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Beyond Black and White: The Model Minority Myth and the Invisibility of Asian American Students

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Abstract

This study of diverse Asian American students at a racially integrated public high school illustrates that the achievement gap is a multi-racial problem that cannot be well understood solely in terms of the trajectories of Black and white students. Asian American students demonstrated a high academic profile on average, but faced difficulties and failure in ways rendered invisible by widespread acceptance of the “Model Minority Myth,” which says that Asians comprise the racial minority group that has “made it” in America through hard work and education, and therefore serve as a model for other racial minorities to follow. Findings point to policy implications for teachers, counselors, school staff, social services and government.

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Correspondence to Jean Yonemura Wing.

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Wing, J.Y. Beyond Black and White: The Model Minority Myth and the Invisibility of Asian American Students. Urban Rev 39, 455–487 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-007-0058-6

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