Asian Students In Schools

By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - While a Korean-American girl is at the top of her class at the Bronx High School of Science in New York, a Vietnamese boy is the only Asian student in his school and speaks almost no English. Both are cited in a report on Asian students in the schools by a New York consulting firm, Pumphouse Projects.

The needs of Asian students are very diverse, yet an article in Education Week, points to the perception that Asian-heritage students are almost universally thought of as high achieving. Ninety-five percent do not attend the most selective public schools and they face the same challenges as other minorities, those who have low incomes and are immigrants.

Although the research using test scores and focus groups of parents and students was done in NY, it's believed that the same conclusions can be generalized to other Asian-American students across the country.

This important article offers insights and provides references for immigrant programs.