Cambodian Americans, Education of

This entry discusses the educational experiences of Cambodian American students, one of the smaller immigrant groups in the United States. Academic literature that discusses the experiences of Cambodian Americans in education remains quite scant, even though this field of study continues to grow. A majority of Cambodian Americans have been affected by low educational attainment rates, poverty, and other socioeconomic challenges. By 2009, the Cambodian American population in the United States was at approximately 277,000. It is estimated that 38.5% of Cambodian Americans did not graduate high school and 65.8% of Cambodian American adults ages 25 and over have no postsecondary education. Moreover, 18.2% of Cambodian Americans live below the federal poverty level, which is one of the highest poverty rates among all ethnic groups in the United States.

Quite frequently, Asian American students are depicted and stereotyped as a model minority, and most of these students are perceived to be excelling and obtaining academic success and achievement. This phenomenon of depicting Asian American students as academically successful and achieving at a high scholastic level has been conceptualized as the model minority myth. Implications rooted in the model minority myth present a misleading and often deceptive conclusion about the educational experiences of all Asian American students. All too often, statistical data on Asian Americans are aggregated and treated as a monolithic category that masks the salient differences and similarities among Asian American ethnic groups. This can create detrimental consequences for Cambodian American students—such as forms of invisibility, and inaccessibility to academic support and services.

Because the academic literature on issues related to the challenges that Cambodian American students face in schools is sparse, the purpose of this entry is to build on previous works that are pertinent to the issues at hand and also to suggest culturally relevant pedagogical approaches that can improve the educational experiences of Cambodian American students in their academic pursuits. The focus is on issues affecting second-generation Cambodian American students, that is, students who are native born with at least one foreign-born parent. Although a variety of sociocultural factors may influence second-generation Cambodian students' academic performance, family dynamics are the primary focus of this entry. According to Min Zhou, a common theme among children of Asian immigrants is an emphasis on familial obligations and high parental expectations. Family obligations and high parental expectations, though not necessarily adverse, are key factors that may inhibit Asian immigrant students' academic progress. The historical and social contexts of the Cambodian American population provide a foundation that illuminates the processes of family dynamics and the ways they influence the educational experiences of Cambodian American students.