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"I think any family and any race can excel if they have the right guidance at home," says Tex Mabalon Jr., left, as his son, Tex Mabalon III, a junior at Tokay High School, listens. (Dan Evans/News-Sentinel)
Making the grade
Why do Lodi Unified's Filipino students get top scores in district?
Bret Galeste, 28, sits back in his chair in a north Stockton restaurant, looks out the window and muses about a question he's been turning over in his head for days: "Why are Filipino students so successful in school?"
As Lodi Unified School District uses a districtwide program called the Equity Initiative to close the achievement gap between different races, there seems to be one group that continues to excel without any extra assistance.
Lodi Unified's Filipino-American population continues to outscore every other student population year after year, but why?
A Filipino-American himself, Galeste has more than a little experience with the subject.
Galeste also teaches English at McNair High School and is the adviser to the school's Filipino Club.
In his search to find the answer, Galeste spoke with his Filipino childhood friends, some of whom went to Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley. Galeste went to University of California, Los Angeles.
They all came back with one answer — it's their parents.
"They get it that their role in their child's education is huge," Galeste said of Filipino parents.
Schools usually measure how much their students know by the scores on standardized tests. Academic Performance Index, or API, scores tell educators on a scale of 200 to 1,000 points how well their students are doing.
In 2007, the average score the Filipino-American students beat out the Lodi Unified's total average by a whopping 73 points.
Filipino-American students outscored white students by 14 points, Asian students by 60 points, Hispanic students by 118 points and black students by 160 points.
The keys to success
So, how does this small group of students, accounting for only 4.6 percent of the Lodi Unified's population, continue to do better than everybody else?
"I think any family and any race can excel if they have the right guidance at home," said Tex Mabalon Jr., whose son Tex Mabalon III, 16, is a junior at Tokay High School.
His younger son Trevor, 13, is an eighth grader at Lakeside Christian School in Stockton.
While Tex Mabalon Jr. said not all Filipino students succeed, he sees a very strong connection to those who do and their culture.
"(In the Philippines) there's not a lot of opportunity for common people to get ahead," Tex Mabalon Jr. said.
When Filipinos immigrate to the United States and they find free education and job security, he said they realize that they can succeed if they put in the time and the sweat.
Parents pass that kind of work ethic on to their children and the cycle continues through generations.
At a young age, Tex Mabalon III enrolled in Lodi Unified's Gifted and Talented Education program. He eventually went to Elkhorn School and is now taking advanced placement classes at Tokay High.
He said his parents have pushed him to do his best, but he also likes to surround himself with students that take their education seriously. He makes it a point to take classes that challenge him.
"(College prep) classes are too basic," he said.
Galeste and Tex Mabalon Jr. both see a very strong connection between Filipino parents' economic background and education and the success of their children.
Galeste said that he's no sociologist, but he's pretty sure the higher the socio-economic status, the higher the test scores.
Galeste also said that since English is one of the main languages in the Philippines, Filipino immigrants have an easier time adapting to American society.
"You can function in Manila with English," Galeste said.
Parents who speak English can talk to teachers themselves without going through an interpreter. They can read the newsletters that go home with their children. And, when the time comes, they can help them fill out those college applications.
"It's a lot to ask of a student to be the sole communicator with society and school," Galeste said.
It's all in the family
Filipinos also tend to have a very tight knit web of extended family members, said Terrie Mabalon, Tex Mabalon Jr.'s wife.
When Terrie Mabalon's mother immigrated from the Philippines she petitioned her brother to join her in the United States. After he arrived, she and her brother brought other family members across the Pacific Ocean to join them and helped them in their transition.
As a young girl living in San Francisco, Terrie Mabalon remembers all kinds of family members circulating throughout her home.
People would just drop in. Aunts would stay for months at time. Family members would do whatever they could to give each other a hand up.
"And they were always welcome," Terrie Mabalon said.
Although their family was there to support them if they needed it, both Terrie and Tex Mabalon Jr. said they never asked for or expected anything from their parents. Everything that they have they earned themselves.
Virginia Navarro, president of the Association of Filipino Americans in Education and former Stockton Unified School District teacher, agrees.
Growing up in the Philippines, her parents always pushed her to get a good education.
Filipino students score higher than any other subgroup in Lodi Unified School District on standardized tests. The graph above compares the average Academic Performance Index scores of two schools with the scores of their Filipino students. The last set of bars shows how Filipino students throughout the district performed when measured against the Lodi Unified's API score. (Marc Lutz/News-Sentinel)
"We're not rich. We don't have any money to give you, but your education can take you anywhere," she remembers her parents telling her.
All three of Navarro's five siblings graduated from college and she's earned two master's degrees: one in the Philippines, one from the University of the Pacific.
Though the Mabalon's Morada house is now a little too far for families members just to swing by, they carry on those same cohesive family values in their own home.
Terrie and Tex Mabalon Jr. try to get as much face time in with their children as possible. Tex Mabalon Jr., a former corporate executive, even made a career change to spend more time with his children.
"I try to get as much time as I can with the boys because they're going to be gone before we know it," Tex Mabalon Jr. said.
Together, they go fishing, hunting, golfing and Tex Mabalon Jr. has coached youth basketball, which both of his son's thoroughly enjoy.
Great expectations
But it's not all fun, Tex Mabalon III and Trevor are expected to succeed as well.
At a young age, both boys were enrolled in an after school math program that helps students visualize math concepts in their head. The boys can multiply a three-digit number by another three-digit number without ever putting the pencil to the paper.
Terrie and Tex Mabalon Jr. also turn off their sons' video games when they feel the boys have had enough, check their homework to make sure it's finished and play an active role choosing the right school for their children.
Now, Tex Mabalon III will cancel a planned hunting trip with his father to finish his homework, something by which Tex Mabalon Jr. is astounded.
"We started that at a young age and now it's almost automatic," Tex Mabalon III said.
"They don't know any better and that's what they expect to do," Terrie Mabalon added.
Filipino-American students Tracey Felix, left, and Chris Cabatian talk about the recent success of Filipino students in the Lodi Unified School District, on Friday at Bear Creek High School. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)
Tracey Felix, 18, and Chris Cabatian, 17, are seniors and co-presidents of Bear Creek High School's Filipino club, called the Kababayan Club.
Felix said her parents always told her "to do well now because it will pay off in the end."
Chris said his parents pretty much expect the same thing.
"As long as you go to school and get a good education, you can do whatever you want," he remembers his parents telling him.
Both students have applied to college — Chris to California State University San Diego, California State University Sacramento, San Jose State Univerisity and San Francisco State University; Tracey to University of California, Davis, University of California, Santa Barbara and San Francisco State University.
But Tex Mabalon Jr. said that the success that his and other Filipino families have had is certainly attainable by anyone who wants it.
"I think any minority can succeed — any person," Tex Mabalon Jr. said.
Contact reporter Amanda Dyer at amandad@lodinews.com.
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Reader Feedback
Lets Be Real wrote on Feb 4, 2008 10:45 PM:
The only thing I can say is that I am IMPRESSED! "
weezer wrote on Feb 3, 2008 8:26 PM:
Or, we can use race as an excuse. "
Gator wrote on Feb 3, 2008 2:07 PM:
post here...It really dosen't make a
hoot who or what you are if your family
is behind you and you have the drive the
sky is the limit as with this young man
Lt. Dewaine Barnes
VFA-115 EAGLES SQUADRON OCCUPATION: F/A-18E Super Hornet pilot aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln 1 of3
Black F-18 Super Hornet Pilots,who held
their hand besides family and friends.
Carrier pilots,just the best in the world and son of a gun they are black!!
I will say it again with Family and drive you can do anything!!
"
nocoen wrote on Feb 3, 2008 12:35 PM:
I am sooo tired of reading your trite drivel about only the rich and connected get their kids into GATE, etc.
I work for the County in an hourly position so I guess that makes me rich. My kid does well in school because like those in this story, his parents take a deep interest in his schooling. We make sure that he does his homework, go to Back to School nights, work in his classroom as parent volunteers. Kids who succeed in school more often than not have parents who make education immportant. "
ttian wrote on Feb 3, 2008 11:07 AM:
That is not the case for other immigrants but Immigrants DO want to speak English. But it is not easy. After a full day of labored work and family responsibilities immigrants go to learn English at classes that are less than a couple hours for a couple nights a week then back to their families. And hopefully with an effective and dedicated teacher. Students will drop out if they feel they are not learning or if they sense a teacher lacks interest. Women are the homemakers; they cook, clean and take care of the children and do not have the same interaction and exposure that men might have at work. No housekeeper or childcare affordable there. Transportation is often an issue. It is also difficult to learn a second language if one has a low education in their home language and or is barely literate in their native language. Those immigrants with higher education will learn English much faster. Those who learn slower feel ashamed or feel uneasy when compared with faster learners and called upon by the teacher. Some speak of “feelings of unwelcomeness and cultural and social distance while attending” English classes. Immigrants understand the value of knowing and acquiring English. ”. Spanish TV commercials are filled with English learning video tapes and programs promising to help learn English quickly. Though possible, it’s just not so simple at all. How much time do students spend studying English at school K-12th + college ? Low educated and low income parents understand the importance of being able to speak English, they know it means a better job for them and their children. I believe they are not aware how much more of a better job college can bring and success can be more than just luck. “ There is no easy way to learn a language. It takes TIME, education, and a great deal of effort and resources. But what about the native-borns? Do they see value in learning other languages?”
"
Gator wrote on Feb 3, 2008 11:06 AM:
Gator wrote on Feb 3, 2008 11:06 AM:
about the class room than belive I do.
As for the CTA Magazine It went right in the trash when it came.
"
ttian wrote on Feb 3, 2008 10:54 AM:
Expectations and Stereotypes can be very powerful.
Example: There was a research conducted with a videotape of, Anglo-American, African-American and Mexican-American children. An accompanying audiotape was played for the video. Trainee teachers were to evaluate the speech of each group. The African-American and African-American speech was rated as “less than standard” than what they rated the Anglo-American children. What the trainee teachers did not know was that the same speech sample was used when viewing each different group. In fact all three groups had the same quality speech but two of the groups were rated down due to preconceived notions and superficial judgments of what they expected to hear. They most probably were well intentioned but it doesn’t change the outcome of the harm on the education of that child’s life. Accidentally shooting someone is still going to hurt them regardless. These are the power of stereotypes and teacher expectations. Teachers have a very careful job to do because they have so much impact. Students are with them at school more than they are with their parents. In a sense, they are their second guardians and parents. Teachers are very important in the lives of children and students. There is no way to dismiss that. With good attitudes teachers change lives and even save them. Unfortunately teaching is a thankless job and thankless in pay. Something is wrong with that. Americans have to demand that change and show how it values education and the profession by investing the $ in it and financing it. What are the incentives to teach at a public college vs to teach k-12, tangible and intangible? Why shouldn’t it be a little more similar?
Teacher salaries should be on par with profs - 1/19/08
http://www.roxboro-courier.com/newsnowstories/ts011908-6.htm
"
ttian wrote on Feb 3, 2008 10:53 AM:
Gator wrote
“Filipino families have a strong religious / moral center, family values and ethics, and expect their children to have the same.”
This statement seems to judge and implicate that other cultures do not. Strong religious/morals, family values and ethics are very strong in the Hispanic culture. Just a little research will reveal it. These are not the barriers for them in education. The major factors at play are the connections between parent education, income and the support and resources they can bring. Another important factor is unequal education. (Google: unequal education) It is easier and most likely to succeed when supported, motivated at home AND at school vs. feeling a sort of lack of hope, without guidance and inspiration, with messages of low expectations. Are students out of luck if they don’t have the same support from less educated and low-income parents and if their schools of attendance are not the quality that are provided to others? The quality of school and teacher expectations has much to do with students’ academic progress and success especially in the crucial early years. It can motivate a student to school or discourage and push him/her away, at any point.
"
SportsGuru wrote on Feb 3, 2008 10:45 AM:
First, educator's comments re-inforce what I stated. But regardless, there is a difference between the TEACHERS UNION and TEACHERS. The teachers UNION pushes a liberal agenda and the TEACHERS are forced to agree, or at least go along with, that agenda. Most teachers simply find ways around having to march in lock step with the CTA. Just talk to the teachers and you'll find out for yourself that the majority do not agree with the CTA on most issues. "
educator wrote on Feb 3, 2008 8:17 AM:
Gator wrote on Feb 2, 2008 8:29 PM:
does the Teachers Union have to do with
it?Your State and Federal Government
tell the schools what they are to use, I
belive they call them guide lines and
then it's passed on by the school bord
sort of the trickle down effect,after
all that the teachers take over and
Teach.I belive most Teachers have a mind of their own and don't dance to any
Union tune!!!You know Teachers take a lot of heat and I would bet a 100 to 1
that their critics wouldn't last a day in the class room... "
SportsGuru wrote on Feb 2, 2008 5:49 PM:
SportsGuru wrote on Feb 2, 2008 5:48 PM:
So some ural demographics (African Americans, for example) will not see significant increases in test scores until there are more two parent families in those ures.
All of this is contrary to what the liberal teachers unions want, which is a pro-gay agenda that is counter-family. "
SportsGuru wrote on Feb 2, 2008 5:43 PM:
All of these things are contrary to what the teachers Unions preach, as they believe family is not the reason why education works. They believe they are the reason. "
Grandma46 wrote on Feb 2, 2008 4:25 PM:
Having an understanding of the English language does give them an advantage with the teachers, college expectations and anything that would help them with their future. Let's all learn the language of our country-English! "
Taxpayer & Citizen wrote on Feb 2, 2008 4:07 PM:
roni95242 wrote on Feb 2, 2008 3:59 PM:
I am not rich by far but my first of 3 will be graduating from Delta with her AA and part of her BS degree and then she will transfer. she wants it and some family support goes a long way. also Delta is a good college. She has held a 4.0 GPA for 4 years!Oh and shes white! "
Taxpayer & Citizen wrote on Feb 2, 2008 3:57 PM:
Taxpayer & Citizen wrote on Feb 2, 2008 3:51 PM:
Gator wrote on Feb 2, 2008 3:43 PM:
important.There are some kids that can
do it on their own but a loving family
goes a long way,basicly it's everything. "
Gator wrote on Feb 2, 2008 3:37 PM:
How bad do you want it??I'm a High school drop out who made it shall we say
very good, 60,000+ a year,Went in the
Navy made 2nd class Petty officer and then Salvage Diver,why? cause I wanted it.130 Sailors go to BUDS(SEALS) 17 make it, why?? cause they wanted it.a
17 year old is thrown out of his home
and at 17 becomes the youngest "US Navy Seal ever,why?? cause he wanted it!!
Do you get the point Taxpayer & Citizen,"How Bad Do You Want It" "
Gator wrote on Feb 2, 2008 2:32 PM:
race card will get you no where.There
are to many people of color that have made it and made it big.Taxpayer & Citizen you haven't a clue about hard times infact in this day and age no one does.My Father told me when I was P/O
when a friend of mine was killed in Nam
and said how hard times were,Kid when a
burger and a cup of coffee cost a dime
and you went hungry then you know times
are hard...I belive it was called the
"DEPRESSION"... "
Taxpayer & Citizen wrote on Feb 2, 2008 1:53 PM:
Taxpayer & Citizen wrote on Feb 2, 2008 1:51 PM:
roni95242 wrote on Feb 2, 2008 12:24 PM:
ttian wrote on Feb 2, 2008 12:03 PM:
What is it like???
You don’t KNOW until you KNOW. Take a little time to look, take a glimpse.
PBS Frontline “ A class divided”
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/view.html
ABC 20/20
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2450394&page=1
"The power of stereotypes"
"
ttian wrote on Feb 2, 2008 11:56 AM:
“Galeste and Tex Mabalon Jr. both see a very strong connection between Filipino parents' economic background and education and the success of their children.”
The Philippines was acquired in 1898 by the United States. The U.S implemented schools with American teachers and English was taught to the students.
“The learning immigrant”
http://www.smccd.net/accounts/skylib/oralhist/Victoria/victoria.htm
“The secret to those high-Asian scores”
http://www.america-tomorrow.com/ati/gb80211.htm
There are immigrants who have received good education in specific nations and have the ability and knowledge to support their children. Those immigrants come specifically for the education and the opportunities it will give. While other immigrants who are of no or low education come specifically to survive and lack the tools and knowledge to support their children even if they desire to. If a child’s parents are not educated and therefore retain a low economic background, those student lack the benefit of such support, unfortunately that very important factor can and does affect their success.
Economics play another role in the quality of the school a child attends. Can they move to attend a school on the west side? Would west side parents want their children to attend most east side schools? Most likely not. Most schools within higher-social economic areas consistently have the same high quality experienced teachers who are experts with curriculum and their methods. Those schools have better resources, they have a highly involve PTA that has time and affluent connections to support and enrich the school financially, experiences, resources, and the ability to represent their students and children with professional knowledge and use their awareness of laws and know how and can demand it with lawyers. Unlike schools in lower social-economic neighborhoods that have newly credentialed teachers or who lack credentials and teachers that leave to more affluent schools year bringing in a new set every year, these school have less opportunities for advanced learning, parents that are not able to volunteer due to inflexible work schedules or cannot afford child care, cannot help their children with their homework because of their education, and can only trust the school system to provide education to their students. The higher the education and economic background of parents, the higher quality education and support their children will have, vs low to low, a cycle of poverty basically. The fact is there are more students who don’t make it from low social economic neighborhoods that do. Who are the children who don’t make it who are the ones that do? The connections and some big factors are parent education, economic status and the quality of school and the education and experience received. Parent education by the district, schools and teachers is definitely needed, by people who care.
“Unequal opportunities in education.”
http://www.aecf.org/upload/PublicationFiles/fact_sheet3.pdf
“Keeping low income students out of college”
http://www.collegescholarships.org/blog/2007/10/18/keeping-low-income-students-out-of-college/
"
Giovanina wrote on Feb 2, 2008 9:02 AM:
Giovanina wrote on Feb 2, 2008 9:01 AM:
What kind of comment is this? Are you 12 years old?
The article does point to one thing, political power. Is it that the NAACP, and those who advocate for their endorsement, are pushing "race" politics or "socialist" politics, to gain political power? It does look like O'Connell is planning a long political career. Looking for enthno-centric endorsements, Jack? "
commonsense wrote on Feb 2, 2008 8:30 AM:
Taxpayer & Citizen wrote on Feb 2, 2008 8:14 AM:
educator wrote on Feb 2, 2008 7:55 AM:
Observer wrote on Feb 2, 2008 7:48 AM:
Comments on this story are now closed.