Most needs of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) students are not being addressed. It is because everyone already thinks they're Mr. and Ms. Smarty Pants who don't need any help. This is far from the general truth; thus, the outcry of majority of their population says it's about time to debunk the model minority myth.
In every list of student achievers, there's always a representative sum of AAPI students. Movies and series about high school or college life almost always have that Asian geek with eye glasses and ponytails or hair with a generous amount of gel. It's understandable why there's a nationwide image of Asians as the model minority type but this should not paint a general picture.
According to the Huffington Post, if you divide the AAPI population into different student subgroups, data would show a variation of student performance. The AAPI students who excel and named as top students of the country are only a portion of the community of AAPI achievers, not all AAPI students.
The problem is there is no available sufficient data on AAPI student population, which the U.S. Department of Education vowed to resolve just last month. It is alloting a $1 million budget for the "Asian American and Pacific Islander Data Disaggregation Initiative." Under the program, states are highly encouraged to gather and study disaggregated data of AAPI subgroups (via Huffington Post).
"We also know that many AAPIs face the model minority myth-- the notion that virtually all AAPI have access to a quality education and are affluent, which has prevented AAPI communities from fully benefitting from federal programs and resources that can support vulnerable and undeserved people," Secretary of Education John King said in a video announcement as per the Huffington Post.
According to the official site of the White House, AAPI students make up the fastest growing student population in the U.S. In 2012, Asian Americans alone excluding Asian Indians, Filipinos, Chinese and others already amount to 15.5 million of the total 307 million Americans. 20.5 percent go to college, 29.3 percent have a Bachelor's Degree, and 19.5 percent have a graduate or professional degree. Because of the massive numbers, the government must pay more close attention to this AAPI minority.
As per Communication Currents, the model minority type is the major perception towards AAPI students. The media played a big role in establishing this stereotype since the 1960s that has shaped the AAPI student as an overchiever who's intellgent, hardworking and obedient.
There are many critics against this model minority stereotype such as Stacey Lee's claim that it aims to silence fights against racial inequality. Bob H. Suzuki adds that it's a liability for Asian Americans because being the "overachieving" population belittles other racial groups and thus, would be the subject of harassment, discrimination and hate crimes.
So after decades of the model minority as the ruling stereotype, it comes as good news for AAPI students that the Department of Education is now taking steps to address what most of them need. Do you agree that more data about the AAPI population should be provided? To what extent can it help the overall condition of U.S. education? Sound off your thoughts on the comments section below!
