Issues Affecting U.S. Filipino Student Access to Postsecondary Education: A Critical Race Theory Perspective

Abstract

There are 3.2 million Filipinos in the United States, arguably the largest Asian American ethnic group. Although 36.7% of Filipino adults have college degrees, which is much higher than their ethnic and racial counterparts, U.S. Filipino ¹ youth have fewer postsecondary opportunities. Filipino immigrant and second-generation youth exhibit high secondary “push out” rates, suffer from depression and other mental health issues, demonstrate lower levels of participation and retention in higher education, and attend less selective colleges if they pursue postsecondary education. They are additionally marginalized by institutional policies that do not consider the complexity of their lives. In the context of color-blind educational discourse, their issues have been rendered largely invisible; they are often not targeted or eligible for institution-sponsored postsecondary access and retention programs. In this paper, I use Critical Race Theory to guide a review of literature to show how the intersection between immigration, socioeconomic status, and race shape the barriers to postsecondary opportunities for U.S. Filipinos.

¹U.S. Filipinos refers to people of Filipino descent residing in the United States. The term is used over the more commonly used term, Filipino American, to better encompass persons who do not identify as American, particularly those who are undocumented.

Notes

¹U.S. Filipinos refers to people of Filipino descent residing in the United States. The term is used over the more commonly used term, Filipino American, to better encompass persons who do not identify as American, particularly those who are undocumented.

²A pseudonym.