ELLs by Population: Asian/Pacific

Tags: Asian ELL Students; Intervention; Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA;

Target Population: All

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• What are the characteristics and data demographics of Asian Americans in the state of Washington?
• How can Asian American ELLs be better served to improve English proficiency, school achievement, and student outcomes?

Findings:

• They speak more than 100 languages and dialects with 40% speaking a language other than English as their primary language. The five largest language groups are Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese-Cantonese, Tagalog, and Khmer (Cambodian).
• There is much variability when it comes to income, family education, English proficiency, etc across the groups (ie: While 36.8% of Asian Americans hold a bachelor's degree or higher, only 6.6% of Cambodians do so, compared to 67% and 58% of Taiwanese and Asian Indians, respectively.)
• More than 30% of Asian Americans receive Free/Reduced Price Lunch and 14% are enrolled in Transitional Bilingual Instruction Program (TBIP).
• Asian American ELL students are underserved, undersupported, and experience academic difficulties. Only one third of Asian Non–Native English speakers are in ELL programs and few receive language assistance services in their native language.
• Asian American students experience alienation and marginalization in schools to varying degrees, but WASL data reveal that Filipino American and Southeast Asian American students are most at risk.

Policy Recommendations:

• Adopt a data collection, research, and evaluation plan.
• Create a seamless pipeline pre–k through 16, incorporating co-curricular activities and community involvement.
• Use a broader range of measurements to evaluate student performance.
• Foster culturally responsive approaches and practices.
• Adopt effective ell programs, including highly–trained and quality teachers.
• Engage Asian American families in schools with informational meetings and translated print materials.
• Strengthen school–community partnerships.

• Read the Full Report

Hune, S. and D. Takeuchi. (2008). Asian Americans in Washington State: Closing Their Hidden Achievement Gaps. A report submitted to The Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. Seattle, WA: University of Washington.

Tags: Asian ELL Students; Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School, Post-Secondary

Research Questions the Report Poses: What difficulties face Asian American students and how might these difficulties perpetuate myths about Asian students?

Findings:
The sheer diversity in ethnicities, languages, cultures, and experiences represented among Asian Americans leads to the creation many myths and misunderstandings. The stereotype of the model Asian minority denies the reality that there are struggling and undeserved students and as a result, the emotional and academic needs of Asian American students are easily overlooked.

Policy Recommendations:

The authors offer a number of recommendations that include improved:

• Cultural competency on the part of school staff
• Data collection and disaggregation
• Communication with families, including in home languages
• Family engagement initiatives
• Prevention of harassment and involvement
• Community partnerships

• Link to Resource Page (Registration Required)

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
The Coalition of Asian American Children & Families 50 Broad St. Suite 1701 New York, NY 10004 *Note: To download report, enter your name and email in the log-in screen. Email addresses will not be shared or added to any email lists.

The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (2004, May). Coalition for Asian Hidden in plain view: An overview of the needs of Asian American students in the public school system. New York, NY.

Tags: Asian ELL Students; Bilingual Instruction; Language Proficiency;

Target Population: All

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• What are the statistics regarding Asian American students/ELLs?
• How do schools neglect Asian American students?
• What can be changed to close the achievement gap of Asian American students and provide them sufficient resources for success?

Findings:

• 24% of Asian American students are ELLs.
• Asian Americans comprise 12% of all ELLs, though they are only 5% of the total population.
• The four largest Asian ethnic ELL populations nationwide are: Chinese (115,000), Vietnamese (95,000), Korean (51,000), and Asian Indian (47,000).
• Improved and increased ELL services are clearly a dire need for Asian American students and must not be overlooked due to the "model minority myth" which postures Asian Americans as automatically higher-achieving.

Policy Recommendations:

• Devalue high-stakes testing: Resources should be devoted to language acquisition and learning experience rather than testing. Furthermore standardized testing should not be used to penalize schools by denying them funding or to penalize students by denying grade promotion or graduation.
• Create more native-language assessments based on demographics of cities or districts, not whole states, or using a statewide absolute numerical threshold (as opposed to the current 10% rule.)
• Create more bilingual education programs (as opposed to English-only instruction).
• Address high pushout/dropout rates: Schools should provide truancy intervention, ELL programs, high quality ELL teachers, and native language materials.
• Use multiple forms of assessment: ELLs should be assessed according to individual growth, using classroom-based results, and with appropriate accommodations. Assessments should be aligned to the instruction they receive (ie language acquisition, not traditional literacy development.)
• Increase professional development, providing ELL-teaching-specific training, and increase hiring of ELL teachers.
• Enable parental involvement: Provide native-language materials about the public education system and specific schools, translators for parent-teacher communication, community outreach, and Adult Literacy/ESL classes for parents.
• Disaggregate data to get a clearer picture of Asian American students' demographics and performance.

• Read the Full Report

Redondo, B., Aung, K.M., Fung, M., & Yu, N.W. Left in the Margins: Asian American Students & the No Child Left Behind Act. (2008). New York: Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Tags: Asian ELL Students; Intervention; Rights, Students;

Target Population: All

Research Questions the Report Poses: What general circumstances do Southeastern Asian Americans tend to experience?

Findings:

• Limited English skills
• Systematic communication between students, parents, and teachers
• Discrimination
• Widespread feelings of alienation from mainstream schools

Policy Recommendations:

• Disaggregate and disseminate more data.
• Promote Southeast Asian studies, courses, and personnel.
• Support community organizations.
• Create new systems for financial and technical support.

• Read the Full Report

Yang, K.Y. (2004) “Southeast Asian American Children: Not the ‘Model Minority.’” Children of Immigrant Families 14 (2). The Future of Children. Retrieved from http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=39&articleid=129&sectionid=850.

Tags: Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA;

Target Population: Elementary, Middle, High School

Findings:

• As recent refugees, many Southeast Asians have never had a formal education or the ability to read and write in their native language.
• Many Southeast Asian American households are linguistically isolated (household members 14 years old and over have at least some difficulty with English).
• Overshadowed by the "model minority" myth that stereotypes all Asian American students as doing well academically, the needs of Southeast Asian American students, particularly those of the ELL population, are often overlooked.
• Following Spanish, the second and third most spoken languages of English language learners are Vietnamese and Hmong.
• Like all ELL students, Southeast Asian American ELL students face multiple barriers to attaining educational success: they may lack parental support and assistance with school work due to parents’ limited English language abilities, they face a lack of resources available outside the classroom, and they deal with a lack of quality educational services.

Policy Recommendations:

• Adequate funding must be allocated toward education programs at the K-12 levels, especially for ELL programs.
• Resources for ELL students outside the classroom through community-based collaborations and partnerships are also necessary.
• Federal and state resources need to be allocated to strongly support the certification and training of teachers of ELL students.
• There must be more certified teachers who are trained to teach ELLs, and standards must be raised to include cultural competency skills and bilingual skills for those working with ELL students.
• There should be more investment in proper translation services so that materials and programs are more accessible and practical for ELL students, their parents and communities.

• Read the Full Report

Uy, P. (2008). Southeast Asian Americans as English Language Learners. Washington, DC: Campaign for High School Equity.

Tags: Asian ELL Students; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Fluency; Motivation;

Target Population: All

Research Questions the Report Poses:

• What are some nonnative English speakers' experiences regarding the way native speakers treat them?
• How have nonnative English speakers' experiences of ethnic acceptance or ethnic prejudice affected their learning of English?
• What do nonnative English speakers think they need in order to lower their anxiety as they learn a new language?
• What can native English speakers do to lower nonnative speakers' anxiety?
• What can nonnative English speakers do to lower their anxiety with native English speakers?

Findings:

• All of the participants experienced both ethnic acceptance and ethnic prejudice, though they tended to be positive and accepting.
• Successful immigrants overcome their fear and anxiety by making friends with native and nonnative speakers alike.
• To achieve greater communicative competence English learners must take the initiative to speak English, while native English speakers must learn strategies for listening and understanding, accepting and reinforcing the nonnative speakers.
• The two ethnic groups of participants viewed prejudice and learning English differently: the Vietnamese believed they could move past prejudice and learn English as a means to belong in American culture, while the Mexican participants fostered a nostalgia for and stronger desire to return to their homeland.
• The six participants in this study all recognized the importance of encouragement and motivation in learning English, whether by needing English to communicate in ethnically mixed neighborhoods, or community ESL classes showing them they were not alone in learning English.
• The participants all expressed the opinion that individual effort and perseverance are keys to progress in acquiring English: one needs to take action, reach out, and not give up regardless of the experiences of prejudice.

Policy Recommendations:

The authors recommend:

• Mixed ESL groupings in class — combining immigrants from different countries so they cannot resort to home language.
• Closed-caption reading methodology
• Encouraging immigrants to make friends who are native speakers
• Improved workplace ESL programs
• Cultural survival techniques — acquiring goods and services in home language to buffer transition, while still venturing out into English–speaking places.

• Read the Full Report

LaBelle, J. (2007.) Vietnamese American Experiences of English Language Learning. Journal of Southeast Asian American Education & Advancement. Retrieved from: http://jsaaea.coehd.utsa.edu/index.php/JSAAEA/article/view/4