Fresno Parents Push for a Culturally Specific Charter School
Like other APA communities, supporters want to create a Hmong school to help stop their children's loss of culture.
Besides reading and math, parents like Lue Yang want to see a little more culture injected into their children's classrooms. The Fresno, Calif. father sees a large disconnect between himself, a Hmong refugee who arrived in the United States 30 years ago, and his two youngest children.
Mainly, Yang was brought up to worship his parents while his children worship video games.
In his family, Yang's parents were able to teach the older children the Hmong language and traditions, but his two youngest ones missed out on those lessons and have nearly lost all their culture.
"It's different from the way I grew up. I highly respect my elders. Even if I don't agree with my parents I say 'yes,'" said Yang, the executive director of the Fresno Center for New Americans. In contrast, his children are sometimes defensive.
It's this desire to pass on cultural values that has mobilized some Fresno parents and community leaders to push for the creation of a Hmong charter school within the unified school district.
A charter school is a publicly funded elementary or secondary school free from some of the rules that apply to other public schools in order to produce specific results set in its charter.
Hmong leaders have already identified a three-acre site at 711 South Minnewawa Avenue for their dream school. Armed with hundreds of signatures from like-minded parents who prefer a little more culture in their children's education, the group of supporters met with members of the Fresno school board in February to propose their charter school.
Kids these days don't know their history, said Wangyee Vang, president of Lao Veterans of America, the non-profit organization that is leading the charter school petition. The proposed Hmong Academy of Fresno could help stop this loss of culture, said Vang.
In February, some school board members expressed concern about the proposed charter school and argued it could prevent young Hmong Americans from assimilating into mainstream culture. They asked for a more detailed outline of the school's curriculum and were set to vote on March 26, but school supporters decided to pull their petition for further study, said John Thao, a father of three who believes a Hmong charter school can make a difference in their community.
"We decided to call it off to strategize and propose it again in June," said Thao. They've also decided to drop the name Hmong Academy of Fresno for a new name that has not yet been determined.
"We need to work together," said Thao. "Right now we're not all in the same boat."
As a father Thao has noticed a disconnect between Fresno schools and the local Hmong community, made up of mostly refugees who began settling in the U.S after the Vietnam War. Many were former soldiers like Vang who fought alongside the U.S. during the war.
Many came to America to escape violent persecution because of their wartime alliance and to start their new lives. In their adopted homeland, an increasing number of these immigrant parents have been losing their children to gangs and growing cultural gaps, said Pao Fang, executive director of the Lao Family Community of Fresno.
Maybe a little bit of the old world could help.
"Many of our people want to keep traditions alive," said Fang. He respects Fresno schools' work with children, but he sees benefits in a culturally specific school.
"We do trust public schools ... but public schools have too many issues," added Fang, who is thinking about sending his children to Thailand to get their education. "I intend to send my two kids there to learn culture, leadership and community."
Today's Fresno County has more than 22,000 Hmong American residents, one of the largest populations in the U.S. according to the Associated Press.
Fresno Unified has responded to the Hmong population surge by establishing the Academy for New Americans, a program designed to help children of immigrants adjust to American life. Starting this year, the district is also teaching its students about Hmong American history.
But Thao feels that the schools are still not doing enough to help struggling Hmong students and their immigrant parents. He speaks English and actively participates in school activities with his children, but what about those Hmong American parents who have limited English skills and little knowledge of the educational system?
"I know what's going on. I try my best, [but] I still have a hard time," he said. A school like the proposed Hmong Academy could help those parents become more active in their children's education.
"I want a teacher, who is comfortable enough to be their coach," he added. "Give us a chance to create a program to achieve."
This time around, the group is working with the California Charter Schools Association, a membership and professional organization serving charter schools in California.
California leads the nation with 687 charter schools, which are open to the public, tuition-free and lead by credentialed educators. In Fresno, an abundance of charters schools already exist with different missions varying from technology to the environment.
Why not give a Hmong charter school a chance?
"It's an interesting idea," said Franklin Ng, a professor of anthropology at California State University, Fresno and the coordinator of its Asian American Studies Program.
When Ng first moved to Fresno in 1975, the area's APA communities were made up of mostly Japanese Americans and Chinese Americans. Like most other ethnic communities before them, Hmong immigrants and their children were struggling with shifts in their collective identity.
But their attempt to create their own charter school is unique, said Ng, a Fresno JACL member. Most APA parents who want their children to learn about their culture often send them to independent Gakuen schools and Chinese language schools that mostly operate after school and on weekends. In the Fresno Hmong community's case, the school is operating within the public school system.
Although such a school could better address cultural issues, there are concerns that if the school is primarily Asian, the students could miss out on interaction and socialization with people from varied backgrounds.
"How would that play out? It's a part of learning that's denied to you," said Ng.
As time passes, the demand for such an academy may wane, said Ng. "There are different objectives for different groups of Hmongs. Not one school fits the total bill of what all students want."
Other Hmong charter schools have started up elsewhere in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including St. Paul's popular Hmong Academy, a 6th-12th grade school established in 2006. After their first year, the academy's graduation rate far exceeded the state average.
St. Paul's Hmong Academy focuses on college.
"Every student gets college hammered into their brains until they get it," said school director Christianna Hang, who emphasized that her St. Paul Hmong Academy is not associated with the proposed one in Fresno.
"In order for any public charter school to be successful, they need to focus on the needs of their community as a whole and not just a specific ethnic group," said Hang.
But charter school supporters in Fresno say there are false perceptions about their proposed academy. Too many people think the academy will just focus on cultural lessons, but Thao emphasized that the academy will need to meet state standards just like any other school.
"Don't worry about Americanization," said Fang. "Don't underestimate any kids at any age. They'll become American.
"There are some parents who have children in public education who are doing great. There are some who are broken hearted," added Fang. "The academy will offer more opportunities."
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