Why Disaggregation Matters: Understanding Achievement Gaps Among Asian American Students

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 1:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Access and Success in Higher Education: Advising, Belonging, and Participation

Abstract

While Asian American students are often perceived as a high-achieving, monolithic group, such assumptions mask substantial differences in academic outcomes across ethnic subgroups. Utilizing longitudinal data from a large urban district in the Southwest region, this study examines disparities in academic performance within the Asian American student population. We found considerable variation in achievement levels, with achievement gaps not narrowing—and for some subgroups, widening—as students’ progress through school. East Asian students generally outperform Southeast Asian students, and within each ethnic subgroup, Southeast Asian ethnic students tend to score significantly lower than their East Asian ethnic peers. These findings challenge the “model minority” narrative and underscore the importance of data disaggregation in informing more targeted educational support.

Authors

• Xinyi Mao, University of Central Florida

• Se Woong Lee, University of Missouri

• Jia Liang, Kansas State University