As an entry port for many Asian immigrants, over one third of the nation’s Asian and Pacific Americans reside in California, thus enabling California to earn the name of a “Pacific rim” state. Over 12.5% of students in California public schools are Asian and Pacific Americans. Many students of Asian and Pacific American backgrounds fill the classrooms of UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC Irvine, as well as those of California State Universities. This phenomenon shows how California has undergone an enormous transformation over the last two decades. CAAPAE’s goal is to fill the leadership void among Asian and Pacific American educators and to address the important issues and needs of Asian and Pacific American education at all levels. 

Since its inception in 1994, CAAPAE played an active role in various ways:

  • In order to generate awareness of Asian and Pacific American education, CAAPAE held numerous professional development conferences since 1995. CAAPAE will continue to hold conferences and parent education workshops. 
  • In educational policy issues, CAAPAE testified against the dismantling of remedial education in math and English at California State Universities, at the CSU Board of Trustees public hearing. CAAPAE urged the U.S. Department of Education and Office of English Language Acquisition to apply a more equitable procedure in its distribution of Title III funds, based upon the size of limited English proficient students, given that California has the largest number of LEP students in the nation.
  • CAAPAE coordinated several Asian and Pacific American Institutes for the California Association for Bilingual Education Annual Conferences since 1996.
  • In recent years, CAAPAE sent letters to state senators and Governor Jerry Brown in support of SB 1174 that was passed out of the State Senate and signed by the Governor in fall, 2014.



Anyone interested in the issues of Asian and Pacific American education is strongly urged to participate in the important cause of CAAPAE as it expands its scope of activities. There are many tasks to be accomplished. Suggestions for future activities are also welcomed.

Past Achievement