1st Edition

Asian-american Education Historical Background and Current Realities

By Meyer Weinberg Copyright 1997
    360 Pages
    by Routledge

    354 Pages
    by Routledge

    Asian-American Education: Historical Background and Current Realities fills a gap in the study of the social and historical experiences of Asians in U.S. schools. It is the first historical work to provide American readers with information about highly individual ethnic groups rather than viewing distinctly different groups as one vague, global entity such as "Asians." The people who populate each chapter are portrayed as active participants in their history rather than as passive victims of their culture.

    Each of the twelve country-specific chapters begins with a description of the kind of education received in the home country, including how widely available it was, how equal or unequal the society was, and what were the circumstances under which the emigration of children from the country occurred. The latter part of each of these chapters deals with the education these children have received in the United States. Throughout the book, instead of dwelling on a relatively narrow range of children who perform spectacularly well, the author tries to discover the educational situation typical among average students. The order of chapters is roughly chronological in terms of when the first sizable numbers of immigrants came from a specific country.

    Contents: Preface. Introduction. China. Japan. Korea. Philippines. Vietnam. Cambodia. Laos. Hong Kong. Taiwan. Micronesia. Polynesia. India. Cross-Group Issues.

    Biography

    Meyer Weinberg

    "...a model of scholarly inquiry and serves to fill a large gap within the literature....an impressive accomplishment....represents the most comprehensive volume to date on the subject. Educators, scholars, policymakers, and journalists would all greatly benefit from reading this book because it provides detailed information on the diversity within and between Asian American groups. This book has not received the attention it deserves....a rich resource for those seeking to remedy insensitive and harmful policies or other practices that mask the great diversity and unique educational needs of students hidden under the generic, misunderstood, and misused label of 'Asian American.'"
    Journal of Language, Identity, and Education

    "Weinberg's scope across the volume and his synthesis within each chapter are remarkable....his recognition of each nationality's particular historical experience with schooling both in the U.S. and in their respective homelands is not available in such detail from any other source."
    Peter Kiang
    University of Massachusetts, Boston

    "...Amasses a prodigious amount of data never before collated and points out clearly and correctly the historical and contemporary discrimination in education--and everything else--that Asian Americans--or most of them--continue to endure."
    Roger Daniels
    University of Cincinnati