Why Asian Kids Are Out-Performing Their Peers

Asian kids performance

There is a widespread view that Asians outperform their counterparts in academics, especially in Mathematics and Science. Looking through the numbers, there is some degree of truth to this. According to the 2010 US Census bureau, 49% of Asians, age 25 and older, have a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education. Asians have the highest proportion of college graduates of any race or ethnic group in the United States and this compares with 27 percent for all Americans 25 and older. Also, 20% of Asians, age 25 and older, have an advanced degree (e.g., Master’s, Ph.D., M.D. or J.D.). This compares with 10 percent for all Americans 25 and older. The median household income for Asians in 2005 was $64,238, the highest among all race groups, with a 10.3% poverty rate for Asians in 2006, down from 11.1 percent in 2005.

According to the authors of the book Top of the Class: How Asian Parents Raise High Achievers and How You Can, Too, Asian-Americans comprise only 4% of the US population, but they make up 24% in Stanford, 18% in Harvard, 25% in Columbia and 25% in Cornell. These statistics are very telling. They speak to a systematic strategy for Asian success. The authors, Abboud and Kim, themselves very successful in their respective careers, argue that Asian students are not more intelligent or gifted than non-Asian students. The reason they outperform their peers in the classroom has everything to do with how they are raised. Soo Kim Abboud is a surgeon and an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Her sister Jane is an attorney. They were born in the United States to parents who had emigrated from Korea with little money in their pockets but big dreams of a better life in their hearts. From the very beginning, Jane Kim says, her parents realized the importance of education for them, and made it their top priority. “When we were younger, I mean in elementary and middle school, our parents were very involved,” she says. So involved, she recalls, that they gladly assumed the role of teacher after the school day ended.

Two predominant thoughts immediately came to my mind as I read this book. The first is that Asian parents have a strong influence on their children, and secondly, children assume their role as students. Asian parents assume very strict disciplinary roles with the goal of setting boundaries and instilling a desire to work hard in their children. Asian children, on their part, have a fundamental understanding about the importance of respecting their elders, their teachers and their parents, as well as studying hard and doing well in school in order to secure a bright future. Their main purpose is to “study.” So, while American kids are dividing their time between several different extracurricular activities like soccer, basketball, swimming, tennis, etc Asian kids are concentrating more on their homework, then studying after completing homework. Every action or decision revolves around the primary idea that they are students. In many ways, this degree of focus makes sense. Top scientists, musicians and athletes don’t reach the top by doing the bare minimum. The same holds true for being a great student.

To foster the ideal of being a great student, Asian parents do what is necessary to elevate their children. They themselves become educators after the kids come home from school. They are highly involved in their children’s school work, celebrating their successes and devising a plan of action where they are weak. They also inculcate a love of learning in their children, teaching them that being a student is both fun and rewarding.

Beyond the household, a closer look at the Math Curriculum in Asian countries reveals that the curriculum is probably the hardest in the world. In Mathematics and Science, the expectations leveled on Asian students are beyond compare in terms of the difficulty. Students are expected to shoot for the moon and do what they need to do to reach the top of the academic ladder. Noticeably, there aren’t many Asians who aspire to be poets, filmmakers, or WWE professional wrestlers. No wonder the most prolific, talented people in these areas come from the United States. This is because America values the creative and “whole” aspect of the human experience and psyche as opposed to cold, hardcore skills.
Asian schools abroad have the reputation of being draconian environments of strict learning. In September 2010, to the objections of many, President Obama proposed increasing the school year in order to allow more days for students to learn. The President based his proposals on the practices in many successful countries that produce top students, especially in the Sciences. Schools in China and Taiwan are run virtually year round with 10-12 hour days. It is no surprise that there is such academic rigor and excellence in Asian communities.

These factors make Asians better at Math and Science. But does it make them better, holistically speaking? There is no good answer to this question. For every smart, friendly Asian person you encounter there may be another socially maladjusted one. For every good thing that comes with having sky-high test scores, there’s something I could point out that’s bad. However, frankly speaking, in these days of failing schools and failing students, the Asian model is a more predictable strategy for putting your child on the success path while teaching them balance. There is a disturbing pervasive “dumbing-down” of the curriculum in American schools that fail to teach students to strive and reach for more of their potential. Students are encouraged to “do their best,” which translates to “do what you can, but it’s ok if you cannot do it.” Frankly, as a parent, I’d rather err on the side of the Asians.

Dr. Nicoline Ambe’s website is www.nicolineambe.com

(First published in DUNIA print Magazine, issue 2)

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