HMong Kids Lack Learning Help!

"University of Minnesota professor Zha Blong Xiong has conducted a
groundbreaking research study on school readiness among Hmong children
entering kindergarten.

The Hmong Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment found that
language barriers and limited parental education are two leading
challenges for many Hmong parents and their children.

Roughly 60 percent of the 303 study participants had less than high
school education, and were unemployed. Forty percent said they spoke no
English, and 59 percent of parents said they primarily speak Hmong at
home to their children.

It was co-authored with Jesse Kao Lee, the Hmong Project coordinator
with the nonprofit group Ready 4 K.

"We need to help some parents better understand the link between
their own literacy and parenting," says Xiong. "Learning is not
limited to the classroom education, it is something that a parent and
child can do together, and should do together before a child enters
kindergarten. We found that Hmong parents who participated in this
study greatly value education and its opportunities, but many aren't
aware of how to provide the quality early learning experiences that
their children deserve."

The study suggests that the number of years parents live in the United
States along with a higher level of education attained, correlates into
more involvement with their child's literacy.

The group least involved in American culture generally was older Hmong
raised outside the United States, where there is a limited
understanding of child development or early learning. These parents
believe education begins in, and is limited to the classroom.

The study also found 80 percent of Hmong young children are cared for
at home during the day. But according to Xiong, children need
experiences with multiple learning environments outside the home
because it is known to facilitate success in school. In addition,
parents should have more access to adult education that could enhance
bicultural parenting skills.

Some recommendations offered in the report include:

New immigrants and those with limited high school education should have
better access to English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.

ESL classes should also introduce parents and other family members to
pre-kindergarten curricula and provide take-home activities designed
for parent and child.

Employers should provide incentives for employees with limited high
school education to take advantage of ESL or other parental education
classes.

Xiong immigrated to Minnesota in 1982 with his family. He entered
school in ninth grade and struggled to learn English and adapt to his
new homeland.

But Xiong had a drive to learn and succeed, powered by the dreams of
his parents. He graduated from Hastings High School, and graduated from
Winona State University with honors. He was the first member of his
family to earn a bachelor's degree from a major university. He worked
for the University of Minnesota Extension Service in Dakota County
developing programs for Asian families.

Xiong later enrolled at University of Minnesota, and in 2000 became the
first Hmong person in the nation to earn a doctoral degree in family
social sciences and the first Hmong professor in the state of Iowa when
Iowa State University hired him. When he returned to Minnesota in the
fall of 2003, he became the first Hmong full-time professor in the
history of the University of Minnesota.

He is also the first Hmong person to hold a tenure-track position in a
major U.S. research university.

"I have a personal passion to help students like me be successful,"
he says. "I came as an immigrant when I was 15. I didn't have a
good handle on English and the culture. ... That presented a lot of
difficulties for me. In my undergraduate studies, I did very well but I
felt I could have been much better if I had more assistance and role
models."

Your assessment of Hmong children is correct, Dr. Zha Blong. Good work!

.

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