This article discusses one aspect of a research study that explored the school experiences of Cambodian American students. Due to their invisibility in the school setting and also in the literature on school reform, these children from refugee families are often overlooked as schools attempt to "close the achievement gap." Through their…

Interviews with 144 Khmer refugee adolescents found high levels of lifetime exposure to violence, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among one third of adolescents, and symptoms of depression among two thirds. Higher exposure to violence was related to PTSD symptoms, risk behaviors, and lower grade point average. Perceived social…

A study was conducted concerning how Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, and Hmong refugees between the ages of 15 and 18 have faced the difficulties of adjusting to life in the United States. The study looked at some of the reasons behind the difficulties these youth experience, as well as their success at school, within the family, and in society.…

Explores in-group variation in minority educational achievement by studying why a disproportionately high number of young Khmer women drop out of school in the United States. An ethnographic study (over 125 interviews) in metropolitan Boston (Massachusetts) demonstrates the importance of understanding cultural and social-historical influences on…

The Preparation for American Secondary Schools (PASS) program, added to the federal Overseas Refugee Training Program in 1985, was evaluated for its effectiveness in preparing Southeast Asian refugees for American education. The study compared the school performance of students with PASS training to that of students who did not receive PASS…

This report is a comparative study, conducted in 1986-87 in San Diego, California, of the adaptation of refugee youth from Vietnam, Cambodia, Indochina, and Laos. The project examined both successes and problems of these refugee youth regarding their educational and occupational attainments and aspirations, and evaluated their prospects for…

Presented is a report on a comparative study of the educational and occupational aspirations and expectations of Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese adolescents and youth in the Minneapolis-St.Paul (Twin Cities), Minnesota, metropolitan area. Data were culled from interviews with about 160 informants using a "story" approach as a…