California and Washington State to host conferences on Pacific Islander-focused education and research

Spread the Word! Between now and the end of the month, Pacific Islander scholars, leaders, and allies will meet in California and Washington State to attend two separate conferences with very similar goals: to raise awareness about America's growing Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander community, and provide a venue to share information and ideas.

From September 24 to the 25, Los Angeles, California will host "Envision the Future 2012: Translating Research into Healthy Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Communities." For more information, visit their website here: LINK

The following weekend on September 29, South Seattle Community College will host ASPIRE 2012 (the Annual Summit for Pacific Islander Resources and Education).  The organizers of ASPIRE 2012 write that this is the first gathering of its kind in the State of Washington. Here's their website for more information: LINK

Kawika

Infographic: National Study on Pacific Islander eligibility for underrepresented minority scholarships and fellowships

(Click infographic to view larger image)

Here's another infographic illustrating the findings of our national study on whether underrepresented minority scholarships and fellowships recognize the fact that Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders are underrepresented.  While recognition of Pacific Islander underrepresentation has increased since the last study, most of these programs still don't include Pacific Islanders in their definition of "underrepresented minority."

We've started reaching out to these scholarships and fellowships, and hope that after looking at the facts (like 20-plus years of Census data demonstrating Pacific Islander underrepresentation among college graduates), the 56 percent that exclude Pacific Islanders will choose to include us instead.

Kawika

(Are you from an academic program for underrepresented minorities?  Thank you for visiting! We've set up a special Q and A section written specifically for you.  Click here to see it: LINK)

National Report on Pacific Islander ACT Scores

ACT Inc. (the company that administers the ACT, which is one of two nationally recognized standardized tests used to measure college readiness) recently released a report on college readiness, measured by the scores of high school seniors who took the ACT. They analyzed their findings in a number of ways, including breaking the scores down by race and ethnicity. 

We were pleased to see that they continue to recognize that Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders are a distinct, unique racial group, and keep our data separate from Asian Americans and other racial groups.  This is important, because it allows policymakers and others to see how Pacific Islanders are doing according to one measurement of college readiness. 

As you can see from the graph above (or view it here: LINK), Pacific Islander ACT scores are most similar to American Indian and Alaska Natives, and Hispanics, two other underrepresented minority groups.  

Average ACT Scores by Race and Ethnicity

• Asian: 23.6 percent
• White: 22.4 percent
• Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders: 19.8 percent
• Hispanic: 18.9 percent
• American Indian and Alaska Native: 18.4 percent
• African American: 17 percent

To read the entire report for yourself, click here: LINK

Kawika