By Carolyn Bick

Even if they look like they’re doing well on paper, grades and grade point averages alone don’t necessarily tell the whole story of Washington’s Asian, Asian American, Native Hawai’ian and Pacific Islander students’ educational experiences.

In the “Asian and NH & PI Education Reports” presentation during the Asian Pacific Directors Coalition meeting on Sept. 17, University of Washington researchers Max Halvorson, Santino Camacho, and Jenn Nguyen presented findings from two years’ worth of studies they conducted in coordination with the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and other educational leaders, including Erin Okuno, the director of the state’s Office of Education Ombuds.

The researchers’ findings revealed significant and important information that highlighted educational and opportunity gaps amongst students that hadn’t been widely understood or seen, due to the way most educational researchers conduct their studies. The UW researchers gathered their data and identified these issues not by treating students as a monolith—all belonging to and coming from communities under the AANHPI umbrella—but as coming from distinct ethnicities and backgrounds.

They also discovered significant identity, culture, and acceptance struggles amongst all students—particularly those students who identify as queer, trans, or otherwise part of the LGBTQ+ community—and that Native Hawai’ian and Pacific Islander students suffered from a high rate of bullying.

The Data

Most of the studies’ participants came from the western portion of the state, but a handful were located in Spokane. Overall, there were 24 adult participants and 57 youth participants.

The data was split into Native Hawai’ian and Pacific Islander students and Asian and Asian American students. Researchers further disaggregated the data after that to highlight issues and trends within specific ethnicities and cultures.

The researchers specifically noted that much of their research is meant to also help students who are of the Asian diaspora—and these aren’t just students from East, South, or West Asia.

To read the entire article: https://nwasianweekly.com/2025/09/cultural-struggles-and-educational-gaps-the-unique-challenges-of-aanhpi-students/

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