AAPI Curriculum Newsletter: Communicating Asian American and Pacific Islander History and Literature to Families

AAPI communities are among the fastest-growing populations in American schools, yet AAPI history remains one of the least-taught American histories. The exclusion of Chinese laborers from the communities they built, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the experiences of Southeast Asian refugees after American military involvement in Vietnam, and the Pacific Islander histories erased by colonialism are all documented events that belong in a complete American history curriculum. A newsletter that communicates this curriculum with specificity serves all students and all families.

This guide covers what to include in an AAPI curriculum newsletter, how to communicate about the full complexity of AAPI histories, and how to address the model minority myth in a way that is accurate and useful for families.

Communicating curriculum beyond cultural celebrations

AAPI Heritage Month curriculum that consists primarily of cultural celebrations, food, and traditional dress covers only the most comfortable aspects of AAPI experience. A more complete curriculum includes Japanese American incarceration, the Chinese Exclusion Act, anti-Filipino violence in early twentieth century California, the experiences of Pacific Island nations under American administration, and contemporary anti-Asian violence. A newsletter that communicates about these topics signals that the school treats AAPI history with the same seriousness as other American history.

Addressing the model minority myth directly

The model minority myth is the false characterization of all Asian Americans as uniformly successful and therefore not in need of equity consideration. It is harmful in multiple directions: it erases the significant economic, educational, and social disparities within AAPI communities, it erases histories of discrimination and exclusion, and it is weaponized against other communities of color. A newsletter that explains what the model minority myth is and why it is inaccurate serves all students' understanding of how racial narratives function.

Featuring Pacific Islander communities specifically

Pacific Islander communities are frequently erased even within AAPI curriculum. Hawaiians, Samoans, Tongans, Chamorros, and other Pacific Island peoples have distinct histories, including histories of colonization, land dispossession, and ongoing sovereignty struggles, that deserve specific curriculum attention. A newsletter that mentions Pacific Islander content alongside East and Southeast Asian content signals that the AAPI umbrella is being taken seriously rather than used as a shorthand for Chinese and Japanese history.

Literature that represents the full range of AAPI experience

AAPI literature is extensive and spans the full range of American experience. America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan covers Filipino labor organizing. When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka covers Japanese American incarceration. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri covers Indian American immigrant experience. Paper Sons by Dickson Lam covers Chinese American family history. Each of these titles is appropriate for different grade levels and represents a different community and historical moment. A newsletter recommendation that varies across these communities communicates the range of AAPI literature.

Using Daystage for year-round AAPI curriculum communication

Daystage monthly newsletters support year-round AAPI curriculum communication. Build a curriculum spotlight into your standard template and feature AAPI history and literature content in it throughout the year: the Chinese Exclusion Act in September, Japanese American incarceration in February alongside civil liberties curriculum, Pacific Islander history in spring. Consistent year-round presence communicates that AAPI curriculum is integrated, not occasional.