Content Standards
Content/education standards define the skills and knowledge that students should or are required to learn at each grade level, and are divided into educational subject areas (e.g. math, social studies). In many cases, they provide the framework for curriculum development. The content standards documented here are social studies and/or history standards, wherein standards related to Asian Americans or other non-White populations may be included. For example, in California’s history standards, 4th-grade students are required to “Understand the story and lasting influence of the Pony Express, Overland Mail Service, Western Union, and the building of the transcontinental railroad, including the contributions of Chinese workers to its construction” (p. 14).” This particular standard related to Chinese Americans is thus referenced in the state-level summary in the interactive map. States either require or recommend that students meet the standards set. In California, for example, the State Board of Education recommends that school districts and their students meet the standards set by the Board, but they are not required.
Curriculum
Educational curriculum includes the lessons and materials that teachers use to teach subject area and grade-level courses. Depending on the state, curriculum must be designed so as to meet a state’s education standards covering a given subject area and grade level. Most often, curriculum is designed at the local (e.g. school district) level, and so the particular provisions contained in social studies and history curriculum are outside of the scope of this database. Curriculum may also be directly influenced by state laws, requiring instruction on certain topics and so necessarily affecting the design and development of curriculum across the state; such state-level bills and laws are included in this database.
To note, Committee of 100 used Ballotpedia’s databases of curriculum and content standards for the data contained in Education Policy Structure tab of the interactive map.
Asian American studies
This classification concerns the bills, laws, and content standards that relate to K-12 education of the experiences, contributions, and/or histories of Asian American populations, as well as Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian populations when they are explicitly referenced. Sometimes, “Asian” or “Asian American” is used in these texts, while other times specific Asian American populations are referenced (e.g. Korean Americans). All groups referenced in a given text are documented under the “Provisions” heading for that text.
Ethnic studies
This classification concerns the bills, laws, and content standards that relate to K-12 education of the experiences, contributions, and/or histories of all other non-White populations. States refer to these populations in a wide variety of ways, so that “ethnic,” as we term it here, is effectively shorthand for all such references: e.g. “traditionally excluded individuals” (Oregon’s social studies standards), “underrepresented” groups (MA H 682, 2025), and “historically disadvantaged” populations (MD SB 916, 2025). Sometimes specific populations are referenced, such as African Americans or particular Native American tribes, and these groups are also identified under a text’s “Provisions” heading.
Requirements and Recommendations
Passed and pending bills that include a “requirement” are those that include a particular mandate or requirement that affects educational curriculum or instruction. For instance, Washington’s SB 5462 (2023) states, “The legislature intends to expand these requirements by requiring school districts to adopt policies and procedures that incorporate adopting inclusive curricula and selecting inclusive instructional materials that include the histories, contributions, and perspectives of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups.” Meanwhile, bills that are classified as including a “recommendation” are those that encourage or recommend a change to some aspect of Asian American or ethnic studies instruction without requiring a mandate, or bills that produce a commission or study that may or may not impact curriculum or instruction. For example, Washington’s SB 5023 (2019) states that, “Public schools with students in grades seven through twelve are encouraged to offer an ethnic studies course[…]”. New York’s S 7855 (2025) “directs the state Education Commissioner to conduct a survey to assess the current status of AANHPI instruction.” Such distinctions between “recommendation” and “requirement” are not absolute, and should rather be considered within the context of the bill and the state’s educational policy structure.
If you have a comment or know of new bills that have recently been proposed or standards that have recently been revised, please email Committee of 100 Research and Data Scientist Sam Collitt at scollitt@Committee100.org.