New History Act Mandates AAPI History in K-12 Curriculum, Updates NAEP and Teacher Training

The Teaching Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History Act of 2025 is straightforward: it mandates that federal K-12 education programs must explicitly include Asian Pacific American (APA) history. This isn't just a suggestion; it amends the existing Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to ensure that when American history and civics are taught or assessed under federal programs, APA history is part of the curriculum. Essentially, if a program gets federal money to teach history, it now has a clear requirement to include the historical experiences of AAPI communities.

The Case for Inclusion: Filling the Gaps

Congress didn't just decide this on a whim; the bill opens with a detailed finding section justifying why this change is necessary. It lays out how AAPI people have been integral to the U.S. but their history is often erased or misrepresented, especially concerning Pacific Island territories like Guam and American Samoa. For the average person, this means that the history you or your kids learned in school—which often skipped from the Gold Rush straight to World War II—is incomplete. The bill specifically calls out historical injustices, noting the racist foundations of U.S. immigration policy, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during WWII. This section ensures that the new curriculum won't just be about contributions, but also about the systemic discrimination and fight for civil rights.

Where the Curriculum Changes Hit

This legislation targets three main areas where history is shaped at the national level. First, it updates the requirements for the Presidential and Congressional Academies for American History and Civics, which train teachers and develop curriculum. Any materials developed by these academies must now incorporate APA history. Second, it mandates a partnership between these academies and the Smithsonian Institution's Asian Pacific American Center, which is a smart move because it immediately provides a source of established, high-quality, and vetted educational resources. For teachers, this means less time scouring the internet and more access to ready-made, accurate materials.

What This Means for Your Kid's Report Card

The third major change is subtle but significant: the bill updates the authorization for national activities and assessments, including the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP is often called “The Nation’s Report Card,” and it sets the standard for what students across the country are expected to know. By requiring the NAEP framework to include history that incorporates APA history, the bill ensures that this subject matter isn't just a side project—it becomes a core part of what schools are expected to teach and what students are expected to learn. For parents, this means your child’s history class should now cover the crucial role Filipino farm workers played in the labor movement or the impact of U.S. nuclear testing on the Marshall Islands, topics often missing from current textbooks. While the bill is clear about what must be included, the actual quality of implementation will still depend on how well local school districts adopt these new national standards and utilize the resources provided.