Educational Mobility Among the Children of Asian-American Immigrants

Samuel Fishman , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Research has consistently found that the children of Asian American immigrants complete higher levels of educational attainment than other race/ethnic-nativity groups. Recent segmented assimilation theory contends that this pattern is explained—in part—by high levels of educational mobility. The pattern contrasts with the status attainment model’s strong parent-offspring education gradient. Results demonstrate that the children of Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese immigrants complete higher levels of educational attainment than other race/ethnic-nativity groups, even after controlling for sociodemographic and geographic/school differences. Additional analysis reveals a flat parent-offspring education gradient for these three populations relative to whites. In contrast, the relationship between parental education and offspring’s educational attainment is robust for other race/ethnic-nativity groups. This study reveals high levels of educational attainment and mobility among the children of Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese immigrants. At the same time, these results confirm the validity of the status attainment model for most race/ethnic-nativity groups.

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 Presented in Session 8. Economy, Labor Force, Education, & Inequality