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Asha Jadeja urges American parents to learn from ‘Asian families’
She said stronger involvement from parents and grandparents could help improve children's educational outcomes.
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Malvika Choudhary - Sat, 30, May 2026
- 14:48 EDT
- 40
Asha Motwani. / X/@ashajadeja325
Indian American venture capitalist Asha Jadeja Motwani is encouraging American parents to take a more active role in their children's education, pointing to Asian families as an example of how family involvement can contribute to academic success.
Her comments came after Shrey Parikh, a 14-year-old from California, won the national spelling competition, continuing a long-running trend of Indian-American success at the event.
Also Read: Asha Motwani anchors USIBC India dialogue in California
Reacting to the win, Motwani said the achievements of many Asian-American students are often rooted in the collective efforts of family members.
In a X post she wrote, "Success of Asian kids in academics is not a mystery. It is often a joint effort by the parents, grandparents and even siblings in helping the child in their aspirations.”
She said spelling bee victories represent only a small part of the effort many families devote to their children's education.
"Spelling bee competitions are just a small indicator of the amount of weight & work that Asian families attach to academic effort and outcomes," she wrote.
American education spending needs to explore seriously, the participation of parents & grandparents in children’s learning outcomes. This money would be wisely spent if we did it right. And we have a good model right under our noses - Asian families.
— Asha Jadeja Motwani (@ashajadeja) May 29, 2026
Success of Asian kids in…
Motwani said conversations with families whose children excel academically have reinforced her belief in the importance of parental engagement.
"I have spoken with several such families and I'm blown away by how humble and dedicated some of these folks are. They're not rich by any stretch of imagination," she wrote.
The Silicon Valley-based investor and philanthropist said encouraging greater parental participation in education has become a recurring theme in her efforts to promote interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
"As a philanthropist interested in helping boost interest in STEM in my home country US, I always bring up the question of parental participation in children’s education and learning," she wrote.
Drawing from her own experience, Motwani said her family took a hands-on approach to learning. She said she and her late husband, Rajeev Motwani, regularly participated in their children's schoolwork, while her parents helped cultivate interests beyond the classroom.
Even her parents were involved Motwani said, her father encouraged an appreciation for William Shakespeare through discussions and quotations, while her mother introduced her children to painting and sewing. Rajeev Motwani, she said, used games involving Fibonacci numbers and probability to make mathematics enjoyable.
"My contribution mostly was on making things funny and adding humor. Making failure part of the learning journey," she wrote.
Motwani also shared a story from her own school days in Ahmedabad, recalling how she once sought a leaked examination paper after failing to prepare adequately for a test. When the effort failed, she said, her family did not shame her but instead persuaded her to study mathematics with a strict tutor.
"I bit the bullet, and studied with him for next four years and did pretty OK in life as far as Math goes," she wrote.
"American education spending needs to explore seriously, the participation of parents & grandparents in children’s learning outcomes. This money would be wisely spent if we did it right. And we have a good model right under our noses - Asian families,” her post read.
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