Asian-Americans are educational overachievers, and have been for many decades. There are various explanations for the high educational achievement of Asian-Americans. The most frequently cited theory is that their native culture places a premium on ambition, persistence, and deferred gratification. Other theories attribute this success to different factors such as the Asian groups' tradition of cultural borrowing, their respect for authority, and their emphasis on the collective good. An analysis of the 1960 and 1970 U.S. censuses suggests a positive correlation between American immigration restrictions and the educational attainment of three groups of Asian immigrants--the Japanese, Chinese, and Filipinos. This can probably be attributed to the fact that as restrictions tightened, Asian immigrants had to meet high occupational criteria, which presupposed higher education. Settled in the United States, these groups found that, despite discrimination, education paid off in terms of occupational and social mobility, and this reinforced their pre-existing values. While all three groups have shown significant educational improvement across successive birth cohorts, the patterns of their success have differed. (Author/LP)