The image of the "model minority" obscures the difficulties facing many Asian Americans.
These facts dispute the myth:
- The percentage of Asian Americans below the poverty line is 12.2 percent -- exactly the same as the national rate and double that of white Americans.
- Asian Americans who have "made it" often do not earn as much as their white counterparts, even with equal or better education and experience.
- Twenty percent of Asian Americans -- about the same percentage as whites -- do not have a high school diploma.
- Potential cuts or elimination of bilingual education programs threaten to make it harder for more recent Asian immigrants to succeed.
- Many Asian American students who need academic help are not receiving it. Parents who have difficulty speaking English often are unaware of educational services that could help their children, and teachers who are accustomed to viewing Asians as high achievers may not notice those who are struggling.
- Likewise, behaviors that lead Asian American youth into depression, drugs, gangs and violence are sometimes overlooked.
