Tag Archives: education

  By Devika Koppikar As one of the most diverse DC-area schools, 24 percent of Annandale High School’s students identify as Asian.  Nevertheless, the large Asian population does not necessary equate to the “model minority,” myth as 46 percent of the school’s population (including all groups) are classified as economically disadvantaged, according to the U.S. News & World Report. For …

By Tamara Treichel Asian American students have the reputation of being high achievers, diligent, obedient, and, in short, any teacher’s dream – the “perfect students.” This has led to the “model minority” myth regarding Asian Americans. Yet one should regard all stereotypes with caution. As Kim Wong Keltner humorously and yet also poignantly pointed out in her memoir Tiger Babies …

As the Back-to-School Tax Free Weeks in Virginia and Maryland sailed by, it is once again time for kids aged 6-17 to put away the bathing suit and hit up the books. This school year will be an especially distressing one for rising juniors and their families, who are facing one of the most transformative events in their lives: applying …

By Jenny Chen Asian Americans are often cast as the “good student.” In the 2002 documentary Spellbound about the Howard Scripps spelling bee, one of the teachers is shown as saying “I love have Indian students, every time I see an Indian student I get excited.” At first glance, this perception of Asian students seems warranted: 83% of Asian Americans …

By Lily Qi May 18 was a glorious Sunday in the Boston area. Tens of thousands of families and friends descended on one of the nation’s best-known education corridors to celebrate the class of 2014. My husband and I were among the happy crowds joined by my family from Shanghai for our son Andrew’s graduation from Tufts University. We fully …

By Leslie Hsu Oh The Tragic Story that Led Leslie Oh to Found the Hepatitis B Initiative I can still smell the bitter roast of the surgeon’s coffee, swirling black in his hands, as he walked towards me with dread. A freshman at UCLA, I had a wad of love letters from several boys in my purse when the surgeon …

By Michelle Phipps-Evans As a math teacher in Virginia’s Prince William County school system, Atif Qarni sees a lot of things that could be improved about the education system. Qarni recently announced his candidacy to represent the 13th District in the Virginia House of Delegates which is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. The General Assembly is the …

  Robert Sarvis isn’t sure whether he’s the first Asian American to run for Virginia governor, but if he wins this November, he’d be the first to hold the office. Sarvis, of Annandale, Va., is the third-party candidate in the Virginia governor’s race. Born and raised in Fairfax County, Sarvis, 37, is Chinese-American. His wife, Astrid, is a pediatrician who …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Corinna Shen, owner of Seven Seas Restaurant located in Rockville, Maryland, believes that “education is the key for any kind of success.” Her great grandfather was one of the founders of Hunan University and was a secretary for the Education department in China. “In China, teaching is the most respected profession. And because of my family …

On August 18, 2013 McDonald’s partnered with Korea Daily to sponsor a college fair for Asian American high school students. Andrew Han, Montgomery County Prosecutor opened the event with a keynote speech. Also speaking was Kyu Rhee, a local Asian American McDonald’s owner and Victor Kim, winner of the MTV hit America’s Best Dance Crew and recent college graduate. This …

By Derek Mong On June 24 of this year, the Supreme Court was faced with a case that dealt with the age old debate of affirmative action and race-conscious admissions. Fisher v. University of Texas had the potential to reverse the constitutionality of race-conscious affirmative action policies that were established through legal precedent in rulings before. Over the years, the …

“Dreamer” By: Ram, 10th grade Asian American LEAD’s (AALEAD) MD High School Program I am a dreamer… And often I question: “What is real?” Is it the life I’m living, the dreams I’m dreaming Or is it me…just me? To know another you must know yourself And that’s when you reveal your voice The voice buried by social anxiety, parental …

By Devika Koppikar     At age 16, Phyllis Kesslen’s son Randy* took Mandarin in school with only two other students. Randy, now 17, is currently fluent in three world languages: Mandarin, Spanish and Latin, in addition to his native language, English.     Kesslen said that if she had her son attended a public school, he would not have had the …

By Jennie L. Ilustre “We need to have all our kids succeed in getting college education,” keynote speaker Tina Tchen stressed at the Higher Education Summit, held on June 25 in the nation’s capital. “What you all are doing is so important to making sure that all will reach that goal,”  she told leaders of the Asian & Pacific Islander …

Asian American LEAD’s (AALEAD) DC Elementary School Summer Program *This poem is a piece from AALEAD’s DC Elementary School Summer Program “I Am ME” workshop which focuses on helping youth explore identity through creative writing and visual arts. “I am…” By: Joline, rising 3rd grader I am Responsible and Respectful I wonder how dinosaurs died I hear people talking I see …

Are Asian American students in Virginia public schools being held to a different—and higher— standard than children of other races? That is what some concerned parents and legislators see with a set of new state education goals, part of Virginia’s attempt to opt out of regulations in the No Child Left Behind law. But supporters of the new performance standards say opponents …

By Jem Palo   Are Asian American students in Virginia public schools being held to a different—and higher— standard than children of other races? That is what some concerned parents and legislators see with a set of new state education goals, part of Virginia’s attempt to opt out of regulations in the No Child Left Behind law. But supporters of …