Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This research examines how structural forces—social class, social capital, and school resources—affect education achievement among Asian American high school students in urban context. Based on a case study of Korean Americans, the author compares experiences of two groups of high school students in New York City urban schools: college-bound students attending a competitive magnet high school and "at-risk" high school dropouts attending a community-based GED program (General Educational Development test for high school equivalency diploma). The findings show that ties to first-generation parents and co-ethnic networks are extremely important for Korean American youths; however, it is also critical to distinguish socioeconomic differences within Korean American communities and for whom the ethnic enclaves may be more beneficial. The two groups of parents differ in their socioeconomic backgrounds, social network orientation, as well as educational strategies employed in assisting their children’s education. Moreover, the two groups of Korean students, in varied social contexts, gain access to different educational resources as well as adopt different racial strategies and ethnic identities. While neither of the group identifies with whiteness, the high school dropouts are more likely to adopt oppositional cultural frame of reference and resist school as a means of achieving economic mobility. This research deeply challenges the homogeneous image of Asian Americans as a "model minority"—a cultural discourse that decontextualizes important structural factors such as social class, social capital, and school resources—and points to the significance of structural factors when accounting for Asian American students’ academic achievement.