Show "sr Effect of American Youths Spreads Sadly to Immigrants Goof-Of- f By Joanne Jacobs r Newspapers I hear it as a joke whenever nervous whites talk about Vietnamese superachievers: Maybe they'll get dumber when they've been here longer Well maybe they will Immigrants do work harder concludes a Stanford University study of San Francisco Bay Area high school students Americanization means more than jeans and Springsteen it also brings less homework and lower grades Knight-Ridde- Joanne Jacobs is a member of the San Jose Mercury News editorial board In a study of first- - second- - and Americans at six San Francisco area high schools the immigrants from six out of seven ethnic groups did more homework and earned higher grades n than immigrants the researchers found students did even worse The goof-of- f effect was small but significant in students from Chinese Japanese Korean Philippine Vietnamese Mexican and Central American families only among Pacific Islanders did the second generation outpace the first "Our sad conclusion is that the later generations are more likely to be acculturated to an American standard of performance for youth that leads to lower levels of effort" explained Sanford Dornbusch director of Stanford's Center for the Study of Families Children and Youth Students who speak a language other than English at home actually do better in school than students who speak only English "I don't think it has anything to do with language" says Dornbusch "I think it's a measure of acculturation" In other words American youth culture no longer says work study get ahead it says easy does it stay cool if you're too busy to read the book no problem you can always watch the video In the last six years 33 of$0 win third-generatio- n second-generatio- Third-generatio- n ners in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search were immigrants or the children of immigrants reports columnist Joan Beck "This year of the 10 winners one was born in Taiwan and three have foreign-borparents One of the finalists escaped from Vietnam on a boat eight years n ago" The Stanford study doesn't say that the average newcomer outperforms the average American student Hard work can't always wipe out the handicaps of poverty insta- bility bad schooling and bad English And there are many differences within ethnic groups: Children of educated middle-clas- s urban families are more likely to succeed in school than the children of peasants kids who come here in elementary school have a better chance than those who come at 16 But hard work does pay off "The Vietnamese do twice as much homework" as the average student Dornbusch says Comparing Vietnamese freshmen and sophomores to whites researchers found 57 percent of Vietnamese boys and 69 percent of the girls were "high level" achievers only 34 percent of white boys and 45 percent of white girls did as well For other newcomers however the work ethic may translate into paid work not school work Kids drop out of school to get a job and help support the family and forfeit upward mobility If the Stanford research is on tarethnic get it's scary: groups won't catch up as they become Americanized they'll slip further behind In the second phase of the study researchers will look at successful with Ricardo Hispanic students Stanton-Salaza- r focusing on support systems that foster achievement and Angela Valenzuela on the family's contribution "We want to find out what's giving them the extra edge to persist to believe that if they stay in school it will pay off" says Stanton-Salaza- r Low-achievi- Mexican immigrants may do better in school than the next generation because they've seen role models — Mexican doctors dentists or other professionals — in their native country he says Born in a family in San Diego and now a PhD candidate he recalls "I went all through high school and didn't know anyone who had gone to a four-yea- r college When I met one that was a revelation It made going to college more of a tangible possibility for me" Another factor Stanton-Salaza- r believes is that immigrant parents keep tighter control of their children keeping them out of trouble There's also the guilt factor: "My mother is an immigrant She was always telling me what hard work she had to do she had to go through so much for my sake so I could have an opportunity She had two years of schooling and she was an undocumented worker For me not to take advantage of opportunities she's given me would be an insult to the family honor" When he has children he'll be able to give them more opportunities but less guilt "My kids will be able to succeed for different reasons" he hopes The tendency of later generations to coast a bit is nothing new In 1780 John Adams wrote to his wife: "I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy geography natural history naval architecture navigation commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting poetry music architecture statuary tapestry and porcelain" I don't think lose that we can ever afford to drive For all the problems schools face in educating children who speak different languages and come from different cultures we need immigrants to recharge the American spirit We need ' more of that immigrant hustle first-generati- Tribune Readers' Opinion Ending Illiteracy Thank you for the very illuminating articles that appeared in the May 1 Tribune that brought to the attention of the public the serious problem of illiteracy in America The complete survey of the literacy problems that face society and the loss felt first by the individual and then society is an illustration of the literacy domino effect on the Utah front The fact that Utahns are facing the literacy problem and then putting literacy programs in place that help basis the individuals on a is a credit to the compassion of the people of Utah Murray one-to-o- When an average man or woman on the street is made aware of the problem of illiteracy that affects families communities states and the nation through articles such as the ones published May 1 progress will be made to terminate illiteracy in America CONSTANCE E SPETZ Utah Literacy and ESL Coalition Wages of Sin The case of the Blue Mouse! After nine months' investigation the mountain (vice squad) labored and brought forth a mouse Could not these men have been used to do something a little more productive in protecting the public from crime — or sin? Reminds me of a case a few years ago in Salt Lake City when two vice squad men spent nights in bars get Forum Rules Public Forum letters must be submitted exclusively to The Tribune and bear writer's full name signature and address Names must be printed on political letters but may be withheld for good reason on others Writers are limited to one letter every 10 days Preference will be given to short typewritten (double spaced) letters permitting use of the writer's true name All letters are subject to condensation Mail to the Public Forum The Salt Lake Tribune PO Box 867 Salt Lake City Utah 84110 Toss 'em to Wolves With our latest and what some claim is the worst scam yet in Utah at the Timpanogos Mental Health Cen Tuesday Mav 10 1988 A15 l3 S5 '" low-inco- The Public Forum ting acquainted with and buying beers for a young lady and finally persuaded her to pose sans clothing for a photograph which they then presented as evidence after arresting her in the court of Judge Horace Beck That estimable gentleman then dismissed the case castigated the two cops for wasting time and the public's money and suggested to the girl that she should sue the two men in Small Claims Court for the money they promised her Would that we had such justices today EDWARD D HANKS The Salt Lake Tribune ter it would seem scams are the order of the day here We have lost count of the number of outrageous deals perpetrated in this state Is it any wonder Utah has the dubious title: "The Scam Capital?" We are the laughing stock of the nation especially when the highly circulated Wall Street Journal points out our incurable gullibility It certainly doesn't mean we have made the big time It simply emphasizes the fact that Utah has a disproportionate number of greedy grasping vermin wanting everything they can get for nothing One director at the Mental Health Center thought there was no better use for the allotted money than for his luxury cars unlimited credit card spending in short life in the fast lane Another used his "share" for a more noble purpose to send his three sons on missions Perhaps all of the money could have been better spent checking the mental condition of the whole tawdry bunch including the employee who justified the missionary spending She has to be a "basket case" Doesn't it seem selfish that the di- rector and his couldn't at least have forked over their loose pocket change for the Kleenex and paper clips for the "cheap help?" To prey on the mentally disadvantaged is the lowest form of skulduggery root out the culprits and throw them to the wolves! GEORGE COLVIN 'Gosh General Noriega how do you do it? A pair of twos! Beat me again' Sandy Grady Astrology? So What'd You Expect? Knight-Ridde- r Newspapers WASHINGTON — Over at the White House they're sick of stargazing jokes Sick of reporters inquiring which horoscope Nancy Reagan consulted today Sick of angry callers asking if the Reagans believe in God They're signing off on the astrology flap "I'm not doing any more astrology" snapped Marlin Fitzwater chief press flack Bald roly-pol- y Fitzwater is tired of press gagsters calling him "Merlin" He's tired of answering questions — "70 in three days" — about the Reagans' reliance on heavenly signs And yeah tired of his boss leader of the Free World being called "President Aquarius" Excerpts from Don Regan's book damning in detail the Reagans' dewill be pendence on astrologers published next week But Fitzwater has issued an advance analysis: "No bleeping comment" If anything Mrs Reagan's press secretary Elaine Crispen sounds more harassed by her employers' moony obsessions "I'm throwing a crystal ball at the next person who asks me about astrology" said the exasperated Crisp-e- n She grumps that the White House phones have gone berserk She's had to reassure Christian evangelicals that yes the Reagans have a "strong faith in God" She's fed up with callers asking what kind of crystal Mrs Reagan uses Or if she wears a turban "Please I'm out of the astrology business" Crispen said plaintively "I can't make a career of this" The cinch is that everybody in the White House is uptight but the Chief Stargazer himself What him worry? For eight years Reagan's foibles have opened him to ridicule But he's always had the knack of using laughter as a carom shot Inevitably Reagan will lead off a speech with an offhand quip: "I was just talking this morning to my eco" nomic adviser Sydney Omarr The audience will love it After all what's the big deal about a president and his wife who won't make a move without a horoscope? That's totally in character with the wacky mosaic y of this looniest US administration Remember this is the president who said over a live mike "We bomb in five minutes" the president who called one of his Cabinet members "Mr Mayor" the president who thought missiles fired from submarines could be recalled the president who believes trees cause pollution So why the shock that he's an astrology buff? (So were Churchill and Hitler) After all Reagan admits believing in Armageddon the cataclysmic world-endin- g battle He claims evidence of Lincoln's ghost He had the address of his new Bel Air home changed from 666 — the mark of the Antichrist Satan you know And think of the daffy Reagan cast: Jim Watt interior secretary who saved us from the Beach Boys Al Haig secretary of state who imagined he was Gen George Patton Bill Clark national security adviser who flunked geography Plus such gaudy specimens as Ollie North and Ed Meese So what's odd about Jeane Dixon Joyce Jillson or the ghost of Nostra 20th-centur- damus in that Reagan ' Team? I'm not sure how historians in 2088 will write about this Looney Tunes administration But I doubt they'll comprehend why Reagan was ' enormously popular despite his quirks boners and clowns You had to be there They won't understand why even enemies huckle at Reagan's ignorance There was only bemusement when House Speaker Jim Wright said of the astrology rhubarb "I'm glad he's consulting somebody" Or Bill Gray shrugged "I knew they were out not out in space" when Rep D-P- Chicago Tribune Service 000-wor- f eline whose last name I can't make out has written me a tart note asking why I haven't attacked baseball late- A" ly "It's been almost a year since you've had anything nasty to say about baseball" Madeline wrote I don't know what to tell you Madeline It's true and I'm sorry I guess it just slipped my mind I know this has been an exciting beginning of the new season for baseball fans and I'm happy for them There's nothing baseball fans like better than records and when the Baltimore baseball team set one by losing 21 games in a row fans were understandably pretty excited I mean how good can a game get? My friend Harry Reasoner follows baseball and if there's anything I want to know about it I always ask him Harry is a grown man intelligent in many ways who recently took time off from his job which entails traveling thousands of miles week after week and put out $450 of his own money to travel to Florida to watch baseball teams train This was unusual because in previous years Harry has been able to talk the company into sending him to Florida to cover what he calls "a story" One year Harry talked Don Hewitt the producer of "60 Minutes" into sending him to Italy for a story titled THE WAY IT'S PLAYED IN ITALY I think he hoped that would develop into a series THE WAY IT'S PLAYED the species is the talented writer Roger Angell who has a 12 article in the May 2nd New Yorker magazine about spring training The New Yorker prints it not because their regular readers care but for the same reason that men at smart dinner parties talk baseball they like the idea of being one of the fellas The New Yorker has made its mark with good reporting that specializes in minutiae Mr Angell has mastered a style made famous by all the New Yorker writers who preceded him but it's out of place in an article on baseball In The New Yorker that sentence would read " seems " strangely out of place This style is the Somewhat Rather Almost or Perhaps School of American Letters It hedges It somewhats or almosts everything "Evans is almost a specialist in being " Mr Angell says of a unnoticed first baseman "Alteration hasn't fazed Evans — he almost seems to thrive on it" He doesn't say the Athletics pitching won't be good this season he says "The Athletics' pitching may be a little short this summer and I think there is a lingering suspicion that the " He club may look a bit stately isn't even outright suspicious He has a "lingering suspicion" This is somewhat rather almost or perhaps a suspicion A 12000-worarticle on the upcoming football season would be another matter Now you're talking ballgame Andy Rooney JMJ IN JAPAN THE WAY IT'S PLAYED IN RUSSIA etc If I give the impression I don't like baseball fans that isn't true These are the people who make America great They make our economy run They support governments by purchasing lottery tickets with earnest expectations that they'll become rich They eat hot dogs without questioning the contents Baseball fans think American beer is the best in the world and consider Vanna White to be the standard of beauty and intellect against which all women What would should be judged America be without baseball fans? There is one type of fan I suspect of using baseball They insist on letting you know that they're baseball fans They feel a need to be regular guys but at the same time there is an understanding among them when they're talking baseball that it's a A training workshop designed to deal with the denial of chemical dependency Often the pain of watching people we love struggle with chemical dependency is overwhelming Chemical dependency is a disease Each week the Western Institute offers a FREE workshop and training session to help people acquire the skills to combat the denial of this disease This workshop gives participants the tools to create their own intervention with individual attention for each group focusing on their personal strategies The Western Institute Intervention Workshop is offered at 3 locations each week Mondays at 7:30 pm at St Thomas More Catholic Church in Sandy Wednesdays at 7:30 pm at the Western Institute in Salt Lake and Fridays at 10 am at the Tanner Clinic in Layton If you or someone you love has a problem with chemical dependency call the Western Institute We are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week Learning to help the chemically dependent is the first step in their recovery put-o- n The prototype is the distinguished Renaissance scholar A Bartlett who gave up the presidency of Yale University but not his first initial to become president of the National League A second outstanding example of Gia-mat- ti d d t — - Rick Bauer Interventionist Wednesday 7:30 pm Western Institute 501 Chipeta Wav SLC Lori Frank-Osie- r Friday 10 am Interventionist Driscoll Interventionist Monday 7:30 pm For woikship location in Sandy please rail Jim Tanner Clinic Robbins Dr 2121 N Layton 583-250- 0 583-250- 0 E Pick up the phone We can help The Western Call Institute of 583-250- 0 Neuropsychiatry 501 The It rttrm Institute o S'ruripy luatrt i tiu nrtl b 'n liintru lnltlitlrx of Anirnni Chipeta Way ti o The history guys won't dig Rea- gan's greatest gift — his magic of getting people to laugh with him not at him He's a marvel at humor about his age laziness or blunders Thus in the second 1984 debate with Fritz Mondale he in- vented the home run: "I'm not going to make age a campaign issue I won't exploit my opponent's youth and inexperience" Or quipping at his wife's publicized advice: "I'm tired of this pillow talk Last night I had the whole Cabinet in bed with me and Frank Car-luckept stealing the covers" Or gibing at his legendary afternoon naps: "They say hard work won't kill you I say why take a chance?" I also recall his final somehow chilling line at this year's Gridiron Dinner: "You're going to really miss me if you have to sit through eight ': years of Mike Dukakis" He's right So cool the astrology furor It's just another punchline in the long comedy routine of Presi- dent Aquarius INTERVENTION i ' a Is Baseball Really Where It's At? A woman in St Louis named Mad- ' pntl the SME SLC Sot nttl I Utah Hospital Group (' : |