April 2026 Newsletter

Student Interviews and Annual Banquet, Advocacy, Curriculum Committee Updates, Community Calendar

TACT

Apr 13, 2026

A. TACT Events

Scholarships: Student Interviews and Annual Banquet

This year is flying by! TACT Scholarship Committee is set to interview student candidates in the next 2 weeks and we will formally introduce and celebrate our 2026 scholarship recipients at TACT’s annual banquet on Friday, May 15th. We’ve been sold out for the last 2 years, so get your tickets early. Ticket reservation and Paypal payment can be found on tactsf.org/celebration. This year, we will be holding a silent auction. See incredible vacation packages and more at our Online Silent Auction. All proceeds and every dollar donated goes directly to our scholarship fund!

To donate auction items to TACT, contact board@tactsf.org
We’re also looking for student art work for our dinner program. This year’s theme is 路遥知马力 lù yáo zhī mǎ lì （Pinyin) lou6 jiu4 zi1 maa5 lik6 (Cantonese Pinyin) - We, just like horses, can reach our goals with perseverance. Please send them to mary@tactsf.org

Do you know a colleague who deserves some special acknowledgement? Nominate them for TACT’s Educator Excellence Award. Complete this simple nomination form by April 17th.

Advocacy for Chinese Language and Newcomer Programs and Services

TACT continues our community involvement and advocacy for Chinese language and newcomer programs and services. We have another upcoming meeting with Superintendent Su. Contact board@tactsf.org if you’re interested in supporting these efforts. In February, we attended the February 26th Workshop from CAA that covered recent developments following contract negotiations and strike actions by United Educators of San Francisco and sanctuary implications for immigrant and multilingual students in San Francisco Unified School District. See photos here.

B. Curriculum Committee Updates:

Bay area educators of Asian languages and Asian language programs are invited to the inaugural convening of the Sacramento Region Asian Language Bilingual Education Network (ALBEN) on:

Tuesday, April 28
5:00–6:30 PM - Pacific Time (Zoom) https://csus.zoom.us/j/81262674387?from=addon
ALBEN is a new regional effort led collaboratively by Sacramento State and the Sacramento County Office of Education to strengthen and connect Asian language bilingual education programs across the region. It is supported by the CSU initiative, Asian Language Bilingual Teacher Ed Program (ALBTEP).

On Saturday, March 28th, committee members joined high schoolers on the Chinatown Alleyway Tour. Everyone learned about community advocacy and heroes, the development of Chinatown, interesting fun facts, and historic court cases like Lau v. Nichols and Tape v. Hurley. Interested teachers can schedule with CATs directly. TACT curricular resources on these important court cases can be found here.
See information for Scholarships for Cantonese or Mandarin Certification Please share widely with interested educators.

TACT pushed out updated multilingual and multimedia curricular resources on Angel Island and Wong Kim Ark in the Fall of 2025. We are seeking feedback from teachers who reviewed or used any of these materials. There will be a $25 gift card raffle for educators providing feedback using this Google form.

The Northern District Court Historical Society presents “Birthright Citizenship and the 14th Amendment: A Re-enactment of the Landmark Wong Kim Ark Case” with a discussion with attorneys, judges, and faculty. This event is free and will happen on Apr 15th, 2026 from 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM. Register here.

Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) recently published A New Blueprint for Success: Meeting the Needs of Asian American Multilingual Learners

Some key findings are:

Asian-language programs often fall below enrollment thresholds that dictate dedicated curriculum, staff, and materials.
California lacks enough bilingual Asian‑language educators and updated instructional materials, leading to teacher shortages and low-quality curricula.
State (CDE) and district data aggregate all Asian students, obscuring language‑specific needs.
AAMLs reclassify slowly, in part due to challenges with the written English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC), stalling learning progress and undermining student confidence.
Family engagement systems are burdensome, hard to navigate for immigrant households, and often not culturally responsive to Asian American communities. Federal immigration enforcement activity has heightened these challenges.

In addition to the full report, they also have shareable one-pagers available in the following languages:

Thai, Laotian, and Cambodian New Year is April 13-15th and Black April (Fall of Saigon) is on April 30th. So, make sure to include Southeast Asian American histories in your curricula. Here are some lessons from The Asian American Education Project:

8. Committee members attended the CABE Regional 1 Networking Meeting as well as the Asian Language Round Table on March 4-5. We made connections with educators inside and outside SFUSD.