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An analogy: A lot of Americans think that blacks are dominant in basketball because of inherent genetic traits - they supposedly jump higher, grow taller, have greater "quick-twitch" muscle response, etc. But the fact is that it's only in the U.S. that blacks dominate in basketball - black Africans aren't particularly dominant on the international scene. The most dominant basketball country in the world, per capita, is Lithuania, just as the most dominant baseball country, per capita, is the Dominican Republic. But there are no Latvian players in the NBA despite the fact that they are ethnically the same as their neighbors in Lithuania, and the DR shares an island with Haiti, which produces no baseball talent.
Jews and Asians tend to achieve at high levels academically for the same reason that African-Americans dominate the NBA and Lithuania and the DR produce an extraordinary proportion of basketball and baseball talent, respectively - their cultures value it, celebrate it, and reward it. Want your culture or ethnic group to perform academically at the same levels? Here's how:
- Make parents care about academics and share their pride in their kids' achievement.
- Set expectations for learning and keep moving the bar higher as those expectations are reached.
- Put high achieving kids on pedestals; celebrate them as heroes and hold them up to the rest of the society as role models.
- Encourage high achievers who are successful to give back to the culture and encourage the next generation.
- Show reverence to the adult teachers and facilitators who draw the best out of kids.
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