SEARAC is excited to unveil our new report, Rising Up: The Southeast Asian American Educational Journey.
Fifty years after Southeast Asian American families arrived in the United States as refugees from war and genocide, a new generation of youth is coming of age in our schools and colleges. This report looks at how far our communities have come, and what still stands in the way.
Here’s what we found:
- Southeast Asian American students are graduating high school and enrolling in college at higher rates than past generations
- Progress has not been the same across Southeast Asian Americans communities, with clear gaps by ethnicity and gender, and not equitably for the community as a whole compared to overall population averages
- Southeast Asian American students are still largely invisible in education data, hidden under the broad “Asian” category
- Students do better when they see themselves reflected in what they learn and who teaches them: through ethnic studies, culturally responsive classrooms, mental health supports, and strong community spaces
At the same time, federal cuts to education funding, threats to data collection, and aggressive immigration enforcement threaten to undo decades of hard-won progress — making local, state, and institutional action more important than ever.
“For 50 years, Southeast Asian Americans have fought to be seen and supported in schools,” said Quyên Đinh, Executive Director of SEARAC. “Our new report shows how decades of community advocacy have led to slow, but certain, improvements in educational outcomes. At the same time, this progress remains inequitable, and our hard-earned gains face direct threats from a presidential administration that is hostile to students of color, immigrants, and refugees. We call upon policymakers, researchers, educators, and organizations to read our report and take action to support education access and opportunity for Southeast Asian Americans and all students. Even in the face of challenges, our communities draw on deep resilience to demand an education system that truly serves all students.
“Rising Up is a call to educators, families, advocates, and allies to protect the progress that communities have made and to ensure Southeast Asian American students don’t just survive, but thrive,” said Theresa Chen, report author. “States, districts, and institutions have a critical opportunity to advance a more equitable educational system that will shape outcomes for generations to come.”
