It is often said and thought that Asians/ Pacific Islanders are more intelligent than other races. Although according to the 2010 United States Census, there were a total of 17,320,856 Asian Americans including Multiracial Americans identifying as part Asian, which represents 5.6% of the population. Yet in 2005 they make up about 20% of the Ivey Leaguers. So, one might think that they are indeed smarter than other races. But according to the daughters of Korean immigrants and authors of "Top of the Class: How Asian Parents Raise High Achiever -- and How you Can Too" (Berkley), Dr. Soo Kim Abboud and Jane Kim say their parents raised them to be successful. Abboud is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Jane Kim is a lawyer who specializes in immigration issues (ABC News, 2005).

So, then the question becomes are they born more intelligent than other races or are they just thought to strive to be more successful from birth? Then as I continued to look deeper into the educational experiences of Asian Americans, I came across this article by Julie J. Park that explained her experiences and describes the situation as " An Uneven Playing Field." Julie describes the differences that she saw in Asian Americans growing up in Ohio versus those in California (Park, 2019). Growing up in Ohio she said that most years, her high school sent a student to Harvard, and most years that student was an Asian American. Then later when she moved to Ohio, she was surprised to find out that over 40% of Asian Americans enrolled in community colleges, which is less in alignment with stereotypes of Asian Americans. She also went on to say that she met Asian Americans that were high school dropouts, those that never went to college, and those that started college but left.


So here we have to differing views of Asian Americans which is correct, well they both are, and here is why. Historically Asians/ Pacific Islanders are like most immigrants in that they come to the United States in order to have a better life and many begin with very little. The Kim parents came from humble beginnings, coming to the United States with only $200. Mr. Kim worked as a janitor and his wife as a seamstress (ABC News, 2005). Kim goes on to say that they put school first and that as a girl television time was one hour during the week and candy was a reward for reading a book. Then you have those that don't have asses to resources that can help them be successful such as a combination of community, business, ad religious organizations that foster community norms and facilitate the flow of information around education (Park, 2019).

So, in the end, it all boils down to your situation, the type of encouragement, support, and in many cases the drive within. There is no question that Asian Americans have faced their share of hardships and institutionalized racism. But this the data on Asian American complicate the simple narrative that people either have it 'good" or "bad" (Park, 2019).

ABC News. (2005, November 5). Are Asian Children Smarter? Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1269967&page=1

Park, J.A. (2019, August 21). An Uneven Playing Field: The Complex Educational Experiences of Asian Americans. Retrieved from https://www.higheredtoday.org/2019/08/21/uneven-playing-field-complex-educational-experiences-asian-americans/