Model Minority Myth Mucking Up Asian-American College Pursuits

Representative Mike Honda (D-CA) laying down truth.

It is dangerous because this model minority myth prevents the provision of public and private resources designated specifically for minority serving institutions, exacerbating a deleterious and downward spiral among underperforming AAPI subgroups.

Large sectors of the AAPI population, in fact, suffer from soaring secondary school dropout rates, low rates of college participation and low college completion rates. These low educational attainment rates correlate with high unemployment rates, spiraling AAPI subgroups further into poverty. The unemployment rates of poorer-performing Pacific Islanders and Southeast Asians are three to five times greater than those of many East Asian and South Asians.