Steps Towards Educational Excellence

This book addresses the issues confronting parents, students, schools, and governments as they struggle to cope with the challenges of new migrants, migration, and to how to effectively educate them. The book examines the causes of underachievement among ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom, especially people of African and Afro-Caribbean descent. It highlights the frustrations of teachers in mainstream schools as they interact with children from overseas and some ethnic minorities. It also gives an insight into the problems and challenges facing black childrens education and how supplementary schools are positioned to narrow the gap in underachievement among such communities in collaboration with parents and mainstream schools. The book offers practical but crucial steps and strategies that are necessary to actualize the educational aspirations of parents for their children. The book discusses the seven behaviors of outstanding students, how to maximize learning, and seven things every parent should know about their children, seven decisions that will guarantee a stronger home among other things. This is a call to action for all involved. The role of students is vital, so this book reveals the steps all students should take and how to develop the behaviors, attitudes, and dispositions that will guarantee educational excellence and success. The author reviews the importance of education through the lenses of social and human capital theories and challenges all parents regardless of their socioeconomic status to play active roles in the educational development of their children in the hope of developing the capabilities of each child. There is something in this book for every child, every parent, every career, every teacher, everyone with responsibility over children and young people and for policy makers and governmental agencies concerned about creating a culture of excellence in education and schools through partnership with the various stakeholders.