This research brief reviews trends in Asian-American population and higher education participation. It determines the status of Asian-American students and faculty compared with other ethnic groups and identifies issues and problems connected with Asian Americans in academe. Data specifically include: composition of the Asian American population, educational attainment of Asian Americans, preparation for college, enrollment trends, degrees conferred and fields of study, doctoral program participation, Asian American faculty and staff in higher education, and tenure status and tenure rates for faculty by gender and race/ethnicity. Highlights of the data include: (1) only 22 percent of the Hmong population and 43 percent of Cambodians finished high school, compared with more than 80 percent of Asian Indian, Japanese, Indonesian, and Pakistani individuals; (2) representation of Asian Americans in higher education grew from two percent in 1976 to four percent in 1988; (3) most Asian-American students attend public institutions; and (4) from 1979 to 1989 the number of bachelor's degrees conferred to Asian Americans more than doubled and the number of master's degrees earned by Asian Americans nearly doubled. Contains 10 end notes, information about 3 data resources, and 15 references. (JDD)