Soo Kim Abboud and Jane Kim offer a non-PC, intriguing essay about how raising Asian students results in their top academic performance in U.S. schools. And, they bring home almost $10,000 more income than their non-Asian counterparts.

The reason that Asian students outperform their peers ... has nothing to do with how they are born and everything to do with how they are raised.

The writers cite these stats:

Percentage of Asian American students at top universities
- University of Pennsylvania – 23%
- Columbia and Cornell – 25%
- Stanford – 24%
- Harvard – 18%
- University of California at Berkeley – 42%

More stats:
47% of Asians over 25 hold Bachelor’s degrees (compared to 27% overall)
The median income for Asians is $10,000 higher than the median incomes of other ethnic groups
16% of Asians hold advanced degrees (compared to 9% overall)

They argue for 17 ways parents can raise children to love learning and maximize their intellectual potential. Many of these methods run counter to our American culture.

Clearly Define Your Child's Role as a Student Parents firmly believe in roles, and they ensure that each member of the family carry out his or her role to the best of his or her ability. They manage their children's time outside of school. They respect educators. Asian parents transform into educators at night. Children concentrate more on their schoolwork.

Reward Positive School Performances and Devise a Plan of Attack for Poor School Performances Asian parents dole out praise less frequently than other parents or educators, and not for mediocre performance. Asian parents pub more stress on results over effort. Stressing both effort and achievement rather than effort alone can make all the difference in your child's academic performance without in any way hurting your child's emotional well-being.

Many of us raised before Dr. Spock and progressive schools ideology took over parenting and public schools recognize the principles described by Abboud, Kim and a small cadre of educators. These principles still work for most students raised in families with a stay-at-home parent, but such evidence appears irrelevant to the popular culture oriented.

Anyway you subscribe to raising and educating children, this is an interesting article.

Abboud is a surgeon and clinical assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

Kim is an attorney and immigration specialist at the Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania.

They ask for your comments.

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