Debunking the "Model Minority" Stereotype

Finally… a report released by the College Board along with the National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education that sets the record straight and proves that the "model minority" stereotype is indeed just that. Most Asian Americans have known this to be a stereotype long before this report, but the facts help prove this to be the case.

Asian American students being labeled as a "model minority" often connote the image of a goody two-shoes who studies hard and gets all As. Nothing can be more frustrating for those who do not fit this image, but are treated with those expectations.

The report entitled "Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders -- Facts, Not Fiction: Setting the Record Straight," debunks common myths such as the belief that AAPI students are "taking over" U.S. universities, AAPI students are concentrated in selective four-year colleges and that they are a homogenous racial group.

The facts are:

1. The increasing presence of AAPI students parallels similar increases that other student populations have experienced.
2. The AAPI student population is concentrated in a small percentage of institutions, giving the false impression of high enrollment in higher education overall.
3. AAPIs have a wide range of academic interests including the Social Sciences, Humanities and Education as opposed to just Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
4. AAPI students are evenly distributed in two-year and four-year institutions, with the majority attending public institutions.
5. AAPIs have a wide range of scores on standardized tests, which afford different levels of eligibility and competitiveness in selective admissions.
6. AAPI enrollment in public two-year community colleges is increasing at a faster rate than their enrollment in four-year colleges.
7. AAPI community college enrollment is increasing fastest in the Midwest and the South.
8. AAPIs are an ethnically diverse population.
9. AAPI students and their families encompass many different languages and dialects.
10. Immigration histories have an effect on the needs and assets of different AAPI communities.
11. Economic, social, and cultural capital varies greatly among AAPIs.

For more details access the full report on the College Board's website.