By Lydia Lo

In the childhood of a Chinese American, notably those in the first generation born in America, education has always been stressed. To make up for the deficiency in the English language, parents drill their children on the tongue until they are on a level competitive with their American counterparts. Long nights are spent fine-tuning assignments until they satisfy Mom’s standards. Parents are eager to point out how "the Chang kid made it into Harvard" or "the Wong girl graduated as valedictorian." Eventually, this mentality of the necessity to perform well in school is infused in the child’s mind, forcing the student to face constant mental, social, and parental pressures. A look into the past, present and future of Chinese Americans in the educational system of the United States will explore the causes and effects of such attitudes.

Even though their presence was significant especially during the California Gold Rush and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, Chinese immigrants were unwelcome by the citizens and the government of the United States because they were laborers who worked for minimal wages and were seen as a threat to the American labor force. However, with the landmark Immigration Act of 1965, immigration was only restricted by hemisphere, not nationality, and also favored "professionals, scientists, and artists of ‘exceptional ability.’" Because a majority of the Chinese seeking U.S. citizenship did not possess sufficient English skill, it was not within their abilities to come to America and labor in a field where a command of English was central, as in journalism, teaching, writing, etc. As a result, most of the Chinese immigrating to the U.S. as a learned professional were people knowledgeable in mathematics, sciences, or other areas that did not require much English. These people were those who excelled in their field and were intelligent enough to withstand competition in the U.S.

When the professional immigrants produced children in America, they raised them as well-educated parents would: with very high standards. It was the only way they knew how to exist, and it was the only way they were able to instruct and guide their children. Consequently, the current generation of young Chinese holds the same values as their parents and performs well academically.

The Chinese students of this current generation belong to an ethnic category that constantly surpasses the competition. In the United States, roughly 3% of the 55.3 million schoolchildren are of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. In 1976, ten years after the Immigration Act of 1965, only 1.8% enrolled in institutions of higher education were Asian or Pacific Islander. However, as a new generation matured, the figure rose to 9.2%. This same group boasts the lowest dropout percentage of all ethnicities with only 5.4% unable to complete high school while the average is 13.5%. Additionally, 56% of the Asians completed advanced mathematics compared to the next highest group, the Caucasians at 45%. Although the average SAT verbal score Asians and Pacific Islanders is 501 and trails the national average by five points, they lead mathematically by a substantial 52 points—566 compared to 514.

Though this trend is dominant in this era, there is no clear sign of which direction it will be heading in the years ahead. Such a pattern may be ephemeral and disappear as new generations gradually forget the motivations of their parents, and soon Chinese Americans may lose their comfortable lead. As in the case of Chinese emperors, the first one may be the one to conquer and start his own dynasty, but eventually his sons take the position for granted, neglect the affairs of the country and allow another warlord to seize the opportunity to initiate his own rule. Similarly, the Chinese immigrants may treasure the abilities that enabled them to become American citizens, but future generations may forget the struggle of his or her forbears and slowly cease to be industrious. Or, a tradition of educational excellence may persist, passed down from parent to child, and ensure the Asian and Pacific Islander’s position at the top of the charts.

Whatever the future may hold, there is certainly to be a Chinese American making academic headlines. For the performance of a single person cannot be solely dependent on the performance of people similar to that person, but on the person himself.