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Family Ideas for Making the Most of a New School Year

A new school year brings fresh notebooks, new teachers and a chance to start over. Parents and students alike need to be prepared for school. These family ideas will get everyone off to a good start.

An 'Ah-ha' Moment: Turning Points in Learning

An "Ah-ha" moment is a point in time when you understand something for the first time. That can be a turning point in learning.

Stress in Children: Gifted Students

Oh, the burdens of being smart. Despite their high capabilities, gifted children often have difficulty in school due to boredom. This can cause stress in children and it's up to parents to help.

Does Your School's Elementary Reading Program Beat the Odds?

When looking at schools for your child, check out their elementary reading program. Reading is an essential part of education, so make sure the school you choose caters to all levels.

Create a Student Homework Box

Creating a student homework box can your kids improve grades and boost elementary study skills. Here are some tips for what to include for each grade level.

Parent-Teacher Communication: What Should I Ask at Conferences?

Bring a list of questions to conferences for the most effective parent-teacher communication. Start with this list. Who knows? You might help clarify your student's homework and see your child improve grades.

Conferences Are Great Time for Parent-teacher Communication

Make your parent-teacher communication as effective as possible. Follow these before, during, and after tips for discussing your student's homework, classwork, and behavior.

Elementary Tutoring and Beyond

Struggling elementary students benefit from a variety of extra-help options at school including elementary tutoring. Does your child's elementary school offer these three services or similar ones?

Children's Learning Intelligences Can Be Many and Varied

Building, singing, dancing, experimenting, analyzing: These are all different learning types and your child's learning intelligences should be honored in a differentiated classroom for effective learning.

Social Strategies for De-stressing Your Gifted Child

Gifted children have many expectations placed on them, which can bring stress in children. These social strategies can help parents reduce the pressure on kids.

Great Teachers Provide Educational Care for Students

The educational care of a great teacher can positively impact a student's school experience. Discover the qualities great educators bring to student teacher relationships.

Studying Tips for Spelling

Because there are different learning types to contend with, some children find spelling easy while others get F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-E-D. A grandmother talks about how she helped her two grandsons improve their elementary study skil...

Goal Setting and Success in School

Our high-tech economy demands more of entry-level employees than ever before. Adolescent parenting now means helping make the connection between student homework and really achieving your dreams.

Elementary Study Skills: The Power of Poetry

Reading poetry to children introduces them to the concepts of rhyming and rhythm, and offers a change from the usual storybook. It can also improve elementary study skills.

Make Elementary Study Skills a Family Routine

Talking about school at home can boost elementary study skills, and so can creating routines and systems that show kids that you value their education.

Find a Mentor

Mentors are everywhere you go, you just have to know where to look.

School Stress in Children: What to Expect

While we think of childhood as carefree, kids’ worries range from types of bullying to discipline in school. Help your student develop social strategies if you see the following signs of concern.

Improve Writing Skills this Summer

Summer is the perfect time to help your children find their inner Shakespeare. Try some of these suggestions to help children have fun as they improve their writing skills through practice.

Family Activities for Summer Learning

Summer is a great time to get creative with family home activities. Check out some family ideas you may not have thought of to keep your children's learning going through the hottest season.

Parent Involvement in Education: A Summer To-do List

Summer break doesn't have to mean a vacation from learning for your child. And vacation shouldn't be a break from parent involvement in education for you. This to-do list will help you stay involved.

Annotated Bibliography of Art Books for K12 Grades

Teaching your K12 grades children to love art from an early age is just as important as nurturing their love of reading. The following list will help you increase their enjoyment of both art and reading.

Celebrate National Children's Book Week with Fun Adolescent Activities

Schools and families can host numerous adolescent activities to celebrate reading. Popular children's books and events that celebrate reading can make books fun for kids in all K12 grades.

Fifteen Fun Writing Exercises to Improve Writing Skills

If you want to get kids' creative juices flowing and improve writing skills, just ask kids at K12 grades to put pen to paper with some of the innovative ideas in this list of fun writing exercises.

Look Beyond Kids' Grades to Identify Gifted Child

Kids' grades and excellent student homework are not the only indicators for giftedness. Read about how gifted students learn differently and what they need to thrive.

Parent-Teacher Communication: What Teachers Wish Parents Knew

Teachers welcome parent involvement in education. There are things, though, that they wish parents knew so that they could be better partners. This article contains 20 pieces of advice that teachers have for parents.

What Parents Should Expect from Schools During K-12 Grades

When your child is in K-12 grades, you have a right to expect good parent-teacher communication, among other things. What else should you expect? Read this article from the National PTA.

K-12 Grades: How Writing Benefits Students

Writing is its own reward and also a key to children's academic performance at K12 grades and beyond. As an added bonus, writing builds self-esteem as children learn to express themselves.

Noisy Classrooms Can Cause Major Education Issues

When the noise levels get too high, learning takes a dive. Researchers have discovered major education issues with noisy classrooms. Amplified classrooms may be a key to restoring hearing health in school.

Elementary Study Skills: Tips for Homework Success

Help improve your kids' grades with proper study time management. Elementary study skills can help you and your child take the stress out of your student's homework.

Moving in the Middle: School Transition Causes Stress in Children

When a student in high school questions making a mid-year transition, his parents found themselves working with schools to develop academic and social strategies that can work for anyone making a school move.

Parent Involvement in Education: Choosing the Right School

Child development research suggests that there are several factors to take into account when choosing a school for your child. These K12 grades guidelines can help you make the best decision.

Parents Involvement in Education Can Encourage Technology in Classrooms

Innovative parents of kids in K-12 grades recognize that technology is one of many major education issues. Parent involvement in education can inspire creative use of computers in the classroom.

Choosing Kid-friendly Software for K12 Grades

Kids' software promises many ways for youngsters to continue learning after school, but how does a parent choose the best titles for K12 grades learning? Here are some tips.

Your Child's Classroom Should Encourage Child Social Development

There are many factors that can affect your child's learning at school, especially their child social development. Classrooms should be designed to stimulate them in a positive way.

Parent Involvement in Education: Build a Better Math Program

Parent involvement in education is crucial for your child's success, especially when it comes to math. Learn how you can help build a better math program at his school.

Parents Can Teach Through Family Home Activities

Parents can get their children ready for school through family home activities that teach reading, math, creative arts, social studies, science, health, safety, and physical fitness. Find a long list of ideas here.

Family Ideas: One More Reason to Encourage Neatness

As you've always suspected, neatness really does count. Here are some family ideas that will encourage your child to clean up those toys and boost his or her education and future earnings.

Studying Tips Involve Parents in Foreign Language Learning

Parents are encouraging their children to learn foreign languages but may be reluctant to get involved in the process. These studying tips will help parents and kids.

Parent Involvement: Schools Need Partners

If you want your child to succeed in K-12 grades, you'll have to do more than just check student homework. Try partnering with your child's school through parent-teacher communication and volunteer community service.

From Elementary Tutoring to High School Tutoring

Whether you're looking at elementary tutoring or high school tutoring, parents and children have certain rights and responsibilities in the tutoring partnership. Here are a few to keep in mind.

Public School Policy: No Child Left Behind Offers Free Tutoring to Some Students

If your child's school doesn't meet the grade according to the public school policy mandates of No Child Left Behind, then your children may qualify for special tutoring services.

Real Life Story: When Good Kids Get Bad Grades

Tutoring children is a great way to help them improve grades and get a handle on student homework. The out-of-school tutoring is nothing to be ashamed of, but rather a way to give a child a needed boost.

Fun Family Activities: Using Coins to Teach

Counting coins will not only improve grades when your kids least expect it, but also become one of those fun family activities that you can do again and again. Tutoring children can be fun!

Family Ideas for Low-cost Tutoring

When your child needs a tutor, you may discover that elementary tutoring, middle school tutoring, and high school tutoring are expensive. Learn about some low-cost or no-cost options.

Real Life Story: Center-based Tutoring Can Improve Kids' Grades

Elementary tutoring can help improve your child's grades in school. Center-based tutoring tests students on their individual knowledge—not their age or school grade.

Public Education Issues: Learning Communities Rely on Parents

Learning Communities put a new spin on public school policy and ways of designing parent involvement in education. For children in grades in elementary, this new model may enhance learning.

New Visions For Computer Education and Issues in Teaching Technology

Computer education is more than just skill building. Creative teachers in K12 grades can transform students' homework in computer education, current issues, history, art, and any other subject.

Parent Involvement in Education Helps Teachers Learn New Technologies

Parent involvement in education--especially technology education--can help teachers in K-12 grades shorten their learning curve. Read about ways your volunteer efforts can mitigate major education issues in technology.

Improving Technology Use in K12 Grades

Plenty of school districts spend big bucks on acquiring technology at K12 grades. But school districts should devote more time and resources to using technology efficiently and effectively.

Parents' Issues: Making the Most of K12 Grades

Your kids will be graduating from high school before you know it. Here's what you can do to solve one of the most vexing of parents' issues: making every school year as productive as possible.

Elementary Classrooms Bring Local History to Life

Looking for a way to bring some local history into your child's classroom? Teachers welcome parents' stories that they can share with their students. Learn how you can participate.

Education and Issues with Advancement

How do parents know when it's best to retain their child in one of the K12 grades? Check out these questions — the same ones teachers and principals use to assess the best plan for your child.

Benefits of Year-Round K12 Grades Schools

Some K12 grades schools have benefited from adopting a year-round schedule. Learn some of the advantages that passing up that long summer vacation has for both students and teachers.

Parents' Issues: Making Back-to-School Decisions

A new school year brings decisions galore for parents and children. Big or small, decisions are part of the back-to-school dance. For some parents, deciding is one of the most difficult of parents' issues.

School Issues: What Secret Ingredient Makes a Good Teacher?

When you're looking for high quality teachers in K-12 grades, the scores on school standardized tests aren't necessarily going to point you in the right direction. Only parent involvement in education will reveal which teache...

Math and Science are Major Education Issues for Students in K-12 Grades

Any modern recipe for a student's success in K-12 grades is going to have as ingredients math, science, and parent involvement. Schools are finding new ways to teach and they need support from parents.

Family Ideas to Shape Young Scientists

Kids are natural scientists, asking questions and trying to discover the world around them. Parents can answer their questions and offer family ideas for learning.

Music Education and Childhood Brain Development

Childhood brain development research is singing classical music's praises. It might just be the elixir for reducing stress in children, bumping up scores on standardized tests, and boosting brain growth.

K-12 Grades Arts Education Opens Minds, Creates Opportunities

Art should be part of every child's K12 grades education. But how can we convince schools to value art instruction? Read these passionate and persuasive arguments in favor of arts education.

Learning After School about Leonardo da Vinci

Social studies and world history doesn't have to stay within the school walls. Introduce your children to Leonardo da Vinci for some fascinating education after school that will give your family plenty to talk about.

Twenty Terrific Reasons to Fund K12 Grades Arts Education

Convince schools to spend K12 grades money on the arts, even in a budget crunch. Arm yourself with these reasons, which include primary grades ideas, middle school ideas, and upper grades ideas.

Music Helps Kids Achieve Dreams

The power of music helps kids achieve dreams, expand their horizons, and experience deep emotions, which enhance learning for children of special needs and all kids.

K-12 Education: Current Issues With No Child Left Behind

No Child Left Behind was developed as public school policy that would give parents more information. School standardized tests contribute to a report card on schools, but create major education issues.

Boys and Girls Have Different Learning Styles

Most studies agree that boys and girls have different learning types and therefore learn differently. Check out some of the key ways boys and girls demonstrate different learning styles.

K-12 Grades Matter: How to Decipher that Report Card

No Child Left Behind requires schools to give students in K12 grades an annual report card showing how well they measure up to national and state standards. Here's what to look for.

Seven Steps to Improve Grades and Stay Ahead for Elementary School Parents

The most important way to help your children is to stay involved in their K12 grades education. Follow these 7 steps to improve parent teacher communication, raise kids' grades, and ensure success.

Elementary Study Skills in Kindergarten Math

Kindergartners are honing their elementary study skills even at this young age. By the end of kindergarten, they will have gained math skills involving counting, writing numbers, and exploring concepts of time.

Elementary Study Skills in Kindergarten English Language Arts

Need to know what elementary study skills your child should master by the end of kindergarten? English language development stages at this age include word recognition, kindergarten handwriting, and vocabulary development.

Boost Kids' Grades with Math Web Sites

Math doesn't have to be boring. Introduce your child to these fun math web sites. Improve your kid's grades and show her that math is cool.

Math Learning After School: Making It All Add Up

Parents play an important role in encouraging sound elementary study skills, especially when it comes to math. Boost success with student's homework through clubs after school and family home activities.

Family Ideas for Parenting on a Busy Schedule

Even the busiest parent can take advantage of these family ideas to interact with their children. Take a look at these field trip ideas, suggestions for parent-teacher communication, and fun family activities.

Books Play a Part in Fun Family Activities

Books can be a great jumping off point for such fun family activities as pretend play. Your child's imagination can turn the living room into the ocean floor and the kitchen into another planet.

Tutoring May Not Be the Answer for Students Who Struggle with Reading

Parents are often quick to place blame on teachers or even their own children when a child fails to succeed in school. Want to know why tutoring sometimes works and then other times doesn't? Learn how to identify and prevent ...

Teaching Creative Thinking Skills

Teaching creative thinking skills is challenging, and critical creative thinking skills are rarely taught directly. Read about Future Problem Solving Program International, an organization with an innovative program.

Education Current Issues: Multiple Intelligences Theory

A theory of learning called multiple intelligences, first introduced by Howard Gardner in the 1980s, has had a big influence on K12 grades education. This article will introduce you to his important theory.

Tutoring Children for Enrichment

Enrichment tutor programs can boost the reading, critical thinking, problem-solving, and other skills of on- and above-level students. Learn more about the vast variety of enrichment tutor lessons.

Tutoring Programs: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities

Learn your rights and responsibilities when engaging a learning tutor. Regardless of the tutor or program you choose, you will need to establish a professional relationship that will benefit both the student and the tutor.

Tutoring Options: A Summary of Types, Programs, and Costs

Parents should compare all options carefully when choosing a learning tutor for their child. This summary of pros, cons, costs, and tips can help parents find the tutor or program that will fit their child and their budget.

Tutoring Programs FAQs

Get answers to the four most frequently asked questions parents have about tutoring programs before you choose an option for your student.

Create a Customized Tutoring Program for My Child

To get the best results from tutoring, children’s learning styles and preferences must be understood and accounted for. Here are some issues for parents and teachers to consider.

Interview Your Child's Tutor

Are you planning to find a tutor for your child? Learn which questions about tutoring children are critical to ask. The right answers will ensure that your child gets the best tutoring possible.

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Topic: Study Skills and Academics