Opinion: Assessing the Broad Picture of Asian-American Achievement: When it comes to acquiring a college degree, there is a general assumption that Asian-Americans do it best. This is an erroneous assumption because many Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) subgroups fall far short of this assumed standard, with substantial numbers never graduating high school or college. It is also a dangerous assumption because this model-minority myth prevents the provision of public and private resources designated specifically for minority-serving institutions (MSIs), exacerbating a deleterious and downward spiral among underperforming AAPI subgroups.Granted, the assumption has some truth to it. College graduation rates among Asian-Americans rank highest among all ethnic groups, at 65 percent, followed by Whites at 59 percent. The only racial/ethnic group, furthermore, to not see their young men falling behind their predecessors in postsecondary attainment is Asian-Americans.
