.

These third gender roles encompass broader conceptions of third-gender or gender-fluid identities that do not map clearly onto Western conceptions of gender. Western terms such as LGBTQIA+, Queer, and Transgender do not fully represent the roles and identities described by the aforementioned traditional Pasifika language terms. In Washington state and increasingly

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

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across the US, these communities have adopted the term Queer and Transgender Pacific Islanders (QTPI, pronounced cutiepie). Like the term MVPFAFF+ (Māhū, Vakasalewalewa, Palopa, Fa‘afafine, Akava'ine, Fakafifine, Fakaleiti) used by Pasifika communities in New Zealand and Oceania, the QTPI label seeks to embody the complexity of identity and culture that exists within the Pasifika context of gender identity.

QTPI students expressed great pride in being Pacific Islander and understood their role within our communities as storytellers, healers, and often the ones who preserve our cultures in the face of colonialism. One student reflected “to be honest, the main thing about me being queer and Pacific Islander together. You know, QTPI, is that knowing that I had this long line of ancestors who are also part of the same experience.”

UNDERSTANDING QTPI YOUTH WELLBEING

They spoke to the strength and resilience of our people, with the hope of pursuing lives that mirror these attributes passed down from our ancestors. Joy and laughter characterized conversations with these students; a direct reflection of the kinship they shared with one another. These sentiments were supported by an interview with an educator that described one of their QTPI students as a light that everyone gravitated towards and was beloved by their peers. They explain that throughout the student’s transition “the school and the community were able to really support and embrace the student, and like the student spoke at graduation and was like the President of our PI club for like multiple years, so felt, I think really seen.”

Having cultural spaces, communities, and families all contribute to the wellbeing of QTPI across their life course. This connectedness helps QTPI to address disruptions to their cultural belonging and histories that occurred through the introduction of settler colonialism.40,41 Providing care for QTPI within schools, their communities, and families that holistically supports and affirms them in the totality of their NH/PI, Queer/Transgender identities is essential to their academic success and overall wellbeing.

In the current study, QTPI, NH/PI, and nonNH/PI educators all shared how they continue to resist systemic oppression and settler colonialism by providing culturally specific spaces for QTPI youth that perpetuate care and love. In one interview, a QTPI educator reflected on the impact their cultural group has had on their QTPI students and noted they have “seen multiple students who come to us very shy and timid, and it only takes them a few weeks to a month and they are fully blossoming in their identities at school and comfortable with who they are.”

Along with multiracial youth and youth with disabilities, QTPI are sacred members of NH/PI communities, and their resilience is in direct connection with the preservation of NH/PI cultures and peoples. It is important to acknowledge these aspects of our interviews that depict joy and strength, especially considering the challenges that are presented within our data for youth with intersecting marginalized identities.

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NH/PI WORLDVIEWS VALUE CONNECTION AND RELATIONALITY

adversely impact the health and wellbeing of Indigenous communities and children.24,42

Through the Pasifika (a term often used in the NH/PI diaspora) Indigenous lens, wellness cannot exist without balance between spirit, body, and mind. NH/PI students can thrive when their holistic wellness is supported and in balance. The Indigenous Connectedness framework offers a culturally grounded way of understanding health in Indigenous communities. It emphasizes that strong connections to family, community, land, ancestors, and spirit are central to wellbeing.

When these connections are disrupted, health challenges can arise. This perspective highlights the importance of supporting relationships across generations and with the environment as key to promoting wellness, especially among Indigenous youth. This model also presents pathways through which systemic racism, colonial oppression, and climate change

The Fonofale model for health also highlights the importance of connectedness in the health and wellbeing of NH/PI communities. The Fonofale uses a fale (traditional Sāmoan house) as a metaphor for NH/PI health where family is at the foundation (fa‘avae), the most important component for NH/PI health. There are four posts (pou) that rise from that family foundation. These represent the spiritual, physical, mental, and other components of Pasifika health. At the top is the roof (falealuga) that represents culture, values, and beliefs with the understanding that these are evolving with our people and comprised of both traditional perspectives and modern or alternate cultural adaptations. Around the entire fale is the cocoon in which time, environment, and context are all recognized as important components of health.43

FIGURE 03: THE FONOFALE MODEL OF HEALTH (PULOTU-ENDEMANN, 2001)

Both the value of family and the tensions between school responsibilities and family responsibilities are demonstrated by the following quote from a student: “For example, I'm culturally bound…to take care of my elders and my own family members…I used to live with my grandmother recently to take care of her mostly. But living with her, just me and her that really took away a lot of opportunities for me, and you know I don't want it to sound like a bad thing, because at the end of the day I will forever be grateful to have been able to live with her and take care of her because she's taught me many things about my culture, and I'm grateful for that...It was my own grandmother, and it was also part of the culture. You know, the Fa‘a Sāmoa way. Take care of your own.

Take care of your grandmother, you know they brought you here, so help them, you know. Help them where they are.”

In our study we’ve found that for students, family is at the center of their educational wellbeing and success. For example, when asked about systems of support within education and wellbeing one student reflected how their parents were important to achieving their roles and dreams: “they've always instilled that mindset in me. Like if I can dream it, then I can do it. That's just what kept me going.”

These two frameworks highlight the role of relationality – the idea that individuals exist within a network of reciprocal connections to one another, to the land, and to their ancestors – in the school setting.24 Healthy relationships between students and their teachers, their peers, the classroom, the curriculum and the overall education setting all have notable impacts on student wellbeing and academic engagement. In Aotearoa (New Zealand), educational scholars have noted the importance of these relationships for NH/PI students' wellbeing, particularly how they see their worldviews reflected in their relationships with these individuals, systems, and environments.44 One educator shared: “I…often wonder if we lived in a culture that was maybe more aligned to…the collectivistic culture of…Pacific Islanders…in which like making more money or working harder to make more money is not the end goal, but it's the other things…like how are you in community with each other and with yourself…and what are the ways in which we need to think about our planet and like non-human parts of like how we interact with the world? I wonder if we were in a place like that with more of the aligned values…how our Pacific Islander students and families would show up differently, and what success would look like that would be different.“

RECOMMENDATION 1.4: Educators who serve Indigenous and NH/PI youth should receive cultural competency training on the importance of relational wellbeing. Utilizing models such as the Indigenous Connectedness framework in an educational setting can help students create and maintain bonds to school, self, and culture.

In this report, we emphasize the unique

individual-oriented measures of success

strengths and challenges that NH/PI youth

collected by the education system, data from

experience, and we present

our interviews and qualitative focus groups

recommendations on addressing these

place a complementary spotlight on the

challenges informed by the data and

relational and interconnected approach our

crafted in collaboration with our

communities bring to supporting thriving,

Community Advisory Board. Whereas the

happy, and successful youth.

FIGURE 04: PASIFIKA NATIONS & STATES REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION (PICA) OF WASHINGTON COMMUNITY DATA REPORT

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2

INCLUSION OF NH/PI DATA TO DRIVE EQUITABLE POLICY

The aggregation of NH/PI into the umbrella category “Asian American and Pacific Islander” (AAPI) has historically perpetuated educational and wellbeing disparities for NH/ PI students by masking the unique experiences of by NH/PI youth. In some cases, coalitions formed around “AAPI” identity can lead to greater numbers, power, and representation when advocating for a common cause. However, when these interests diverge, the erasure of NH/PI

community needs can have dire consequences for NH/PI communities. To take a concrete example, characterizing the language needs of “AAPI” families might seem like a straightforward task. However, according to 2023 Healthy Youth Survey data, [SGC1] the language needs of As/AsAm students and NH/PI students differ with 36% of As/AsAm students speaking a language other than English at home, compared to 21% of NH/PI.

FIGURE 05: PERCENTAGE OF HYS PARTICIPANTS SPEAKING LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH AT HOME, HIGH-LEVEL RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPINGS 60% 50%

47%

36%

30% 20% 10%

52%

49%

40%

21%

17%

15%

14%

6%

Data aggregation can conflate NH/PI individual experiences of educational stereotypes with numerically dominant groups like East Asians. For example, the “model minority myth” often used to describe “AAPI” populations overlooks the distinct stereotypes that NH/PI face that characterize them as academically underachieving or disruptive.5,45,46

M ul tir ac ia l

O th er

H is pa ni c

W hi te

N H /P I

M EN A

Bl ac k/ Af Am

A/ As Am

AI /A N

0%

Thus, data aggregation can mask these experiences of prejudice and racism that strongly impact a student’s belonging, selfworth, and identity. Conflating NH/PI and As/ AsAm experiences under “AAPI” can impede NH/PI students’ access to safety, resources, wellbeing, and achievement within the Washington K-12 educational system.

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RECOMMENDATION 2.1: Disaggregate NH/PI from As/AsAm data whenever possible.

FIGURE 06: PERCENTAGE OF HYS PARTICIPANTS SPEAKING LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH AT HOME, DISAGGREGATED TO PARTICULAR NH/PI COMMUNITIES

100% 80%

82%

60% 40% 30% 15%

(n ot lis te d) O th er

N H /P I

N H /P I

To ng an O th er

Furthermore, aggregation of NH/PI communities into a singular racial category also fails to capture the heterogeneity of experiences among specific NH/PI communities, contributing to their erasure and disparities. Further disaggregation of data can help identify and address the distinct needs of specific communities. For example, as many as 82% of Marshallese students speak a language other than English at home, compared to 30% of Sāmoan students and 36% of Tongan students. In this example, these data point

25%

14%

Sā m oa n

H aw ai ia n

N at iv e

M ar sh al le se

12%

Ch am or ro

0%

36%

(c om bi ne d)

20%

toward prioritization of language services for Marshallese students and families.

RECOMMENDATION 2.2: Educational data on NH/PI should be presented in a maximally disaggregated format down to the level of particular ethnic communities (e.g., Tongan, Yapese, Kosraean), whenever possible.

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MOVING BEYOND THE “AAPI” LABEL Prior to the Office of Management and Budget’s Directive 15 to disaggregate As/AsAm and NH/PI groups in 1997, data on NH/PI across the US was obscured by a combined “AAPI” category. Directive 15 led to NH/PI 47

data disaggregation at the federal level (e.g., in the Census) and by state-managed data systems in many states including Washington.48 More recently, Directive 15 has been updated in 2024 to push further disaggregation of NH&PI data, as the directive requires the collection of detailed race and ethnicity data (e.g., Sāmoan, Tahitian) when feasible.

49(p15)

At the state level, the Washington education system has been at the forefront of data disaggregation movements, and continued advocacy by communities has led to the adoption of additional data collection beyond the federally required minimum. In 2009-10, the Washington Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI) implemented a two-question format to first present the six federal categories, and, based on those responses, subsequently report the detailed categories. These response options were further expanded in 2016.

A lack of representation in data and in the discourse around race and ethnicity can lead to NH/PI students feeling “erased” and disconnected from their school communities.

During the day-to-day life of youth in Washington schools, it can feel alienating and disconcerting to be prototyped as similar to As/AsAm students. When asked about

As/AsAm and NH/PI wellbeing, one administrator shared: “I think one thing right off the top of my head is that battle of the model minority myth. I think that there's still a perception that our AA and NHPI students are seen in that lens.”

This statement clearly reflects the conflation that can happen when educators have mental models that automatically group As/AsAm and NH/PI students together. As a result, NH/PI students’ needs and desires to learn about their histories, cultures, and experiences and to see themselves reflected in curriculum can go unmet (See Section 6).

Adding to the complexity of understanding NH/PI youth experiences, the islands, territories, and countries encompassed by the NH/PI label also exhibit highly distinct cultures, histories, and citizenship statuses with respect to the US. NH/PI data aggregation can erase the heterogeneous experiences of students who are represented by the NH/PI racial category.

NH/PI students differ across different dimensions such as history or context of entry to the US, citizenship status and Indigeneity which are not adequately captured by a single aggregated category of NH/PI. This report seeks to address this gap by disaggregating as much as possible. Each NH/PI community faces unique facilitators, barriers, and issues in their youth’s education , and high-quality disaggregated data can aid efforts to support these underserved communities.

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DATA OPPORTUNITIES FOR MULTIRACIAL NH/PI YOUTH NH/PI youth benefit when all parts of their multiracial identity are nurtured and valued. This necessitates a deeper understanding of multiracial NH/PI youth narratives and interwoven identities that transcend the racial binary of Black/White, contradict the conflation of NH/PI and As/ AsAm communities, and that are rooted in Indigenous understanding of identity where all parts of an individual’s genealogy are important to honoring their responsibilities and roles to their communities and cultures. Promoting pluralistic views of society among parents and educators can foster an environment conducive to identity development and sense of belonging.50 Moreover, institutionalizing a culturally responsive school environment that incorporates a wide range of diverse perspectives from multiple ethnicities and cultures, inclusive of NH/PI cultures and worldviews, can create space for multiracial NH/PI youth to navigate complex experiences related to belonging, self-esteem, and assimilation.51,52 From a policy perspective, it is critical to develop guidance on multiracial youth when it comes to understanding educational strengths, barriers, and disparities. Current guidance from the US Office of Management and Budget includes a category for those endorsing two or more races from the set of seven federal categories (AI/AN, Asian, Black or

African American, Hispanic or Latino, Middle Eastern or North African, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and White). This “two or more” category is often analyzed as its own coequal category. However, analyzing multiracial individuals’ data separately from their constituent identities leads to exclusion from their own communities’ data. For small groups like NH/PI, many of whom identify as multiracial, this can exclude a major portion of communities from priority-setting and decision-making. We propose that “doublecounting” (e.g., a student who identifies as NH/PI and Black could be included in both groups’ data) can allow multiracial individuals to contribute to the multiple communities they are a part of, and their Indigenous understanding of how these identities impact their experiences.

RECOMMENDATION 2.3: “Double count” multiracial youth in educational data so they are not excluded from their communities’ ​data​. Develop guidance, with community input, on how the growing number of multiracial youth should be represented in the statewide discourse on academic achievement and opportunity gaps.

DATA SOVEREIGNTY AND FILLING IN THE GAPS There is a notable movement by Pasifika communities to collect their own data and to be closely involved in the ownership,

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RECOMMENDATION 2.4: Find ways​to include small groups in published data, even if it means​combining with other groups​. If data need to be distribution, and rigorous interpretation of data on their own communities.10,53 This movement has been referred to as “data sovereignty” and allows communities to share their own rigorously collected data to advocate for their own needs. PICA’s 2024 Community Data Report54 is a transformative, thorough, and carefully crafted example of these efforts, and highlights the needs of the Washington Pasifika community. In our own experience working with our Community Advisory Board to craft the current report, we found input from our Community Advisory Board to be critical in directing our resources toward asking the most relevant questions. In addition, working with communities is necessary to interpret quantitative and qualitative data with the necessary state, local, and

suppressed or combined, communities whose data fall into these categories should be named whenever data are reported.

When data are hard to find due to small numbers or challenges in data collection, work directly with communities (including providing funding, if possible) to understand community needs​and priorities.

community context to ensure accuracy and rigor. We encourage readers to explore the report further, and state, county, and local data agencies and decision makers to work with NH/PI communities to develop data systems that reflect the experiences of NH/PI communities.

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3

K-12 ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: ADVANCING ACADEMIC EQUITY

DISPARITIES IN STATEWIDE TEST SCORES AND GRADES K-12 academic achievement data show substantial and alarming disparities in educational outcomes for NH/PI youth that have not closed since the 2008 report. Whereas data

on standardized test scores appear to reflect widening disparities across the intervening years, data on graduation rates may provide some evidence of progress. Disaggregated data reflect variability in outcomes, with particular challenges for COFA youth.

We intentionally refrain from offering

FIGURE 07: PERCENT MEETING STATEWIDE STANDARDS IN HIGH SCHOOL (10TH OR 11TH GRADE, DEPENDING ON SUBJECT)

60%

57% 49%

50% 40% 30%

30%

26% 19%

20% 10%

7%

0% MATH

ELA

NATIVE HAWAIIAN OR OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDER

SCIENCE

ALL STUDENTS

DATA PROVIDED BY OSPI.

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recommendations in this section, as the figures presented provide a snapshot of student achievement, but do not directly

indicate specific solutions. Although shifts over time in statewide standardized testing make it difficult to compare examination

FIGURE 08: PERCENT MEETING STATEWIDE STANDARDS IN HIGH SCHOOL (10TH OR 11TH GRADE, DEPENDING ON SUBJECT), PRESENTED BY NH/PI COMMUNITY

50%

47%

40% 36%

30%

29%

28% 25%

20%

MATH

ELA

INSUFFICIENT DATA

8%

To ng O an th er N H /P I

5%

Fi jia n Sā m oa n

INSUFFICIENT DATA

15%

N at iv e

O th er

Ch u CO uke se FA N at Ch ion am or ro

1%

M ar sh al le se

0%

11%

10%

H aw ai ia n

6%

INSUFFICIENT DATA

10%

10%

INSUFFICIENT DATA

19%

SCIENCE

DATA PROVIDED BY OSPI. BLANK BARS INDICATE TOO FEW DATA POINTS WERE AVAILABLE TO REPORT DATA IN ACCORDANCE WITH DATA SHARING AGREEMENTS.

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passing rates across years, NH/PI students demonstrated poorer performance across English and Language Arts (ELA), Math, and Science – proficiency rates of 29.6% in ELA, 7.3% in Math, and 19.3% in Science – than in 2008 data. In 2008, 73.6% of NH/PI students

met proficiency in Reading and 80.1% in Writing; 30.3% in Math; and 20.1% in Science.

Notably, disaggregated data were difficult to obtain for smaller NH/PI groups, including Chuukese, Fijian, Tongan, and other COFA Islanders. Grade point average (GPA)

TABLE 06: GRADE POINT AVERAGE BY NH/PI COMMUNITY NH/PI Community

Median GPA

Carolinian

NA

Chamorro

2.2

Chuukese

1.5

Fijian

2.4

Kosraean

2.3

Marshallese

1.7

More than 1 Race within NH/PI

1.8

Native Hawaiian

1.9

NH/PI Write in

1.7

Palauan

2.7

Pohpeian

1.4

Sāmoan

2.1

Solomon Islander

1.4

Tokelauan

NA

Tongan

2.2

Yapese

1

DATA PROVIDED BY OSPI.

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

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data were also alarmingly low, with medians ranging from 1.0 to 2.7 (out of 4.0), depending on the NH/PI community.

high schools graduated within 4 years.

When disaggregating data to specific NH/PI communities, the graduation rate was highest for Melanesian, Native Hawaiian, Chamorro, and Sāmoan students, and lowest for Micronesian (Chuukese, Kosraean, Marshallese, Palauan, and Yapese) groups, who also were included in the Other NH/PI (combined) group for data privacy reasons.

ON-TIME HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION Between 2010 and 2024, approximately 3 in 4 NH/PI students (73%) enrolled in OSPI

FIGURE 09: ON-TIME HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

80%

80%

77%

77%

74%

76%

74%

72%

60%

61%

57%

40%

20%

I( /P

O th

er

N

H

H N er th O

d) bi m

co

no I( /P

at iv N

ne

d) tl

To

is

ng

te

an

n oa m Sā

ia n ai aw H

e

el

an es i

an

n M

ic

ro n

es

ia

er M

la nd

M

ar ia

na

Ch

Is

am

or

ro

0%

DATA PROVIDED BY OSPI.

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4

FINDING SUCCESS BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL: POSTSECONDARY ACHIEVEMENT FOR NH/PI YOUTH

The 2008 Achievement Gap report demonstrated that NH/PI students’ trajectories after high school often do not meet the goals and dreams that they and their families hold. Data from the 2008 Beyond High School study cited by the report revealed that NH/PI youth were less likely to plan to attend college and less likely to attend college (both 2-year and 4-year) than their peers. Academic goals and dreams beyond high school remain an important and complex theme for NH/PI students.

In interviews, educators acknowledged (and at times perpetuated) the stereotypes and lack of representation that students often work against: “…Having agency to direct the opportunity and the pathways for their lives. We don't have that…‘These people, they don't value education.’…Shoot, there are even scientists claiming that we don't have the propensity for education…ethnic studies is about revealing the realities to the students and giving them the agency to deal with them …

For their part, students shared varied perspectives on their own hopes and dreams that were broader than completing high school or attending college. A student shared “I wanna pursue my dream. Cause like, lately I’ve been wanting to be a teacher, so I was like, I’ve never seen a Marshallese teacher…It influences me because like I could start something.” Another student shared the importance of continuing cultural traditions and serving others: “I always hear stories like, ‘Oh, you know, fa‘afafines back then, we really took on like roles of caretakers, teachers, people who, you know, healers.’ Hearing that it really makes me feel like I should lead a life of the same path, or at least similar.”

Rather than sharing hopes for college degrees, grades, or salaries, NH/PI youth and educators focused on familial and community responsibility, impact, and representation. Even so, postsecondary degree attainment can facilitate these dreams and be a step along the path toward their achievement. Some students shared this sentiment, for example:

leveraging their identity in the classroom.”

Although they hoped their students would find success in high school and beyond, they acknowledged that there need to be “more creative, more flexible ways that students can earn a diploma” because current academic standards were not always tied to students’

"I'm surprised only one person that I know has went to college...I feel like I need to do this for my family and make money for my family by education.”

goals and interests.

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With these caveats in mind, we report data in this section on college enrollment, completion, and postgraduate wages in the following section. We acknowledge these outcomes likely reflect only a small part of a broader definition of achievement, and present recommendations in other sections of this report to address existing disparities.

likely to complete postsecondary degrees.

Though a direct comparison with data from previous reports was not possible, these estimates compare favorably to the previously reported overall population rates of achieving a 4-year degree in WA state in 2006-08 for NH/PI adults. Only 8% of Chamorro adults in WA had a 4-year degree in 2006-08; however, 20% of Chamorro OSPI graduates completed a 4-year degree. The same is true for Native Hawaiians (27% of OSPI graduates vs. 14% of adults) and Sāmoans (15% of OSPI graduates vs. 3% of adults). Disaggregated data were not available for other NH/PI ethnic groups in 2008. Overall, these 4-year degree completion rates potentially indicate progress toward higher education among NH/PI Washingtonians.

2-YEAR AND 4-YEAR DEGREE ATTAINMENT Fourteen percent of NH/PI graduates between 2013 and 2019 from Washington’s K12 public schools went on to complete a 2year degree and 21% went on to complete a 4-year degree on time. Melanesian and Native Hawaiian graduates were most

FIGURE 10: 2-YEAR AND 4-YEAR DEGREE ATTAINMENT

60% 53%

50% 40%

34%

30% 20%

18%

26%

23%

20%

17%

10% 0%

AI/AN AA

A/AsAm

33%

Black/AfAm

21%

21%

20% 21%

19%

14%

NH/PI

White

Hispanic

Multiracial

BA

DATA PROVIDED BY OSPI. FOR 2-YEAR DEGREE COMPLETION, 2013 TO 2019 DATA WERE USED TO ALLOW STUDENTS 18 MONTHS TO ENROLL AND 3 YEARS (1.5 TIMES THE PLANNED PROGRAM LENGTH) TO GRADUATE. FOR 4-YEAR DEGREE COMPLETION, 2013 TO 2016 DATA WERE USED TO ALLOW STUDENTS 18 MONTHS TO ENROLL AND 6 YEARS TO GRADUATE.

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FIGURE 11: 2-YEAR AND 4-YEAR DEGREE ATTAINMENT, PRESENTED BY NH/PI COMMUNITY

38%

30%

29%

20% 10%

BA

AA

40%

16%

20%

19%

16%

27% 18%

14%

15% 10%

8%

14%

18%

To

ng O th an er NH O /P th I( er no NH tl ist /P ed I( co ) m bi ne d) )

Sā m oa n

Ha w ai ia n Na tiv e

M el an es ia n

M icr on es ia n

Isl an de r M ar ia na

Ch am or ro

0%

DATA PROVIDED BY OSPI. DATA WERE SUPPRESSED DUE TO SMALL SAMPLE SIZE FOR OTHER NH/PI (NOT LISTED) AND OTHER NH/PI (COMBINED).

schools went on to enroll in a 2-year degree program immediately after high school, and more than a quarter (28%) enrolled in a 4-year degree program. The rate of 2-year degree enrollment was the lowest among the broad racial and ethnic groups, and the rate of 4-year degree enrollment for NH/PI graduates was comparable to that of AI/AN and Hispanic youth. Some variability exists in degree enrollment across NH/PI communities, with Melanesian and Native Hawaiian graduates most likely to enroll in either program.

2-YEAR AND 4-YEAR DEGREE ENROLLMENT Students graduating from OSPI schools may enroll in degree programs, but move into the workforce before completing a degree. As a consequence, enrollment data can help to flesh out the picture of postsecondary achievement among NH/PI students.

Approximately 4 in 10 (39%) of NH/PI graduates from Washington’s K-12 public

FIGURE 12: PERCENTAGE OF OSPI GRADUATES ENROLLING IN 2-YEAR AND 4-YEAR DEGREE PROGRAMS

AA

60%

54% 56%

50% 40% 43% 30%

49% 33%

26%

20%

47% 39%

39%

47%

45%

28%

BA

40%

27%

10%

M ul tir ac ia l

Hi sp an ic

W hi te

NH /P I

Bl ac k/ Af Am

A/ As Am

AI /A N

0%

DATA PROVIDED BY OSPI. FOR DEGREE ENROLLMENT, WE SELECTED THOSE GRADUATING FROM 2013 TO 2022 TO ALLOW STUDENTS 18 MONTHS TO ENROLL.

FIGURE 13: PERCENTAGE OF OSPI GRADUATES ENROLLING IN 2-YEAR AND 4-YEAR DEGREE PROGRAMS, PRESENTED BY NH/PI COMMUNITY

65%

60% 50% 40%

BA

AA

70%

49%

30%

45%

42%

41%

33%

32% 28%

31%

37%

31% 26%

25%

24%

20%

39%

36%

21% 16%

10%

POSTSECONDARY WAGES

O th er NH /P I( no tl ist ed O ) th er NH /P I( co m bi ne d) )

DATA PROVIDED BY OSPI.

To ng an

Sā m oa n

Ha w ai ia n

Na tiv e

M el an es ia n

M icr on es ia n

Isl an de r M ar ia na

Ch am or ro

0%

The value of a high school, 2-year, or 4-year degree for NH/PI graduates was comparable to the value of the same degree for youth

A 2018 estimate from Washington State

from other racial and ethnic groups.

Institute for Public Policy estimated that a

Whereas recent NH/PI graduates with a high

college degree provides, on average,

school education made about $35,000 per

$192,047 in benefits to a graduating student

year, those with a 2-year degree made

across their lifetime, and a total benefit of

around $39,000 per year and those with a 4-

$406,473 when also accounting for benefits

year degree made around $45,000 per year.

to taxpayers, higher education providers, and

These figures varied across communities,

legal and healthcare systems. We investigated

with Chamorro 4-year graduates notably

whether the added wages of a college degree

making around $52,000 per year. Tongan

might differ by race and ethnicity with respect

and Micronesian graduates had lower

to salaries earned in the years immediately

salaries across the range of educational

following degree attainment.

attainment.

55

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FIGURE 14: MEDIAN HIGHEST EARNING YEAR FOR OSPI GRADUATES.

HS

$60K $50K

BA

$51K $45K

$44K

$43K $36K

$35K

$36K

$39K

$40K

$39K $35K

$35K

W hi te

$40K

NH /P I

$40K $30K

AA

$45K

$42K

$42K

$41K $37K

$34K

$31K

$37K

$20K $10K

M ul tir ac ia l

Hi sp an ic

AI /A N

A/ As Am

Bl ac k/ Af Am

$0K

POST-GRADUATION WAGES WERE ASSESSED FOR THE 2013 TO 2016 COHORTS TO ALLOW STUDENTS TO COMPLETE A DEGREE PROGRAM AND HAVE 2 OR MORE SUBSEQUENT WAGE-EARNING YEARS. DATA PROVIDED BY OSPI.

FIGURE 15: MEDIAN HIGHEST EARNING YEAR FOR OSPI GRADUATES, PRESENTED BY NH/PI COMMUNITY AA

HS

$60K $50K

BA

$52K

$44K

$43K

$40K

$39K

$38K

$35K

$42K

$41K $38K $35K

$30K

$31K

$41K

$38K $34K

$32K

$35K $35K

$36K

$38K

$36K

$29K

$20K $10K

T

on O th ga er n NH O / PI th er (n ot NH lis /P te I( d) co m bi ne d) )

Sā m oa n

Ha w ai ia n Na tiv e

M el an es ia n

M icr on es ia n

Isl an de r M ar ia na

Ch am or ro

$0K

DATA PROVIDED BY OSPI.

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5

BUILDING BELONGING AND WELLBEING THROUGH CONNECTION AND REPRESENTATION

For many NH/PI youth, wellbeing is multifaceted and relational, defined by relationships with people, land, ancestors, spirituality, and cultural identity.56 This worldview, expanded upon in Section 1.2, asserts that wellbeing resides as much in relationships as it does in the individual’s psychological health. Western frameworks of wellness and health, in contrast, are typically focused on individuals’ struggles and ways of coping. Even so, they provide an important snapshot of wellbeing for NH/PI youth. Socio-emotional health and academic success are intimately reliant upon one another; when students feel a sense of belonging and healthy identity development, they are more likely to be successful in educational environments.57 The following

This disconnection can be viscerally felt and can negatively impact students’ investment in school. Moreover, students may desire to learn about the history or relevant social issues of their people. When this curiosity isn’t rewarded, this can further widen experiences of disconnection. Another student shared how they learn are not afforded opportunities to learn about their histories, cultures, or issues at school, “For me, it'll be through my grandpa because he draws a lot… So, like I always be asking like, oh, Papa, what does this tattoo mean?...he has all these Sāmoan artifacts around his house also. So I'll also be asking on that. But my school, they don't provide like the Oceania side of history.”

section presents quantitative and qualitative data on NH/PI student wellbeing, along with recommendations to support and strengthen it.

“It just brings me back to my cousin's school. He goes to Utah, and…it's

BELONGING IN SCHOOL

one of the most populated state of Tongans there and I know one of

A common theme in our interviews was that

their schools, they had the Tongan

NH/PI youth often feel as though they are not

mat on the wall decoration 'cause

as valued and visible in the school setting as their peers. One Tongan student shared, “It just brings me back to my cousin's school. He goes

there's that many Tongans and just seeing that low-key almost

to Utah, and…it's one of the most populated

made me cry. I'm like -

state of Tongans there and I know one of their

‘Wow, I wish I had that.’”

schools, they had the Tongan mat on the wall decoration 'cause there's that many Tongans and just seeing that low-key almost made me cry. I'm like, ‘Wow, I wish I had that.’”

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Educators also observe how this lack of representation affects their NH/PI youth, with one educator sharing “they're not reflected in the curriculum. At all. Or celebrated in their buildings for who they are as people.”

Another educator shared:

“Our district has this goal of increasing sense of belonging. But I don't think sense of belonging can truly happen when we don't start to be very intentional about the spaces that we are in and creating those spaces in which are familiar and helpful to our students…”

This educator also spoke about creating a Pacific Islander club at their school to connect students in the celebration of NH/PI cultures.

These challenges to belonging are only heightened for QTPI youth who navigate an additional and complex layer of identity and belonging. Referring to QTPI being bullied and

alienated, one educator shared: “Now as far as the bullying, we've still seen and witnessed a lot of cultural change that needs to happen within the staff part of things, making sure that they're educated with some of the trainings we do have at [organization] that are available to them.”

One important way to engage NH/PI students is to teach their histories and allow students to engage with their own cultures in an academic setting (See Section 6).

AFFIRMING SPACES & COMMUNITY CARE FOR QTPI STUDENTS Research has shown that affirming spaces, supportive parents, and community are protective factors for LGBTQIA+ youth mental health.58–61 Camacho et al.40 found colonization creates disruptions to QTPI connectedness to their cultures, communities, families, and ancestors that proliferating the exclusion and policing of QTPI belonging within their Pasifika communities. Fostering connectedness through cultural values like Inágofli’e’ (care and affirmation) and alofa (love and respect) through extended kinship networks like chosen families and community care can also improve the wellbeing of QTPI youth, by mending the connectedness and cultural belonging of QTPI youth within their school and local communities.

Though we do not have specific data on affirming spaces or parental relationshipsand support for QTPI’s gender and sexual orientation from the Healthy Youth Survey, the Trevor project found that nationally 56% of QTPI youth in their study had access to LGBTQIA+ affirming spaces at school, yet only 27% of QTPI youth had access to affirming

homes.60 Affirming community spaces were also available to 15% of QTPI. From our conversations with educators who work with QTPI students, we found that QTPI and other Queer and Transgender Black, Indigenous, and students of color (QTBIPoC) often find it challenging to find LGBTQIA+ affirming spaces at their schools that can affirm their identities in their entirety. QTPI students often must negotiate their belonging among NH/PI and LGBTQIA+ students separately and find it challenging to have spaces that affirm both their Indigenous/cultural identities and their gender/sexuality. As one Sāmoan QTPI educator notes “having people who are identified with the community on school sites, but also connected to them culturally, has been a game changer for them.”

QTPI students have found a sense of belonging and support within some NH/PI cultural groups in their communities or associated with their schools when QTPI educators are present and able to support the development of their culturally specific identities. These spaces help to promote QTPI students’ overall safety, wellbeing, and cultural identity development by fostering a safe and affirming community among other NH/PI students. As the same educator shares about QTPI community presence in schools: “When I hear a young Sāmoan fa’afafine declare themselves out loud as a fa’afafineversus non-binary or trans...It's cultural celebration because we're empowering ourselves through our cultural identities... Even in our Pacific student body we're seeing a shift, because we're at the forefront of teaching, whether it's cultural

dance, whether it's those handicrafts, or making regalia for our performances...We're seeing our young men honor pronouns, honor the identities of Fa’afafine, and Māhū, and Vakasalewalewa individuals in schools.”

NH/PI STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH Although Western conceptions of mental health do not fully reflect the relational wellbeing described in Section 1, they still offer insight into NH/PI youths’ overall wellness and reflect areas where school environments may fall short in nurturing positive relationships.

Overall, these data highlight a concerning presence of mental health challenges among NH/PI youth in Washington schools. Chamorro (53%), Marshallese (42%), and Native Hawaiian (39%), and other combined NH/PI (45%) youth were especially prone to depressive symptoms. Educators working with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students raised concerns around the challenges experienced by their students: “I've noticed…students needing to navigate… the bicultural-ness of, like moving through spaces one way at home and in cultural settings, and then different ways at school.

Statewide, NH/PI youth exhibited the highest rate of depression symptoms of all major racial and ethnic groups, with 2 in 5 (40%) reporting a period of two weeks or more of feeling depressed in the past year.

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FIGURE 16: DEPRESSION BY NH/PI COMMUNITY, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY 60% 50%

53%

40%

42%

30%

45%

39%

31%

20%

35% 23%

10%

And just like the load, the mental and the emotional load that it takes to do those things and not always having a safe place to say that that's hard or to process with it or to be with other students who do it as well.”

(c om bi ne d)

N H /P I O th er

O th er

N H /P I

(n ot lis te d)

To ng an

Sā m oa n

H aw ai ia n N at iv e

M ar sh al le se

Ch am or ro

0%

Anxiety problems were common among NH/PI youth, with more than 1 in 3 (34%) NH/PI youth reporting at

Mirroring depression data, Chamorro (53%), Marshallese (42%), and Native Hawaiian (39%), and other combined NH/PI youth (41%) reported especially high levels of anxiety problems.

least mild anxiety.

FIGURE 17: ANXIETY BY NH/PI COMMUNITY, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY 50% 40% 30% 20%

41%

40%

38% 28%

24%

10%

31% 20%

(c om bi ne d)

N H /P I O th er

O th er

N H /P I

(n ot lis te d)

To ng an

Sā m oa n

H aw ai ia n N at iv e

M ar sh al le se

Ch am or ro

0%

FIGURE 18: THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE BY NH/PI COMMUNITY, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY

26%

24%

20%

youth report having

(c om bi ne d)

N H /P I O th er

N H /P I O th er

Nearly 1 in 5 (19%) NH/PI

(n ot lis te d)

13%

To ng an

Sā m oa n

14%

N at iv e

H aw ai ia n

18%

M ar sh al le se

24%

Ch am or ro

30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

to check in with youth in ways that youth feel more comfortable with.

Chamorro (24%), Marshallese (24%), and other combined NH/PI (26%) youth all reported particularly high rates of thoughts of suicide.

One educator shared: “I was talking to one of my girls, they're just like, ‘Why would I talk to somebody that's not PI? They're not gonna get it.’ It's just… something about them not seeing people like them really bothers them, and then it shuts them out and they don't wanna talk to them.” These additional roles taken on by staff are often overlooked and typically lack formal compensation or recognition.

Even when mental health needs are recognized, atangible stigma still exists among the NH/PI community that can prevent NH/PI youth from seeking out services.62 Within NH/PI communities, mental health stigma poses a barrier to accessing these supports, and finding culturally responsive care can be challenging.62 Our Community Advisory Board highlighted that because few NH/PI educators are employed by OSPI, other school staff and paraeducators who share NH/PI identities may serve as confidants and counselors for youth. Due to shared cultural understanding, these trusted adults may have opportunities

Our results clearly demonstrate a need for policies and systems of care for NH/PI students that address their mental health and school safety challenges. These issues are also further exacerbated for NH/PI students experiencing interlocking systems of oppression such as NH/PI Students who are Multiracial, QTPI, and Disabled. Culturalapproaches to providing safe and affirming spaces and mental health care for students should consider existing models of care for these specific intersectional experiences. Educators and school staff play crucial roles in the promotion of the belonging

thoughts of suicide at least once in the past year.

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and wellbeing of NH/PI students. We recommend acknowledging these supplementary roles played by staff, either through formal compensation or informal recognition.

We further encourage access to mental health support. In addition, it is important to continue to build out mental health staffing and programming in schools and to ensure they are known and accessible to all students. Finally, partnering with community members and organizations to reduce barriers to student mental health engagement is a promising direction.

RECOMMENDATION 5.1: Educators and administrators should be aware of the high rates of mental health challenges experienced by NH/PI students at Washington public schools.

RECOMMENDATION 5.2: Washington public schools should continue to invest in the school mental health workforce, and particularly in recruiting and training a diverse mental health workforce that includes NH/PI representation.

RECOMMENDATION 5.3:

MENTAL HEALTH FOR NH/PI STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

NH/PI educators and paraprofessionals

Disability status affected the mental health experiences of NH/PI students. NH/PI students with disabilities or chronic health conditions. Disability status affected the mental health experiences of NH/PI students.

NH/PI students with disabilities or chronic health conditions also experienced compounding challenges, as they were much more likely to experience mental health problems than those without disabilities.

Whereas 59% of NH/PI youth who identified themselves as having a disability or chronic health condition shared that they had

other than teachers often act as informal counselors and should be supported and compensated for this work, and opportunities for continuing education should be provided.

symptoms of depression, only 33% of those without such a condition endorsed depression. The same was true for anxiety (50% for those with a disability or health condition, 27% for those without).

FIGURE 19: NH/PI MENTAL HEALTH BY DISABILITY STATUS, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY

60% 50%

50%

30% 10%

NO DISABILITY

59%

56%

40% 20%

DISABILITY

33%

27%

16%

29% 15%

0% Any mental health

Depression screen

Anxiety screen

Thoughts of suicide

MENTAL HEALTH FOR MULTIRACIAL NH/PI STUDENTS

discrimination and ethno-racial identity as

The existing data on mental health for

expectations at home and at school can put a

multiracial youth is mixed, while some

strain on their sense of wellbeing, in addition

report strong mental wellbeing, others face

to their ability to cope with related stressors

significant mental health challenges. This is

like racism, marginalization, and stereotyping.

key influencing factors3839 For multiracial NH/ PI youth, navigating multiple cultures and

not necessarily surprising given the multiple subgroups and varied circumstances (e.g.,

Our data from the 2023 Healthy Youth Survey

socioeconomic status, history of migration,

showed comparable but slightly higher rates

primary language spoken, etc.) within the

of mental health challenges experienced by

multiracial individual experience

multiracial NH/PI youth compared to

3839

Previous

studies have similarly found that in general,

monoracial NH/PI youth in WA. Nearly twice

multiracial individuals have poorer mental

as many multiracial NH/PI youth reported

health outcomes than their monoracial

having any mental health condition,

peers. However, outcomes vary by ethnic

compared to monoracial NH/PI youth (33%

subgroup and context, with

vs. 18%).

FIGURE 20: NH/PI MENTAL HEALTH BY MULTIRACIAL STATUS, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY

40% 30% 20%

40%

MULTIRACIAL

MONORACIAL

40% 35%

33%

31% 19%

18%

18%

10% 0% Any mental health

Depression screen

Anxiety screen

Thoughts of suicide

MENTAL HEALTH FOR QTPI STUDENTS

continue to struggle with mental health,

While HYS data and our qualitative

affirmation within networks developed

interviews suggest that QTPI students

among their QTPI peers and through

belonging at school and at home, and safety; QTPI students continue to find care and

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

50

community care and relationships with

In a recent study in 2021 by the Trevor Project

paraeducators. As one student notes:

that surveyed a National Sample of LGBTQ youth aged 13-24, Price et al60 found that among QTPI youth participants (n ~ 108), 70% experienced anxiety and 62% reported having

“Yeah, being around other

depression. Within their sample, they also

people who are like me, it’s

found that 65% of QTPI youth had reported

been really opening...they care,

self-harm, 49% had reported seriously

they have all that confidence, they

considering suicide in the last year, and 20% attempted suicide in the previous year. These

live their truth. It made me want

rates, excluding depression, are higher than

to be like them. They inspire me

all AAPI LGBTQIA+ youth combined and

to live my truth. Don’t care

surveyed in the study. This report provides a national study to compare our findings on

about what anyone else has

QTPI K-12 students.

to say. Period.”

TABLE 07: MENTAL HEALTH BY QTPI STATUS, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY

Mental Health Measure

QTPI

Straight & Cisgender NH/PI

Rate Ratio QTPI: S&C

Any Mental Health Condition

56%

22%

2.55

Depression Screen

65%

34%

1.91

Anxiety Screen

54%

29%

1.86

Thoughts of Suicide

35%

15%

2.33

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

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In our study, we find similar trends of mental health experiences among QTPI youth.

Overall, QTPI students who participated in the HYS had higher rates of mental health challenges compared to straight and cisgender NH/P students. Overall, 56% of QTPI students reported having any mental health condition – 2.55 times the rate of their straight and cisgender NH/PI peers. QTPI also experienced depression and anxiety at rates 1.91 times higher than straight and cisgender NH/PI students. QTPI students were also 2.33 times more likely to report thoughts of suicide than straight and cisgender NH/PI students (see Table 07).

Approximately 72% of Trans QTPI students reported having depression – a rate 2.2 times higher than all cisgender NH/PI students.

Though Trans QTPI students experienced anxiety at similar rates to NH/PI cisgender female students (47%), QTPI Trans students experienced anxiety at a rate 2.4 times higher than NH/PI cisgender male students (20%) and 1.7 times higher than all cisgender students combined (27%). The most distinct finding was that 67% of Trans QTPI students experienced thoughts of suicide, a rate 2.8 times higher than cisgender NH/PI students (24%).

FIGURE 21: MENTAL HEALTH BY BY GENDER, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY 80% 72% 60%

49%

40% 35% 20%

67%

61% 47%

47%

31% 20%

20%

22%

15%

0%

Any mental health CISGENDER FEMALE

Depression screen

Anxiety screen

CISGENDER MALE

TRANSGENDER

We assessed mental health disparities between Transgender (Trans) QTPI students compared to cisgender NH/PI Students.

Roughly 56 % Trans QTPI students reported having any mental health condition, 2.3 times the rate of cisgender NH/PI students.

Thoughts of suicide

We also examined mental health disparities between lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) QTPI students compared to Straight NH/PI students. We found that LGBQ QTPI students (55%) reported having any mental health condition at a rate 2.5 times that of

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

52

straight NH/PI students (22%), with higher anxiety and depression rates compared to straight and cisgender students. LGBQ NH/PI students (34%) also experience thoughts of suicide 2.3 times higher than Straight NH/PI students (15%).

schools and disconnection from educators and fellow students. Washington student data from the 2023 Healthy Youth Survey35 found that 1 in 4 (25%) NH/PI students reported experiencing any bullying in the past year, a prevalence comparable to the other major racial and ethnic groups (19%-32%). Around 1 in 4 NH/PI youth (24%) reported that they had been bullied due to their race (24%), compared to only 12% of White youth and 19-28% of other major racial and ethnic groups. An even greater proportion (40%) reported they were treated unfairly due to their race. Similar to race-based bullying, White youth were less likely to experience unfair treatment (20%), and non-White racial or ethnic groups were more likely to experience unfair treatment (34%-51%).

NH/PI STUDENT SAFETY AND DISCRIMINATION Another important aspect of wellbeing is whether students feel accepted and safe in the school environment. Bullying and discrimination can disrupt this sense of safety and belonging, leading to detachment from

FIGURE 22: ANY PAST-YEAR BULLYING, PRESENTED BY NH/PI COMMUNITY, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY 35% 30% 27%

25%

24%

20% 15%

31%

29% 25% 21%

17%

10% 5%

(c om bi ne d)

O th er

N H /P I

(n ot lis te d)

N H /P I

To ng an O th er

Sā m oa n

H aw ai ia n

N at iv e

M ar sh al le se

Ch am or ro

0%

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

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Disaggregated data show areas of concern, with NH/PI subgroups that are not represented in the Healthy Youth Survey data collection form (write-in responses) and smaller groups whose data were too small to display individually (Chuukese, Kosraean, Palauan, Yapese) experiencing the highest rates of bullying and feeling unsafe at school. Notably, non-Polynesian NH/PI communities can also be marginalized when it comes to representation within NH/PI spaces. An educator shared that this

diversity takes time and effort to understand: “It's tricky because again, Pacific Islanders like, they're not, they're not a one lump sum… Chuukese values and culture is similar and yet different to Marshallese values and culture, which is similar and yet different to Tongan values and culture. And Sāmoa and Hawai‘i.” When NH/PI students have intersecting marginalized identities, such as multiracial identities or identities as sexual or gender minorities, rates of victimization can be even higher.

FIGURE 23: FEELING UNSAFE AT SCHOOL, PRESENTED BY NH/PI COMMUNITY, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY

19%

15%

19%

18%

22%

22%

(c om bi ne d)

20%

(n ot lis te d)

25% 20%

15%

10% 5%

N H /P I O th er

O th er

N H /P I

To ng an

Sā m oa n

H aw ai ia n N at iv e

M ar sh al le se

Ch am or ro

0%

BULLYING & SAFETY AMONG NH/PI STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

disproportionate rates compared to NH/PI

According to our analyses of the Healthy

disability or chronic health condition than for

Youth Survey Data, NH/PI students with

those without, including bullying based on

disabilities also experience bullying at

race or LGBT status.

students without disabilities. Bullying for any reason was also higher for those with a

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FIGURE 24: BULLYING AND SAFETY FOR NH/PI STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY

DISABILITY

NO DISABILITY

60% 53%

50% 40% 30%

33%

35%

32%

20%

32%

29%

26%

21%

18%

15%

10%

11%

9%

0% Bullied

Bullied based on race

Treated unfairly based on race

BULLYING & SAFETY FOR MULTIRACIAL NH/PI STUDENTS

Bullied based on LGBT

Cyber-bullied

Feel unsafe at school

for multiracial NH/PI youth. Twenty-six percent of multiracial NH/PI youth reported

According to Healthy Youth Survey data,

past-year bullying, compared with 22% of

bullying was also somewhat more common

monoracial NH/PI youth.

35

FIGURE 25: BULLYING AND SAFETY FOR MULTIRACIAL NH/PI STUDENTS, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY

MULTIRACIAL

MONORACIAL

50% 44%

40%

33%

30% 20%

26%

22%

24% 24% 17%

10%

13%

16% 17%

21%

17%

0% Bullied

Bullied based on race

Treated unfairly based on race

Bullied based on LGBT

Cyber-bullied

Feel unsafe at school

BULLYING & SAFETY OF QTPI K-12 STUDENTS

Washington experienced higher levels of bullying compared to their straight and cisgender NH/PI peers.

Nationally, QTPI youth experience discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation at high levels. Among QTPI who completed the Trevor project survey, 77% experienced discrimination based on gender identity and 65% experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation.60 In Washington’s HYS, we found that among QTPI students, 34% of students were bullied based on perceived LGBTQIA+ status. Though these statistics are lower, we found that generally 34% of those who identified as LGBQ reported being bullied compared to 15% of straight students. Among Trans QTPI students, 40% reported being bullied compared to 19% of cisgender students. Overall QTPI students in

Safety is an important factor that impacts students' ability to participate and engage in school and overall wellbeing. Nationally among QTPI who participated in the Trevor Project’s survey, 22% experienced physical threat or harm.60 From our analyses of HYS data, we’ve found that 36% of QTPI students felt unsafe at school compared to 18% of NH/PI straight and cisgender students overall.

When broken down by gender and sexual orientation, we found in Washington, 31% of Trans QTPI students felt unsafe at school compared to 15% of cisgender NH/PI students. We also found that 35% of LGBQ QTPI students felt unsafe at school compared to 19% of NH/PI straight students.

TABLE 08: SAFETY STATUS AMONG QTPI GROUPS

Feels Unsafe at School

QTPI Group

NH/PI Straight and Cisgender

Rate Ratio QTPI:SNH/PI

QTPI vs Straight and Cisgender NH/PI

36%

18%

2

Trans QTPI vs Cisgender NH/PI

55%

20%

2.75

LGBQ QTPI vs Straight NH/PI

35%

19%

1.84

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

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We found that among all students within

These statistics provided from the HYS were

our HYS sample, including straight students,

further substantiated by stories provided by

between 12% and 20% of NH/PI students

educators of QTPI students who discuss the

experienced bullying based on perceived

implications of bullying on their QTPI

LGBT status. In one interview with non-QTPI

students’ wellbeing. In our interviews,

students they note that when NH/PI boys

educators express concern for their QTPI

wear cultural attire to school, other non-NH/

students’ wellbeing and educational

PI students would label their cultural attire

success. They note that QTPI students

as “gay”, perpetuating anti-LGBT bullying

experience oppression through social

onto NH/PI students. Experiences of

exclusion, bullying, and identity policing by

homophobia and transphobia impact all

other students and school staff. These

students, not just those who identify as

instances create barriers to QTPI students’

QTPI. This prejudice infringes on the

engagement in school and their wellbeing.

wellbeing of all NH/PI students and

According to one Marshallese educator, her

establishes an educational environment in

Trans Marshallese student “didn't finish

which Indigenous Pasifika peoples often feel

high school. I think they stopped at

they have no option but to assimilate to the

Sophomore. Because they couldn't handle

dominant culture due to safety concerns.

the jokes and making fun of.”

FIGURE 26: BULLYING BASED ON PERCEIVED LGBT STATUS, 2023 HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY

20%

20% 18%

17%

15%

10%

19%

18%

13%

12%

5%

(c om bi ne d)

O th er

N H /P I

(n ot lis te d)

O th er

N H /P I

To ng an

Sā m oa n

H aw ai ia n N at iv e

M ar sh al le se

Ch am or ro

0%

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

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Safety and belonging can have serious

NH/PI specific cultural programming within

effects on the educational success of QTPI

schools, and into culturally specific trainings

students. As QTPI and NH/PI educators

for educators working with NH/PI students

noted commonly, QTPI students have the

on resources available within our

additional challenge of negotiating between

communities here in Washington state

their safety in school and their educational

including UTOPIA WA’s youth programs. We

success, sometimes with a lack of support

also note that finding available data on

from educators. This is not a decision any

QTPI-specific needs that are disaggregated

student should have to make, yet, our QTPI

is challenging. Existing datasets, including

students continue to face this reality daily.

data from OSPI and ERDC, do not contain adequate information on the gender and

Aligning with OSPI and Superintendent

sexuality of students. The current collection

Reykdal’s commitments to support

methods for gender and sexual orientation

LGBTQIA+ student's needs, our study’s

data in the Healthy Youth Survey also do not

findings on QTPI resilience and with existing

contain spaces to acknowledge or identify

literature on Indigenous and QTBIPoC youth

culturally specific genders or sexualities. We

suggest a need to interweave Queer and

hope that future efforts to collect this data

Trans stories, histories, and experiences

align with the data sovereignty and policy

into the development of Native Hawaiian

goals of NH/PI communities here in

and Pacific Islander studies curriculum,

Washington state.

RECOMMENDATION 5.4: Aligning with OSPI and Superintendent Reykdal’s commitments to support LGBTQIA+ student's needs, interweave Queer and Trans stories, histories, and experiences into the development of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander studies curriculum, cultural programming within schools, and in-service training for educators who work with NH/PI students. These trainings should include information about existing supports in the community for QTPI youth.

RECOMMENDATION 5.5: Work with the QTPI community to improve data collection methods for gender and sexual orientation data, as currently-available data do not contain spaces to acknowledge or identify culturally specific genders or sexualities.

6

INFUSING NH/PI CULTURES AND HISTORIES INTO K-12 EDUCATION

A consistent and emphatic theme shared by our NH/PI student and educator interviewees, as well as by our Community Advisory Board, was the importance of bringing Pasifika culture into the educational environment to build student engagement and investment in the school community. American schools have a history as colonial structures that have eliminated Indigenous identities through assimilation and erasure of Indigenous ideas, knowledge, and ways of existing.63 Native Hawaiian students, for example, grapple with the erasure of Hawaiian language that took

identities and their Indigenous identities are at odds.64 For some, this means they must reject one in favor of the other, or, sometimes, reject both.64–66 In our study, we found that students disidentified with being Indigenous because of a desire to assimilate into American culture and school and held internalized anti-Indigenous beliefs where perceiving a lack a connection to place or culture made them perceive themselves as less Indigenous. This experience is encapsulated in students’ understanding of indigeneity.

place through the US education system after US annexation of Hawai‘i. Only in 1978 was ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian Language) reinstated as an official language in the state of Hawai‘i. As reflected in our interviews, some NH/PI students mistrust the school system to have the best interests of Pasifika youth and their communities in mind. Existing curriculum, teaching styles, and behavior management reflect Western values and knowledge, which widens the disconnection NH/PI students have

“Like Hawaiian is considered Indigenous, right? But like I separate sort of, because I’m like a little bit Hawaiian. So, I more identify as Tongan and Sāmoan.

So that’s why I don’t really identify as Indigenous. “

with school. In the following section we explore this disconnection between students and the school environment and explore how cultural curriculum and cultural accommodations can help to rebuild this connection.

DISRUPTIONS TO IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AND CULTURAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS NH/PI students can feel their educational

“For me, I feel like being born there is important, but like being raised there is like a bigger factor 'cause I was born in Sāmoa, but I wasn't really raised there and like I was raised the ways, but like, not like, how my parents were raised.”

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Pasifika students often do not see their cultures, histories, identities, or Indigenous peoples represented in standard US curriculum despite the US’s long-standing history of colonial engagements in Oceania.

In our study, educators and students alike noted how representation in curriculum of Indigenous Pasifika cultures, histories, and pedagogical practice impacted students’ engagement, attendance, and performance in school. One Marshallese student noted:

“You want to feel included and represented. We mostly hear about bad events, but I also want to learn how we came together as people – how we survived and thrived.”

Without positive examples of the strengths of their communities, the vitality of their cultures, the power of their identities, and the histories of their peoples’ survivance and resilience, NH/PI youth often lack encouraging narratives that can nurture their hopes and dreams. Terminal narrative stereotypes – stereotypes that Indigenous people are dead or dying – can deplete NH/PI youths’ ability to see themselves as valuable and capable in education. Despite these challenges, communities in Washington have worked to overcome these challenges

by developing curriculum for different school districts, providing community youth development programming, and after school programs to teach students about their culture, their histories, and support healthy Indigenous identity development. As noted by many of the educators in our study, community also fills these gaps through cultural programs at churches, cultural dance, and broadly creating community for QTPI students. By encouraging schools to teach NH/PI and non-NH/PI students through culturally aligned and relevant lessons about NH/PI histories, communities, and cultural heritages, NH/PI students can experience greater belonging at their schools.64,67–71

PROMOTING BELONGING & HEALING THROUGH CULTURAL EDUCATION

Despite these challenges, schools can build connection with NH/PI students and communities by honoring Pasifika identities and allowing these identities to be celebrated in the school setting. Feeling a sense of belonging in their educational environments, having safe spaces to develop a strong cultural identity, being in community, and having a positive selfperception of their racial/ethnic background are protective factors for Black, Indigenous, and students of color’s mental health and wellbeing.72 Providing Indigenous and culturally-specific curriculum allows for processes of collective grief and healing for students whose ancestors experienced the

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trauma of colonization.73,74 Historical trauma

and accommodating cultural protocols

scholars note that these processes of

through existing practices. Although

collective grief are important to addressing

Washington state schools currently lack a

the deleterious impacts of historical trauma

curriculum specifically designed for NH/PI

on the biopsychosocial, holistic, and spiritual

students’ development, some communities

wellbeing of Indigenous children and

have designed and implemented programs

communities.

that celebrate and engage NH/PI culture and

23,75

Despite these challenges,

schools can build connection with NH/PI

values into formal, recognized education that

students and communities by honoring

counts toward graduation. To demonstrate

Pasifika identities and allowing these

the impact and potential of these programs,

identities to be celebrated in the school

we present three examples from Indigenous

setting. Feeling a sense of belonging in their

and NH/PI communities:

educational environments, having safe spaces to develop a strong cultural identity, being in community, and having a positive self-perception of their racial/ethnic background are protective factors for Black, Indigenous, and students of color’s mental health and wellbeing.72 Providing Indigenous and culturally-specific curriculum allows for processes of collective grief and healing for students whose ancestors experienced the trauma of colonization.73,74 Historical trauma scholars note that these processes of collective grief are important to addressing the deleterious impacts of historical trauma on the biopsychosocial, holistic, and spiritual wellbeing of Indigenous children and communities.23,75 Through our interviews and through existing partnerships with community, we provide examples of these kinds of programs conducted in schools in partnership with community organizations that are improving the educational wellbeing and experiences of NH/PI youth in WA. In the following section, we explore these programs and extrapolate ways to build connection, community, and achievement for NH/PI students by integrating culture into formal curriculum

THE MANA YOUTH PROGRAM Through partnerships with several Pierce and King County schools, United Territories Of Pacific Islanders Alliance of Washington (UTOPIA WA) runs a program to cultivate leadership, safety, and cultural identity among QTPI, QTBIPoC, and NH/PI youth.

The program aims to nurture a deep reconnection of students to their Indigenous identity, cultural knowledge, and ancestral power. By empowering QTPI, QTBIPoC and NH/PI students through navigation to embrace their most authentic selves and reclaim their narratives, this program helps to improve the wellbeing and academic success of these students. UTOPIA WA’s program centers QTPI and QTBIPoC voices within culturally responsive programming such as their ‘Ala Mai cultural program that teaches students Siva Sāmoa (traditional Sāmoan dance) and other Pacific cultural practices, their culturally rooted care management, and their Nuanua knowledge corner. These programs allow students the ability to explore their cultural identities and histories to support them in thriving along their educational journeys.

MARSHALLESE CULTURE & LANGUAGE PROGRAM IN EASTERN WASHINGTON

ADVANCING NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURAL PROGRAMS IN ENUMCLAW

In one Eastern Washington school district a Marshallese culture and language elective course designed and implemented by Marshallese community members was noted by a paraeducator who participated in our study to improve Marshallese student engagement in school, their relationships with their families, their attendance in classes, and their graduation rates. This course was designed to better support Marshallese student’s Indigenous identity development by promoting Marshallese language use, culturally appropriate pedagogies to teach core subject matter, and Marshallese specific curriculum centered around Marshallese histories, values, and cultural ways of being. As this educator noted:

Work with Washington’s Native American tribes also provides convincing evidence of the value of integrating culture into schools.

“Big difference than, you know, there wasn't any program like this. So, there, every time they see us, they're like thank you for, you know, taking care of our student. We see that their friends now, they go to sleep early at night now they don't stay on their electronic, because of course we give them assignment, right? Write about your jowi. You know, write about your family history. Write about your family tree. So they're always having something to look forward to bringing back in their home language, you know? So, we have good report, good feedback from the community and even their school.

They are really supportive 100% of the program.”

In 2014, only 60% of Native American students graduated from Enumclaw High School. After hiring a cultural programs manager and implementing key changes, Enumclaw High School graduated 100% of Native students in the following year, and graduation rates remained above 80% in the following years as well.

These changes included cultural training for staff, historically accurate and culturally-focused curriculum about Native Americans, and celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day. In addition, students in the Enumclaw School District are able to receive up to 4 credits in core requirements for participating in culturally-based curriculum such as the Canoe Journey. The Canoe Journey curriculum was designed to be adapted by tribal communities using their unique tribal traditions, practices, beliefs, values and stories to teach youth the skills they need to navigate life’s journey, and to promote a sense of belonging to their tribal community. The curriculum uses the Pacific Northwest Tribal Canoe Journey as a metaphor for life.

Traditional stories, cultural activities and speakers from the community are woven into each chapter.

RECOMMENDATION 6.1: Community- and educator-driven efforts to include culture in curriculum should receive support and recognition, including granting course credit via Mastery-Based Learning for participation in culturally-based educational activities.

RECOMMENDATION 6.2: Schools should provide regular opportunities for engagement between NH/PI communities and school communities. Language services can make these events productive and transformative.

CULTURAL ACCOMMODATIONS, GRIEVING, & FAMILIAL RESPONSIBILITY

These needs are sadly common among NH/PI students as NH/PI in WA are disproportionately impacted by chronic illness, have the second lowest life expectancy rate,

Death, funerals, and grief are sacred moments

and the second highest rate of mortality in the

in the lives of NH/PI peoples. Across Oceania

state of WA.78–80 For example, during COVID-

there are distinct practices and ceremonies

19, NH/PI had one the highest age-adjusted

that are held after the death of a loved one,

mortality rates (954.4 per 100,000) among

such as Fa’alavelave and Fiafia in Sāmoa,

racial groups in WA and ranked highest in

Lisåyu & Entieru in Guåhan and the Mariana

several other regions of the US.78–80 Thus,

Islands, Ilomij and Eraak in the Marshall

NH/PI students must often take time off

Islands in the Marshall Islands. These are

school to engage in these cultural

extended periods of time when families

responsibilities and grieve the loss of loved

gather to grieve and honor the life of their

ones. These responsibilities and protocols can

loved one, conducting ceremony to lay their

include needs to travel to their home islands,

family member to rest. Ceremonies and rituals

to other states, or hosting family in their

take place in alignment with cultural protocols

homes from out of state for these ceremonies.

and community expectations during these

As family is at the center of NH/PI cultures and

periods, and can last anywhere from 1 week

NH/PI wellbeing, NH/PI students need

to 1 month.

accommodations from school to be

76

77

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

63

present for their families in these moments.

one of her Chuukese students had a family member who passed, the student had to miss

Students should not have to choose

roughly a month of school to support their

between responsibility to be in class and

family and participate in bereavement

responsibility to familial, cultural, and

ceremony.

religious obligations.

“It had actually just happened, and this was a Despite the superseding importance of

Chuukese family and someone in the family

funerals and time needed for bereavement,

had died. And their family, their immediate

NH/PI students and families often experience

family is like the hub family. And so when

challenges when needing to have youth with

the family member died...their family was

their families during ceremonies, when they

the one that hosted everybody for like a

conflict with schoolwork and school time.

month...So they missed a lot of school during

Conflict arises between teachers and students

that month and then when they left, Mom

for many reasons, including lack of

kept the girls home for another three days to

communication between teachers and

clean the house...And all the teacher is saying

parents due to distrust or language barriers,

is ‘Well, they don't come to school and I

gaps in policies to address extended absences

emailed home and I never heard anything.’

within schools for extended bereavement,

Well, you didn't hear anything because they

and a lack of trust and relationship strength

were mourning for a month.”

between educators and students due to experiences of racism and colonialism at

The challenges between absenteeism and

school.

bereavement lends itself to a greater issue within our state’s education system, the

In our interviews, educators expressed

struggle for schools to offer cultural

concern about truancy rates among NH/PI

accommodations for NH/PI, Indigenous, and

students. In Washington state NH/PI students

students of color who need to participate in

average a higher number of unexcused

these ceremonies and engage in culturally

absences per year (36.7 absences in the past

appropriate grief processes when they lose

year) when compared to the full student

loved ones within their family and to fulfill

population (23.8). Excused absences, in

their cultural responsibilities to support others

contrast, are comparable to the overall rates

grieving within their family. Our qualitative

(20.2 vs. 19.7). Educators with strong practices

data also showed that some students found it

and pedagogies centering cultural humility

challenging to share when they needed

acknowledged NH/PI students often miss

support from their teachers. One Chamoru

class unexcused for extended periods of time

student noted that their grandmother had

due to bereavement and familial

just passed away and that they didn’t feel

responsibilities to participate in bereavement

comfortable approaching their teacher to ask

ceremonies. One educator stated that when

for support while they took time off to

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

64

participate in bereavement ceremony even

Rather than condemning and punishing

though they had a test that day.

students for missing class for familial and cultural responsibilities, schools and

“She actually passed away like a few weeks

educators must be more aware of these

ago. But well, she can't really be here for me

cultural accommodation needs of NH/PI

no more, but I feel like she would have done

students for extended bereavement. Schools

as much as she could support me...And I feel

and school districts should re-assess their

like all she had there for me was moral

absenteeism policies to offer and strive to

support...tomorrow I have to miss class for

establish a system that honors the cultural

her viewing and we have a test in English

needs of NH/PI students while engaging them

tomorrow...I didn't tell them the reason I'm

in opportunities to learn so that they can be

missing school. I feel like, well, yeah, I don't

with their families during heavy and

feel like I'm connected to them...I don't really

challenging periods of time and keep up with

want them to feel sorry for me or the

their schoolwork. In one interview an

attention...”

educator shared a story of one of her students who had to travel to abroad to be

Often when stories were shared by educators

with her sick parent:

who understood the cultural needs for extended bereavement or other familial

“Just last year, I had a student who has a very

responsibilities tied to death such as spending

sick mother and you know there were times

time with a dying relative or sharing caregiving

where she couldn't come to school or they

responsibilities with family, they shared how

end up having going to Aotearoa and had to

their colleagues who were not knowledgeable

deal with family stuff. She just missed a lot of

to these needs would get upset with students

school. She had one teacher that was more

missing class, leaning on negative stereotypes

focused on the fact that she was missing

to explain behaviors of students and their

school and missing her class. Never had a

families.

conversation with her about why, what's going on, didn't check in. You know, basic

Our interviews demonstrate biases educators

kind of human things, she never had a

have of NH/PI students being lazy or not

conversation with her. Instead, she was just

prioritizing and valuing their education,

focused on the fact that she wasn't in her

among other stereotypes as common

class and wasn't willing to work with her on

explanations for why students miss class.

getting in a paper late or anything, and just

Having to choose between family, culture, and

said, you're going to fail my class.“

school is an impossible decision to make for NH/PI students in the WA K-12 education

To our knowledge, there are currently no

system.

formal policies in Washington’s K-12 education

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

65

system that address student needs for

Without these supports, we found that NH/PI

extended bereavement for students, including

students are more likely to disengage from

accommodations for the length of time needed

school or have unexcused absences, negatively

for cultural bereavement ceremonies.

impacting their cultural identity development, mental wellbeing, learning, and academic

Furthermore, such accommodations should

achievement. Creating a system that cares for

enable students to engage with their families

and celebrates NH/PI students will,

and cultural practices without jeopardizing

undoubtedly, have profound effects on their

academic achievement tied to classroom

success within the K-12 education system in

attendance.

WA.

RECOMMENDATION 6.3: Students and families should not be forced to choose between family obligations and school obligations. NH/PI may miss school when cultural protocols (e.g., around funerals, death, and grieving) necessitate travel or remaining at home.

Outreach and accommodation from educators can go a long way towards keeping students connected to school during these periods.

7

UPLIFTING EDUCATOR REPRESENTATION AND DEVELOPING CULTURAL HUMILITY

In Washington state, NH/PI educators and

Another educator shared the potential they

their allies serve as advocates for NH/PI

see for NH/PI students, and the viability of a

students. However, underrepresentation in

career in education: “My hopes are that each

the NH/PI teacher workforce creates

and every one of them will become a school

challenges for NH/PI students who rarely see

counselor and a teacher…we're represented

themselves reflected by role models within

in sports; we're represented in government

schools and within standard curricula. NH/PI

back in our home countries. I just really want

students consistently reported feeling invisible,

them to be an educator… I mean, you know,

misunderstood, or stereotyped by educators

money wise in Washington state is actually

who were not from their communities in

pretty good…I really want our students to see

interviews. Within schools, NH/PI students who

that we can be educators too. We have been

did have access to NH/PI educators,

teachers for thousands of years. We have

paraeducators, or non-NH/PI teachers who

storytelling skills, oral skills. We navigated

had pedagogical practices rooted in cultural

through oceans and that that's a big one… I

humility, noted the immense impact, support,

really want our students to believe that about

safety, engagement, and trust that these

themselves, that they are capable of a wide

educators provided.

variety of careers and skills and trade so that we can see more of them there.”

Having teachers and role models who are NH/PI in schools benefited students’ educational wellbeing, because it established trusting and safe relationships to learn. As one NH/PI paraeducator shared: “I think having teachers that represent our students is really

ADDRESSING THE UNDERREPRESENTATION OF NH/PI TEACHERS

important. I think our students need to see that there are people who look like them,

NH/PI educators are severely

who understand their culture and are in

underrepresented in Washington and

places… where they can look up to, or people

nationally. In 2022, 1 in 1000 teachers (0.1%)

they can look up to...it does make a difference

nationwide identified as NH/PI.81 In

when there are teachers who truly represent

Washington’s OSPI schools, these numbers are

their students. I think the connection is

higher, but NH/PI students still struggle to see

quicker...I connect quicker with my Pacific

themselves represented in the educator

Island students...Knowing things about their

workforce. Across districts, the percentage of

culture, and just having a conversation or

teachers who identify as NH/PI ranges from

being able to joke around with them...”

0% to 2.6%. However, these numbers lag far

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

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FIGURE 27. SHARE OF TEACHERS BY RACE/ETHNICITY IN WASHINGTON, BY YEAR

6% 5%

HISPANIC ASIAN

4%

MIXED

3%

BLACK

2%

AMERICAN INDIAN/ ALASKA NATIVE

1% 0%

NATIVE HAWAIIAN/ PACIFIC ISLANDER

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

DATA PROVIDED BY OSPI

behind the percentage of NH/PI students

turnover rate ​(Sun, E4E report). In spite of

served by the corresponding district. For

these challenges, workforce development

example, over 6% of students in Federal Way,

and diversification programs – such as those

Franklin Pierce, and Fife school districts

managed by the Washington Professional

identify as NH/PI, but fewer than 1% of

Educator Standards Board (PESB) and the

teachers in these districts do. Clover Park

Washington Student Achievement Council

School District is notable in that 1.6% of its

(WSAC) – hold potential in supporting NH/PI

educators identify as NH/PI; however, this

adults who serve youth. These programs

figure is approximately one-fourth as large as

allow educators to add endorsements,

the 5.9% of students who identify as NH/PI.

paraeducators to complete training toward

Teacher workforce data also reflect a gap that

becoming a teacher, and provide financial aid

has persisted – the percentage of NH/PI

for teachers in shortage areas. As discussed

teachers in WA schools between 2015 and

in Section 5, NH/PI adults often serve

2021 stayed the same.

important roles as paraeducators and school staff and can act as informal counselors in

The challenges in building the NH/PI educator

these roles. These educators provide

workforce are reflected in obstacles to

important value to the OSPI system in terms

teacher retention. Previous work on educator

of preventing dropout, engaging students,

workforce in WA teachers who teach in

and helping students manage the struggles

districts that serve primarily students of color

that impair achievement and discourage

tend to have higher turnover rates. These

attendance. In addition to more traditional

turnover rates include teachers who move to

teacher training pipelines, it is important to

different districts (“movers”) and teachers

invest in non-traditional paths to careers in

who leave the profession (“leavers”). High-

education, including paths that do not include

poverty districts also had a higher teacher

additional degree programs.

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

68

RECOMMENDATION 7.1: NH/PI teachers are the most underrepresented of all teachers. Continued investment should be made in recruiting, training, and retaining NH/PI educators.

Opportunities supported by the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) and Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) should be highlighted in particular: Recruiting Washington Teachers, Bilingual Educators Initiative, Paraeducator Certificate Programs, and Apprenticeship Programs.

EDUCATORS PERCEPTIONS OF NH/PI YOUTH IMPACT BELONGING & LEARNING NH/PI youth are subject to specific stereotypes in school that are distinct from those experienced by the As/AsAm community.5,46,82 For example, the “model minority myth” that As/AsAm are a universally high-achieving group is generally not reflective of the stereotypes experienced by NH/PI youth.5,45,46 Educators can perpetuate stereotypes and their harms on students by expressing, implicitly or explicitly, that educational struggles are inherent to NH/PI students. For example, educators with biases that frame students as low-achieving are likely to act in ways that propagate bias towards NH/PI students, generating these experiences of

of Kon-Tiki like they must have just floated to the next set of islands sort of mentality and they're like projecting it onto the students. And I know the students are feeling it, and sometimes internalizing it. I think that absolutely… impacts our mental health."

This section discusses the specific stereotypes that NH/PI students face and how these stereotypes impact NH/PI students’ academic achievement, holistic wellbeing, and everyday experiences. Existing studies have illustrated that NH/PI students may face stereotypes similar to other Indigenous communities such as the noble savage, the native warrior, “lazy and unhealthy”, welfare dependent, and “exotic.”

“NOBLE SAVAGE” STEREOTYPE

“negative, self-fulfilling biases.”66 As one educator

The Noble Savage stereotype manifests as

ally stated, some of her colleagues make these

perceptions that NH/PI students are

assumptions about NH/PI students at her

unintelligent and low-achieving. In a 2010 study

school: “That they’re somehow deficient… very

done in Washington, a sample of Sāmoan

few teachers will actually say that to my face

students felt preemptively judged as

like she did. She was new last year, so she

educationally inept by educators and peers.83

didn't know. I think a lot of teachers are

Even when academically successful, they felt

carrying that ideology in their heads. That kind

stereotyped as inferior to their peers based on

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

69

stereotypes that have been enforced upon

In our study, NH/PI educators and their allies

them. In our study we found similar experiences

also noted how the existing educational system

among NH/PI students across Washington. As

also contributes to these perceptions of NH/PI

one student reflected on this issue:

students that create confirmation bias for these stereotypes. As this NH/PI educator notes: “….a lot of the times, people in education only see

“The stereotypes that, like people be getting at my school is...all Polys...they go to college because of their athletics. But I wanna push beyond that. I wanna be like one of those kids. Like oh, she got into the medical field, I wanna be just like her. I wanna be a role model, so like all these little kids before me...I just want them to know that, like there's something more than all these stereotypes that you'd be given.”

us as athletes or someone who's not meant for the classroom. And so, not having that representation and not being seen in curriculum, and especially the spaces that we enter, it's always disheartening.”

For NH/PI students, living with a disability creates an intersectional experience with unique stereotypes that these students must contend with. NH/PI students with disabilities face unique discrimination in special education spaces when these intersections interweave with NH/PI stereotypes that create perceptions of NH/PI students as aggressive and disruptive.

One educator even noted that NH/PI boys are sometimes put in special education classes when there is no evidence to support that change because the threshold for "misbehavior" is lower for NH/PI boys. As one NH/PI paraeducator discussed, these students

Throughout history, NH/PI communities have

are at times labeled as violent or problematic:

been racially prototyped and stereotyped as

“They often named him as like the 'Bad Kid'…

intellectually inferior with ways of existence

other students who had hard times with

that were viewed as primitive and less

adjusting, and sometimes they would be

advanced. However, we note that NH/PI

violent - but then when he would be violent, he

peoples have long had long histories of

was kind of named as like he needs to get out

advanced seafaring technologies,

of the classroom kind of thing… they also

understanding of the natural world and

didn't give enough attention to … his cultural

environmental cycles, and knowledge gained

values or cultural lessons. A lot of the times it

through intimate relationships with their lands,

was just things about white people with

oceans, and skies. Despite these strengths,

disabilities... He was often segregated inside

NH/PI students are often viewed as low-

the classroom and it just made him feel more

achieving and less intelligent than their peers.

alone.”

1

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

70

“NATIVE WARRIOR” STEREOTYPE

students career aspirations:

NH/PI students may also face Native Warrior

“I think my biggest hope for my NH/PI and my

stereotypes that are defined around athleticism, violence, and aggressive behaviors.84–86 In the same 2010 study in Washington, a sample of Sāmoan students expressed that they were characterized as “bullies” by educators because of their bodily physique or personalities.83 In our study, NH/PI students, NH/PI educators, and their allies shared that they were often labeled as disruptive, loud, or overly aggressive by educators and school administrators. One student also shared how a school administrator assumed NH/PI students at her school were “hooligans.”

“It's literally happened straight to my face, whereas an admin came up to me and like, ‘can you do me a favor and get all the PI kids in line because they're acting up’…and so when I went to ask my kids or my other youth it was so weird, because I guess all they were doing was playing tag in the hallway after school. And I'm like, at this point, I feel like we're just seen as hooligans…You know what I mean? Like, it's very disrespectful, not only to

NH/PI queer babies is that they find it within themselves that they can do more than what they're told...I hope that they can see it within themselves … Get into another career path. You don't have to fall under the categories of what society tells you are. Just because you're Sāmoan -you're big, so you go play football. No, I could be a big Sāmoan and go be a frickin’ scientist. You know? I think with our kids, once they're discouraged they go abide by that…It's not more so wanting them to do their schoolwork, it's are we providing them with things for them to succeed? It's our job to do that.”

Savage and Native warrior stereotypes for NH/PI also perpetuate the school-to-military service pipeline, where NH/PI are encouraged to enlist into the armed services over college and other postsecondary career pathways.

NH/PI are overrepresented in the US military by nearly five times that of the second most over-represented group, AI/ANs.46,90,91

me, but to PI people in general… rude.”

“LAZINESS AND WELFARE DEPENDENCE” STEREOTYPES

Due to this stereotype, NH/PI students are

NH/PI communities in Washington state

often over-encouraged into post-secondary

experience socioeconomic disadvantage

educational career pathways associated with

compared to other racial and ethnic groups.92

athletic achievement over academic

However, stereotypes related to their economic

achievement such as college football or the US

realities often impact how students are treated

Military.

by educators who hold stereotypes of NH/PI

84,87–89

In our study, one educator noted

how these stereotypes severely limit the post-

students as dependent on social welfare

secondary educational aspirations of students

systems. Tied to early welfare reform and

and impact how educators encourage

politics from the 1970s and 80s, this stereotype

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

71

seeks to determine who is deserving or

students further harm as they ascribe narratives

underserving of social safety provisions through

of blame onto students and their families for their

United States Welfare programs. Though not

social conditions and academic

specific to NH/PI communities, this stereotype

underachievement that can be internalized by

often positions students as overly dependent on

students. Educators may also view these students

the existing social safety net provisions while

as more ‘troublesome’ and enact harsher

excluding histories of colonialism, racism, and

disciplinary action. For students, these biases can

social injustice or the histories of schools as a

have severe effects on their confidence and self-

tool of colonialism that contribute to the

worth, and may even lead to stereotype threat –

socioeconomic disparities and disengagement

the worry that a prejudicial belief in society about

with schools experienced by NH/PI

oneself will inevitably become true in a negative,

communities. In our interviews, though well

self-fulfilling feedback loop.93

intentioned, one educator utilized this stereotype to describe NH/PI students and families: “… there just needs to be more creative, more flexible ways that students can earn a diploma.

HOW STEREOTYPES UNDERMINE SUPPORT FOR NH/PI YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES

And if students that learn differently or have different backgrounds coming into it, if we can

In our interviews, educators shared that NH/PI

find something that actually allows them to

youth with disabilities were not always

feel successful in those programs, we're

appropriately diagnosed or served. Stereotypes

building their self-esteem or building just a lot

about NH/PI students can lead students to be

of things… that can actually get them out of

diagnosed with behavioral problems rather than

poverty. Then versus this helplessness of “well,

learning needs, and even when learning needs

I'm not gonna graduate. I suck at school, and

are identified, stigma can get in the way of

I'm just gonna keep living off of the system, like

students being ultimately connected with services.

my parents, because that's what I see, and

One educator shared how these stereotypes

that's what I know.” And so, I think that's what,

impact diagnoses. These sentiments by educators

that's where we really fail, our students.”

point to the challenges in receiving appropriate services for NH/PI students with disabilities.

This educator also described students from this particular northern Washington school district

“I think it's because oftentimes people perceive

and specific region of the area as “thug

Pacific Islanders as already angry or they don't

wannabes.” These welfare dependent

really like know a lot. I think that…there's also a

stereotypes interact with savage stereotypes to

cultural thing where we don't wanna see those

disacknowledge the economic conditions of

kinds of signs. I think a lot of times they won't

communities that contribute to the perceptions

wanna ask for help because there's already a

of students as troublesome. These stereotypes

limited amount of resources that are given to

that educators may hold cause

Pacific Islanders.”

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

72

experiences of NH/PI women, girls, femmes,

“EXOTIC” STEREOTYPES

and QTPI as victims of abuse, assault, sex

NH/PI women, femmes, and Queer and Transgender Pacific Islanders (QTPI) face exotic stereotypes that underlie and perpetuate

trafficking, and sexual and intimate partner violence.100–104 Though our students did not share their experiences of intimate partner or

experiences of sexual and intimate partner violence. Indigenous peoples have an intimate connection with land and draw genealogical connections to land. Their worldviews often centering responsibility to care for it as it loves and cares for Indigenous people it holds

sexual violence, these stereotypes did come up in relation to building strong and safe relationships with other students. As a QTPI student shared, this stereotype commonly placed on QTPI has affected their ability to build relationships with people, even in their

relationship to, modeling care and

own community.

responsibility with others.94 Western imperialism often fetishized Pasifika lands

“… the worst kind of relationship that's really

under Western patriarchal ideologies that asserted settler male dominance over Pasifika peoples sovereignty over their lands and

hard to build is like with other boys, you know. Having to build relationships with boys as, you know, real friends and genuine

bodies.95,96 During American and European exploration and colonial expansion in Oceania, Western ideologies like manifest destiny were used to feminize and exotify Indigenous bodies and their lands as objects in need of “colonial salvation” to justify the annexation and

friendship. It's really hard, especially with the stereotypes that surround our people, our QTPIs, you know. It's like, ‘Ew, we don't wanna be friends with you like we don't even do that.’ That's not even what we do. But like I feel stereotypes are like the main thing that

settlement of Indigenous lands.94

really gets in the way of … actual friendship...”

Throughout history, Pasifika women and QTPI were traditionally regarded with respect and believed to retain great mana (spiritual energy). They were upheld as matriarchs,

NARRATIVES OF NH/PI ACHIEVEMENT, HISTORY, & PRIDE

leaders, and healers in their communities.

Despite these histories, colonialism reduces

Schools can counter harmful stereotypes of NH/PI

their existence to a sexual and erotic nature to

students by providing opportunities for youth to

disempower women and empower Western

1) see positive NH/PI adult representation in their

political and religious systems that centered

school communities, and 2) learn about the

patriarchy.

achievements, pride, and dignity of NH/PI

40,97

NH/PI women, girls, femmes,

and QTPI have been stereotyped as

communities in their education.

hypersexual and submissive, tropes commonly associated with colonization and the exertion

Although educators may receive training in “AAPI”

of colonial control over Indigenous families.

cultural issues, the assets, barriers, and

Today this has led to disproportionate

stereotypes relevant to NH/PI communities differ

97–99

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

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greatly from those experienced by As/AsAm

This gives attention to the needs of the

communities. When trainings notes “AAPI”

communities that teachers work with and serve.

communities, trainings will aggregate these

Specifically, approaches that include guided

unique communities together and center on a

reflection and focus on practices and behaviors

monolithic As/AsAm experience and erase NH/

to be enacted have shown greater effects on

PI experiences. This was identified as a key

teachers’ cultural competency.

training gap for educators in interviews with both youth and educators and by our advisory

Although simply learning about NH/PI stories

board. Both pre-service and in-service training

and cultures is likely not enough to facilitate

can improve teachers’ intercultural

cultural humility, it is a necessary first step for

competencies, by implementing specific and

educators to best serve their communities of

relevant culturally responsive and sustaining

students.

practices.

105,106

RECOMMENDATION 7.2: Cultural competence training should include culturally responsive and sustaining practices and should focus on the distinct assets, barriers, and stereotypes specific and relevant to NH/PI communities. In the spirit of HB1541, the "Nothing About Us Without Us" act, schools and districts should engage and compensate NH/PI community organizations to develop these educational opportunities, and maintain partnerships with community organizations.

RECOMMENDATION 7.3: Cultural humility training should highlight the diversity ofNI/PH cultures, Education Disparities Study experiences, and social experiences of NH/PI communities in Washington.

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CONCLUSION NH/PI youth dream of futures filled with growth, achievement, and the ability to uplift their families and communities.

Although NH/PI youth share similarities with youth from other communities of color, they ultimately bring a unique set of assets to their schools and face a unique set of challenges. Moreover, NH/PI youth are multifaceted and navigate multiple important intersecting identities including multiracial identity, sexual and gender identity, and disability. Supporting NH/PI youth requires cultural humility and curiosity, as well as investment in systemic supports and accommodations to build belonging in school communities. We hope that this report contributes to a deeper understanding of NH/PI youth for all who seek to advance education for Washington’s youth.

The following community-driven recommendations represent steps toward providing NH/PI youth with the educational opportunities they need and deserve. In closing, we present some of the educational dreams shared by NH/PI youth and educators to serve as a guiding star:

“For me, it's…my older sister. She just recently graduated college, and she's also going towards the medical field...If I can dream it, then I can do it.”

“I’ve been wanting to be a teacher…I’ve never seen a Marshallese teacher…It influences me because I could start something."

“Working harder to make more money is not the end goal. But it's the other things that feel important…how are you in community with each other and with yourself, and what are the things you need to learn in order to do that? And what are the ways in which we need to think about our planet and like nonhuman parts of like how we interact with the world? I wonder if we were in a place, that with more aligned values…how our Pacific Islander students and families would show up differently, and what success would look like.”

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RECOMMENDATIONS Section 1. An Introduction to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Youth: Growing, Diverse, and Interconnected

Recommendation 1.1. Language navigation services in NH/PI languages are essential for facilitating family engagement and assisting educators in meeting the needs of students and their families. Schools and districts should assess administrative data to identify language needs, and share resources for languages that are spoken by a smaller number of families.

1.2. Approach disability from a strengths-based perspective and explicitly consider the role of stigma among communities of color.

1.3. When assessing disability and crafting individualized education plans, professionals should work against biases that may lead to overdiagnosis of behavioral problems and underdiagnosis of learning challenges. School psychologists and other service providers who work with communities of color should examine their practices for bias using self-assessment tools.

1.4. Educators who serve Indigenous and NH/PI youth should receive cultural competency training on the importance of relational wellbeing. Utilizing models such as the Indigenous Connectedness framework in an educational setting can help students create and maintain bonds to school, self, and culture.

Supporting NH/PI Educational Voyages

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Section

Recommendation

2. Inclusion of NH/PI Data to Drive Equitable Policy

2.1. Disaggregate NH/PI from As/AsAm data whenever possible. ​ 2.2. Educational data on NH/PI should be presented in a maximally disaggregated format down to the level of particular ethnic communities (e.g., Tongan, Yapese, Kosraean), whenever possible.

2.3. “Double count” multiracial youth in educational data so they are not excluded from their communities’ d ​ ata​. Develop guidance, with community input, on how the growing number of multiracial youth should be represented in the statewide discourse on academic achievement and opportunity gaps.

2.4. Find ways​to include small groups in published data, even if it means​combining with other groups​. If data need to be suppressed or combined, communities whose data fall into these categories should be named whenever data are reported. When data are hard to find due to small numbers or challenges in data collection, work directly with communities (including providing funding, if possible) to understand community needs​and priorities.

5. Building Belonging and Wellbeing through Connection and Representation

5.1. Educators and administrators should be aware of the high rates of mental health challenges experienced by NH/PI students at Washington public schools.

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Section 5. Building Belonging and Wellbeing through Connection and Representation

Recommendation 5.2. Washington public schools should continue to invest in the school mental health workforce, and particularly in recruiting and training a diverse mental health workforce that includes NH/PI representation.

5.3. NH/PI educators and paraprofessionals other than teachers often act as informal counselors and should be supported and compensated for this work, and opportunities for continuing education should be provided.

5.4. Aligning with OSPI’s commitments to support LGBTQIA+ student's needs, interweave Queer and Trans stories, histories, and experiences into the development of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander studies curriculum, cultural programming within schools, and in-service training for educators who work with NH/PI students. These trainings should include information about existing supports in the community for QTPI youth.

5.5. Work with the QTPI community to improve data collection methods for gender and sexual orientation data, as currently-available data do not contain spaces to acknowledge or identify culturally specific genders or sexualities.

6. Infusing NH/PI Cultures and Histories into K-12 Education

6.1. Community- and educator-driven efforts to include culture in curriculum should receive support and recognition, including granting course credit via Mastery-Based Learning for participation in culturally-based educational activities.

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Section

Recommendation

6. Infusing NH/PI Cultures and Histories into K-12 Education

6.2. Schools should provide regular opportunities for engagement between NH/PI communities and school communities. Language services can make these events productive and transformative.

6.3. Students and families should not be forced to choose between family obligations and school obligations. NH/PI students may miss school when cultural protocols (e.g., around funerals, death, and grieving) necessitate travel or remaining at home.

Outreach and accommodation from educators can go a long way towards keeping students connected to school during these periods.

7. Uplifting Educator Representation and Developing Cultural Humility

7.1. NH/PI teachers are the most underrepresented of all teachers. Continued investment should be made in recruiting, training, and retaining NH/PI educators.

Opportunities supported by the PESB and WSAC should be highlighted in particular: Recruiting Washington Teachers, Bilingual Educators Initiative, Paraeducator Certificate Programs, and Apprenticeship Programs.

7.2. Cultural competence training should include culturally responsive and sustaining practices and should focus on the distinct assets, barriers, and stereotypes specific and relevant to NH/PI communities. In the spirit of HB1541, the "Nothing About Us Without Us" act, schools and districts should engage and compensate NH/PI community organizations to develop these educational opportunities, and maintain partnerships with community organizations.

7.3. Cultural humility training should highlight the diversity of cultures, experiences, and social experiences of NH/PI communities in Washington.

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INDEX Table 01: US and Washington NH/PI population and growth, 2010 to 2020............................................ 13 Table 02: WA counties ranked by total NH/PI population............................................................................. 14 Table 03: K-12 NH/PI enrollment by district. Missing values indicate data not available in 2008........ 15-16 Table 04: NH/PI community and countries of origin...................................................................................... 17-18 Table 05: Percentage of students receiving disability accommodations at OSPI schools...................... 23 Table 06: Grade point average by NH/PI community.................................................................................... 37 Table 07: Mental health by QTPI status, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey......................................................... 51 Table 08: Safety Status among QTPI Groups................................................................................................... 56 Table 09: Recommendations.............................................................................................................................. 76-79

Figure 01: % of NH/PI youth receiving free or reduced-price lunch, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey....... 19 Figure 02: Percentage of racial groups identifying as multiracial in Washington, US Census Data.... 24 Figure 03: The Fonofale Model of Health (Pulotu-Endemann, 2001)........................................................ 27 Figure 04: Pasifika nations & states................................................................................................................. 29 Figure 05: Percentage of HYS participants speaking languages other than English at home, high-level racial and ethnic groupings............................................................................................................. 30 Figure 06: Percentage of HYS participants speaking languages other than English at home, disaggregated to particular NH/PI communities............................................................................................ 31 Figure 07: Percent meeting statewide standards in high school (10th or 11th grade, depending on subject)......................................................................................................................................... 35 Figure 08: Percent meeting statewide standards in high school (10th or 11th grade, depending on subject), presented by NH/PI community............................................................................. 36 Figure 09: On-time high school graduation.................................................................................................... 38 Figure 10: 2-year and 4-year degree attainment........................................................................................... 40 Figure 11: 2-year and 4-year degree attainment, presented by NH/PI community............................... 41 Figure 12: Percentage of OSPI graduates enrolling in 2-year and 4-year degree programs................ 41 Figure 13: Percentage of OSPI graduates enrolling in 2-year and 4-year degree programs, presented by NH/PI community, data provided by OSPI............................................................................. 42 Figure 14: Median highest earning year for OSPI graduates. Post-graduation wages were assessed for the 2013 to 2016 cohorts to allow students to complete a degree program and have 2 or more subsequent wage-earning years.................................................................................. 43 Figure 15: Median highest earning year for OSPI graduates, presented by NH/PI community.......... 43 Figure 16: Depression by NH/PI community, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey............................................... 47 Figure 17: Anxiety by NH/PI community, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey...................................................... 47 Figure 18: Thoughts of suicide by NH/PI community, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey............................... 48 Figure 19: NH/PI Mental health by disability status, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey.................................. 49 Figure 20: NH/PI Mental health by multiracial status, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey............................... 50 Figure 21: Mental health by by gender, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey........................................................ 52 Figure 22: Any past-year bullying, presented by NH/PI community, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey...... 53 Figure 23: Feeling unsafe at school, presented by NH/PI community, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey... 54 Figure 24: Bullying and safety for NH/PI students with disabilities, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey........ 55 Figure 25: Bullying and safety for multiracial NH/PI students, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey................. 55 Figure 26: Bullying based on perceived LGBT status, 2023 Healthy Youth Survey................................ 57 Figure 27: Share of teachers by race/ethnicity in Washington, by year.................................................... 68

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SUGGESTED CITATION Halvorson, M. A.,* Camacho, S. G.,* Beck, K. L., Diaz, T. P., Seto-Myers, D. K., Nguyen, J., Lee, J. J., Tian, Z., Ledesma, A., Sun, M., & Spencer, M. S. (2025). Stories of Educational Wayfinding: Supporting the Educational Voyages of Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Students. Committee for Asian Pacific American Affairs. * indicates co-lead authors.

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