Asian/American Scholars of Education

“This is an important and special book for so many reasons. Chapter after chapter the reader is presented with the rich voices amplified through candid, engaging, and truly enlightening narratives of Asian/American endowed professors of education who are at the top of their game. Too often the voices of Asian/American scholars have been muffled or not heard at all in education. The authors set out to change that here, and they do so by providing an insightful and refreshingly relevant volume that unapologetically unveils these scholars’ influential work and how their culture has supported it.” —Mark Anthony Gooden, Ph.D., Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Professor in Education Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University
“Showcasing their humanity in the fight for equity and justice, the authors in this volume stress the importance of ‘lifting as they climb’ in higher education. The authors demonstrate with anecdote and precision the ways in which they navigate and negotiate structural and systemic challenges in their work. A powerful contribution to the higher education literature, this book teaches as it transforms.” —H. Richard Milner IV, Ph.D., Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Education, Vanderbilt University
“Hartlep, Kahlon, and Ball are moving Asian/Americans to the forefront of higher education by showing their impact on their students and mentees as well as the curricula in our colleges and universities.” —Marybeth Gasman, Ph.D., Judy & Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education, University of Pennsylvania
“Schools and colleges of education have been striving for equity and espouse it as a value central to their mission. Efforts to hire and retain diverse faculty have been making progress at the junior ranks, but as this volume reveals, substantial inequities remain in the highest ranks of the academy. This volume serves as a wake-up call that much more needs to be done to represent the diversity of our student body in all ranks of the professoriate.” —Gale M. Sinatra, Ph.D., Stephen H. Crocker Professor of Education, University of Southern California
“Asian/American Scholars of Education: 21st Century Pedagogies, Perspectives, and Experiences traces a path that is largely hidden and, by doing so, breaks open paths for new scholars and scholarship. This extraordinarily important text amplifies the voices of Asian professors and illuminates their experiences, thus lighting the way for emerging researchers, mentors, and teachers. Drawing on the work of academic luminaries, the contributors challenge stereotypes, creating opportunities for readers to do the same. This book contributes to the efforts of all educators who see our work as related to equity and justice.” —Julie A. Gorlewski, Ph.D., Editor of English Journal
“Asian/American Scholars of Education: 21st Century Pedagogies, Perspectives, and Experiences weaves research and experience into a rich tapestry that helps us better understand some of the top scholars in education. The book offers key insights into how many Asian/American scholars have developed their identities as scholar-educators while also identifying similarities and differences that transcend institutional boundaries. These are high-quality stories of adversity, triumph, and excellence in scholarship. Highly recommended.” —Jeffrey S. Brooks, Associate Dean for Research & Innovation, School of Education, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, RMIT Australia
“In too many cases, Asian/American students and scholars are confronted with the 'model minority' stereotype. This stereotype and myth affects Asian/Americans in many ways and undermines their challenges and struggles, which renders them voiceless. This book focuses on the lived experiences of Asian/Americans from a variety of backgrounds, and these stories and counter-narratives fill a much needed void.” —Donna Y. Ford, Ph.D., Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair, Vanderbilt University
“Asian/American Scholars of Education: 21st Century Pedagogies, Perspectives, and Experiences is a significant and important contribution to the fields of higher education and Asian/American studies. Utilizing powerful narratives, Hartlep, Ball, and Kahlon’s book points toward the ways in which university hiring, promotion, and advancement practices continue to erase the experiences of and marginalize Asian/Americans, in this specific case, and faculty of color more generally. This project goes beyond recounting the groundbreaking scholarship of the professors profiled. Asian/American Scholars of Education helps us recognize that even the most well-renowned scholars have faced numerous challenges and difficulties along their professional journeys.” —Arshad I. Ali, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Educational Research, George Washington University
“Hartlep, Kahlon, and Ball explore the path of Asian/American endowed and distinguished professors in education. For academics of color, whose contributions are sometimes shadowed by a 'presumed incompetence' (Gutiérrez y Muhs, 2012), this book reveals who they are and their experiences as they describe their journeys and reveal what it means to be in their positions. Their contributions show the importance of recognizing dedicated faculty for the improvement of institutions of higher education through their focused advancement of research, support to students, and their vision within their respective fields in education.” —Elizabeth Murakami, Ph.D., Mike Moses Endowed Chair in Educational Leadership, University of North Texas
“In higher education, Asian/American professors find themselves continually overlooked and up against severe institutional racism. They often do not have the same opportunities as researchers from other underrepresented groups. As this text shares, 79 percent of endowed professorships and distinguished chairs are White. In addition, at the publication of this text, fewer than 20 Asian/Americans have been honored as American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellows. Many university professors unconsciously believe in 'model minority' expectations; Asian/American faculty are expected to produce more and take on more duties in comparison to their peers in promotion and advancement processes in higher education. Unfortunately, institutional racism continues to be alive and well in the Academy. Hartlep, Ball, and Kahlon have created an inspiring yet authentic view of the struggles and successes of Asian/American scholars who pushed through extensive professional obstacles. Legacies of scholars such as A. Lin Goodman, George Sugai, Asha K. Jitendra, and Krishna Bista are highlighted and demonstrate that as Asian/Americans, their advancement has been challenging and an uphill fight against bigotry.” —Valerie Ooka Pang, Ph.D., Professor, San Diego State University
“This provocative tome by Hartlep, Kahlon, and Ball is a ‘field shifting’ contribution to the extant literature that foregrounds topics related to diversity, equity, and social justice in academe. These scholars allow us to ‘breathe in’ the rarefied air that exists in the coveted and lofty spaces occupied by Endowed Professors and Distinguished Professors. At the intersection of these powerful narratives are Asian/American scholars who have, as Thompson, Bonner, and Lewis (2016) described, 'reached the mountaintop,' but who seek ways to affirm and support others.” —Fred A. Bonner II, Ed.D., Professor and Endowed Chair in Educational Leadership and Counseling, Prairie View A&M University