Greetings!

With our nation (and Canada) celebrating Black History
Month, we at Academic Success thought it was the perfect moment to focus on the many aspects of cultural diversity in our educational landscape.

While the personal and social benefits that come from exposure to those with a different cultural heritage may be obvious, it is the educational advantages that can be gained from a greater ethnic mix in our schools that can sometimes be overlooked. 

This month we'll explore the manifold ways in which the experiences of students of all backgrounds and ethnicities, when working together, have become richer and more productive.

At Academic Success, we are committed to an educational system where all voices and perspectives are promoted to contribute to our kids' development. 

Please call with any questions at (310) 823 4398 or

All the best,

Jamie

"Diversity has been written into the DNA of American life; any institution that lacks a rainbow array has come to seem diminished, if not diseased."                                 - Joe Klein

Across the country, cultural diversity in our schools is becoming the norm, with minority students expected to make up the majority in our classrooms by the end of this century. This edifying piece illustrates how schools can help their students to flourish in an increasingly multicultural democracy.

Diversity or Quality : A False Choice 

Although the numbers show that all schools are becoming more ethnically diverse, the perception remains in some quarters that parents may be sacrificing the quality of their child's education by sending them to a more diverse school. This international leader in the promotion of diversity in schools confronts the question head on. 

  Running the Numbers  

Not all communities and/or school boards are convinced that diverse student bodies are a positive for their kids. The recent effort at 'resegregation' by a Southern school board is a reminder that parents, educators and students must continue to fight for equal access to quality education for all.

Teachers Hold The Key   

No matter rich in diversity a school may be, ultimately it will be up to individual teachers to make the most of the opportunities afforded by a culturally varied student body. This education author provides an insightful perspective on how teachers can help students to flourish in the modern classroom.

   Spending Evening Hours Wisely      

As any romantic knows, February is the month of

A major problem for our students in this digital age is the constant requests for interaction that can flow in through texts, calls and emails. While a student may begin their evening with every intention of studying hard, they can easily lose their way for fear of ignoring or neglecting relationships they care about.

A simple yet powerful way to solve this problem is for students to map out their evening time, allocating periods of time for study before taking scheduled breaks during which they can connect with their friends or boyfriend/girlfriend. This will hopefully allow the student to turn off their phone during study time, knowing that friend time will come at a certain point. 

A student could create a schedule, studying in chunks of time, maybe starting small and building up: 1 hour on, 15 mins off to begin with, as an example, committing to ending all outside contact when their 15 minutes are up.

Clarifying how we intend to spend our time and appropriately prioritizing tasks is a wonderfully effective habit to begin early.