Overview: Lots of Aloha, Little Data: Data and Research on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders

Knowledge is power in social change efforts, and data and diverse approaches are needed to fuel it. Recommendations from this section’s experts in the field are united in calling for using Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidelines consistently; disaggregating data collection and reporting on socioeconomic, educational, cultural, youth, and health challenges facing Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs); improving data estimates by addressing small sample sizes with oversampling methods and targeted surveys; and collaborating with public and private community-based organizations to promote high response rates and/or data partnerships. A great need exists for trend analyses over time on NHPIs. These analyses will shed insight on the effects of programs and policies, including longitudinal studies, such as the ECLS and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Consistently, research by these authors highlights the power of culturally relevant approaches and the importance of developing innovative approaches to data, knowledge, and research that embrace indigenous perspectives in program and policy design, particularly in education, health, and science