The Need for Disaggregated and Cross-Tabulated Data in Higher Education Policymaking
Robert T. TeranishiAssociate ProfessorNew York University
National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education
The CARE Project
The purpose of the CARE Project is to conduct applied research that informs an actionable and sustainable discussion about the needs and challenges of the AAPI student population.
Examine the educational outcomes of AAPIs, placing them in a broader context of the social conditions and institutional contexts through which they occur.
AAPIs are often referred to as a “non-minority” minority population.
“Whites and Asian Americans are jumbled together in a way that is making the distinctions between the groups less obvious” (Massey, 2008).
Perceptions of the AAPI Community
Purpose of the Presentation
Highlight how more refined data for AAPIs captures more nuanced aspects of how race operates in contemporary society.
Consider the ways in which our understanding of AAPIs can be enhanced by accounting for the broader contexts of the social conditions and institutional settings that contribute to racial stratification.
Implications of data limitations for how we characterize opportunity structures for AAPIs
o Community and neighborhood conditions
o Access to institutional resources
o Issues of racial segregation and isolation
Case Study #1
BROOKLYN, NEW YORKChinese American Community
Percent of PopulationForeign-Born
Percent of Children Who Speak English Less than Very Well
76.8%
63.5%
WESTMINSTER, CALIFORNIAVietnamese American Community
Percent of Adults withHigh School or Less
Percent of Adults Who Speak English Less than Very Well
54.5%
67.2%
WAI’ANAE, HAWAI’INative Hawai’ian Community
Percent of Adults withHigh School or Less
Percent of FamiliesWith Children That Are Below Poverty
78.5%
32.1%
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTAHmong American Community
Percent of Adults withHigh School or Less
Percent of HouseholdsWith 6 or More Persons
65.4%
63.5%
Social Indicators of Marginalized and Vulnerable AAPI Sub-Groups
Indices of Dissimilarity for Selected AAPI Ethnic Enclaves, 2000
San Francisco/Daly City, CA
Los Angeles/Long Beach, CA
Orange County, CA
Queens, NY
Source: R. Teranishi, Asians in the Ivory Tower, 2010.
Four-Year High School Dropout Rate Statewide and for AAPI Students in Oakland Unified School District, 2006-07
Oakland USD
Source: R. Teranishi, Asians in the Ivory Tower, 2010.
Implications of data limitations for how we characterize AAPI participation in higher education
o Bi-modal distribution of AAPIs in higher education
o Stratification of college opportunities
o The confounding with “others”
Case Study #2
Bi-Modal Distribution of Education Outcomes for AAPIs
Mean Score
AAPIs(“outliers”)
Whites (“normal”)
Mean Score (%)(Standard Deviation)
Whites AAPIs
SAT I Verbal 528 507(All Takers, 2004) (100) (121)
SAT I Math 531 577(All Takers, 2004) (102) (123)
Source: R. Teranishi, Asians in the Ivory Tower, 2010.
Distribution of SAT Math Scores, 2004
Source: R. Teranishi, Asians in the Ivory Tower, 2010.
Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander SAT Verbal Scores by Parental Education and Parental Income, 2004
Source: R. Teranishi, Asians in the Ivory Tower, 2010.
SAT Scores of Asians, Asian Americans, or Pacific Islanders by the Location of High School Attended, 2004
502
560
535
650
300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700
SAT I Verbal
SAT I Math
Outside the U.S. In the U.S.
Source: R. Teranishi, Asians in the Ivory Tower, 2010.
Doctorates Conferred in the U.S. by Race, Citizenship, and Residency Status, 2000
Source: R. Teranishi, Asians in the Ivory Tower, 2010.
Change in AAPI College Enrollment by Institutional Type, 1980-2005
Source: R. Teranishi, Asians in the Ivory Tower, 2010.
Bachelor’s Degree or MoreHigh School or Less
Asian American
Pacific Islander
Asian American
Pacific Islander
Note: 25 years and older.
Source: CARE, Federal Higher Education Policy and the AAPI Community, 2010.
Educational Attainment for AAPIs by Ethnicity, 2006-2008
Disaggregated data is imperative for raising awareness about the wide range of social conditions and educational outcomes among AAPIs.
Disaggregated data enables the researchers, policymaker, educators, and practitioners to identify specific needs for AAPI students and target resources where it can be most effective.
Disaggregated data will help reduce the extent to which AAPIs are being confounded with others.
Conclusion
Robert Teranishi
New York University
(212)998-5522
CARE Project: http://www.nyu.edu/projects/care
an extensive annotated bibliography
a list of activities by the commission related to the project
research that examines key trends related to AAPIs in education
National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education