Asians and Education

          When my wife and I lived in Michigan in what seems like ages ago, she spent time tutoring two elementary school students in Spanish after school.  The boy and the girl were children of Chinese immigrants who were committed to giving their children the best and broadest education.  The kids spoke Chinese at home, English in school, and Spanish with my wife.  In the evenings the girl practiced the violin for two hours and the boy piano.  By now I imagine they have completed high school and college, and are well on their way to being productive members of society.

          My neighbors Primo and Rose Viray survived the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, went to school to earn degrees in nursing, and then emigrated to the United States.  They raised seven daughters and managed to scrape up enough money to send them to college.  All seven now enjoy distinguished careers.
          I thought about both of these examples of parents who were determined to see their children succeed, when I came across some stunning statistics.  High school graduation rates for blacks is 62%, for Hispanics 68%, for whites 80%, and for Asians 90%, with some Asian sub-groups as high as 96%.  Some 50% of Asian-Americans also have bachelor’s degrees, and 21% advanced degrees.  No other ethnic group comes even close.
          When we look at family income by race, we see the same kind of disparity.  Asians earn an average of $68,636, whites $57,009, Hispanics $39,005, and blacks $33,321.  It would be difficult to deny that there is a direct correlation between education and income levels. 
          Race hustlers like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson would have us believe that the playing field is tilted against blacks because of discrimination.  Perhaps it is to some degree.  Yet other blacks like Bill Cosby, Thomas Sowell, and Dr. Ben Carson point to fatherless families, the high rate of births to unwed mothers, and the influence of drugs, gangs, and street violence as causing the deterioration of family values.  For them it’s not a racial issue, but a social issue.  At the same time they point to education as the salvation for these kids who have such a difficult struggle against the odds.  Education is not a “white thing,” they say.  It is the secret to success. 
          Ask any Asian family.