Intro -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- 1 'Asians always do well': How successful are Asian-Australian school students? -- 2 Choosing the best: How neoliberal immigration and education policies help create the successful Asian-Australian student -- 3 Aspiration: Tiger mothers, dragon children and 'hothousing' -- 4 Anxiety: 'Migrants can't afford to be relaxed parents' -- 5 Selective schools: The culture of achievement, competition and hard work -- 6 Intercultural relations in selective schools: Racialisation, safe spaces and segregation
7 'It's just their culture': Anglo-Australian responses to Asian success -- Conclusion: What does Asian-Australian educational success say about Australian society? -- References -- Notes -- Index
Summary
The children of Asian migrants are often perceived to be perfect students: ambitious, studious and compliant. They are remarkably successful - routinely outperforming other students in exams, dominating selective school intakes, and disproportionately winning places at prestigious universities. While their hard work and success have been praised, their achievements have ignited fierce debates about whether their migrant parents are 'pushing too hard', or whether they ought to be lauded for their commitment to education. Critics see a dark side, symbolised by the 'tiger mother' who is obsessed with producing overachieving 'dragon children'. What is often missing in these debates is an understanding of what drives Asian migrant parents' approaches to education. This book explores how aspirations for their children's future reinforce their anxieties about being newcomers in an unequal society
