"Colonial Mentality" Affects Fil-Am Student Performance

I read an interesting article the other day that stated that the more Americanized Filipino students become in the U.S., the worse they tend to perform in school.

A study was conducted in various cities across the U.S. and it found that in some cities where there have been three to four generations or more of Filipino immigrants, some one-third of Filipino students are failing, while in cities where the Filipino influx is newer, they’re doing well. In other words, the more Americanized we become, the less well our students do.

One of the contributors, the study cited, was that families in the U.S. often find that making ends meet economically hampered their participation in their children’s school activities.

Others included trends amongst Fil-Am youth to allow Social pressures such as drugs, promiscuity, gang affiliations and other social ills to encroach upon their academic performance

The study cited the need for role models and a better self-image to combat the “colonial mentality” still persisting amongst Filipino adults and youth in the U.S. The study also found parents are very involved at the elementary school level, but in high school, that involvement falls crediting this to how family economics are causing Fil-Am students to do less well than they probably could do.

The key takeaway is for Fil-Am parents to become more involved in their children’s academic lives as well as in their respective communities in order to push for educational assistance.

Overall the NaFFAA report recommended:

(1.) the need to dis-aggregate data on the FilAm students from those of other Asians collectively,

(2.) the hiring of more Filipino administrators, teachers and counseling staff to deal appropriately with FilAm cultural issues,

(3.) revising and infusing the existing curriculum with Filipino culture, history and experiential content as well including these features in the training of other educators,

(4.) the increased involvement of the entire Filipino community and FilAm parents particularly in the educational system, and

(5.) encouraging the involvement of Filipino parents in school activities and programs.

I think that another bullet is warranted here as well. That is, the need for families to build children's self-esteem through identity by talking about our rich family histories, where we come from and our Filipino culture. Read more...

To read more about the study, Read here...