Studies show that when parents are engaged in education their children perform better in school. All parents want their kids to be successful in school and sometimes that means rolling up your sleeves and lending a helping hand.

The ultimate aim of education is to have children who are organized, independent thinkers, both responsible and capable of taking academic risks. The majority of children need a little support from Mom and Dad to get to that point.  But how much help is too much?

Somewhere between seeing grades on the report card for the first time and scheduling weekly phone conversations with the teacher is the perfect amount of parental school involvement. Parents should be involved and aware of what is going on at school, but not actively completing work for their kids.

HERE ARE SOME IDEAS TO HELP PARENTS GET INVOLVED IN THEIR CHILD’S EDUCATION

Communicate. Talk to kids about school every day.  Ask specific questions about classes.  Rather than asking, “how was school?” ask, “how was math class?  What did you learn?” Parents should know their kids schedule and teachers’ names, and stay abreast of upcoming projects and assignments.

Don’t Wait for the Report Card. One of the biggest mistakes parents make is waiting too long to correct problems. Rather than waiting for the first report card or progress report to come home, parents should follow up with issues that come up when and if they come up. If there’s a quiz on Friday, ask how it went on Monday. If marks are not what they should be, arrange a talk with the teacher and make a plan. And don’t be afraid to simply call the teacher just to check in and make sure that everything is going smoothly.

Help with Homework. There are a lot of DOs and DON’Ts when it comes to homework help.  It boils down to two basic rules: Help, but don’t do the work for them. Parents should help create a homework-friendly atmosphere where children can focus and get the work done without getting stressed out or losing motivation.

Organization. Morning, after-school, and evening routines all require organization skills to run smoothly. Whether it’s emptying book bags right after school, picking out school clothes the night before, or enforcing bedtimes, an organized routine teaches kids consistency, which pays off in school.  If disorganization is a problem at home, it’s likely a problem at school.  Kids who demonstrate consistent organization skills at home transfer those skills with them to the classroom. Help kids get organized at home, and you’re helping them be organized in school.

Set Goals Together. Part of the communication process involves setting academic goals for the school year.  Help kids learn to think about long-term outcomes by discussing personal and academic ambitions, big or small.  Be sure to keep goals realistic, achievable, and measurable. Use calendars, planners, agendas, or use our Academic Action Plan to keep goals on-track.

Do you have great tips to share on how you get involved in your child’s education?  We’d love to hear them.  Leave us a comment…and don’t forget follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Call it what you want—script, cursive, handwriting, cursive writing—School boards in Indiana and Georgia now have the option to eliminate it from the curriculum.

But, do we even care?  In today’s techno-literature culture, where kids can operate computers before they can read, is teaching cursive writing a nostalgic throwback to a bygone era?
Some school boards think yes: they’d prefer to use the class time—which is at a premium—to focus on keyboarding skills.

However, what about those times when technology isn’t available to us, and we have to rely on our foundation in the educational basics—reading, writing, and aRthimatic?   If kids were to find themselves in a situation where they had to leave a handwritten note, wouldn’t a printed note suffice?

Do kids need to use in-class time learning script?

Cursive supporters say, yes, it’s still a needed skill, especially when it comes to writing tests and in-class essays.  Cursive is fast, fluid, and more automatic than printing due to there being less stop and starting, and it tends to lead to more creative expression in written essays.

If time is of the essence when writing essays, then cursive is quicker.  But in order to get a point across, handwriting needs to be legible, or students can lose grades. So students still need to practice their penmanship; after all, if a teacher can’t read it, it can’t be graded.

And, there is evidence that the manual act of writing helps to stimulate cognitive processes.Wheter it’s printing or cursive, the pen-to paper act of physically writing helps the cognitive processes and can improve memory.

Researchers say that this might be because forming the letter by hands requires more steps than simply recognizing a pre-formed shape on a keyboard—it requires a more dynamic mental process.

However, if teaching your tech-savvy kids a scrolled script using pen and paper seems too low-tech, well, there’s an app for that. Students can practice their cursive using a stylus on iPads and iPhones.

The irony of using technology to practice a supposedly out-dated skill is duly noted.

Read more:

Is Handwriting Irrelevant?

What’s the secret to helping your teen get better grades?

And, what’s the secret to getting him or her to be less sullen and moody?

The answer might surprise you. It’s the same answer to both questions: more sleep!

According to the Sleep Foundation, teens need between 8 ½ and 9 ¼ hours of sleep per night. They also, however, have biological difficulty falling asleep before 11 pm.

If teens need about 9 hours of sleep, and hit the sheets around 11 pm, that means that they should be waking up bright-eyed and ready to go around 8 am.

By the time that they have breakfast, and get ready for school, then leave for school, they should be right on time for their 10 am class, ready to learn!

Teen Biology + Early School Start Times = Lack Of Sleep And Poor Grades

Here’s the problem: most high school’s first classes begin between 8-9 am (some even earlier.)

This results in sleepy students. (Studies report that up to 20% of teens fall asleep in class on a regular basis.) And, as any parent of a teen can tell you, it also results in a severe case of the grumps.

It can also be linked to increase in teenage car accidents!

And not surprisingly, it results in poor grades.

One researcher says that sleep deprivation in teens is “three strikes against learning,” because 1) students aren’t alert enough to learn properly in class, 2) they aren’t mentally storing the information that they are learning correctly, and 3) they are not getting the sleep that they need in order to process learned information and transfer it to long-term memories.

That’s why some approximate 80 school districts across the USA are implementing later start times for highschoolers. The results of the later school start times are impressive:

• Less grumpiness
• Improvement in general health and nutrition
• Less falling asleep in class—about 20% less
• Less reported feelings of depression
• Less absenteeism
• Improved grades

What time does your teen’s high school start? Do you think it’s too early? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Read more:
Sleep Habits and Academic Performance
How Biology is Responsible for Teen’s Sleep
Stop Texting and Go To Sleep!

Does a shorter school week seem like the opposite of what school boards should be doing to improve on the quality of education?

A few school districts in the US have passed legislation to allow a four-day school week.

The main goal is cost-cutting, but there have been some surprising academic results.

By eliminating the Friday school day, and by extending the Monday-Thursday school hours to maintain the same number of total teaching hours, educators have noticed:

• reduced absenteeism
• reduced drop out rates
• extracurricular participation increased
• increased feelings of student positivity
• better test scores

A report examining the four-day school week indicates that the shortened week might be more beneficial to high school students to lower drop out rates.

Read more: Los Angeles Times:  Shorter Week, More Learning

Interested in alternative school schedules or better test scores? Contact your local centre today!

That’s the question that we always ask, right? So much of the “stuff” that I learn in school makes no sense to me, and nobody seems to be able to answer my question about why its important, and when I will need this information. So, what’s the point of learning it if I don’t need it later? I mean, we have the ability to find pretty much any answer that we need in a couple of seconds courtesy of Google, a fact that seems to make the stuff we are learning silly. BUT, my real question is, why can’t anyone answer the question properly? Or, does what we are being taught need to change so we have an answer to the question? What are we learning in school, really? Is it important “stuff,” or is it simply how to follow instructions?

I think it might be more about the instruction than the stuff.

About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.

It’s tough being in high school, trying to get good marks, have a social life, help out around the house, and still have personal time. Sometimes it feels like there isn’t time to get things done. I try to stay on top of everything, but there are only so many hours in the day.

I’d like to stay up late to work on personal stuff, but I have to get up before 7 for school, so then I am tired. And then I read that teenagers need a lot of sleep.

This makes me wonder why we start school so early? It’s nice to be done before 3, but I think that it might be better to start a bit later in the morning. I see so many sleepy kids in my classes. and wonder how much we really are learning. I’d like to see school start around 9, maybe even later. Then I’d get to sleep in a bit and stay up a bit later too. The studies say I am right, so what are we waiting for?

About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.

Although everybody makes mistakes, there are some that can affect our future. As a teen, I make a handful of mistakes every day. I understand that this may seem cliché, but I try to always think through what I’m about to do before I act.

It’s important to think about how any decision may affect you in the future, near or far. Before you think about cutting class, however unnecessary the class may seem, think about how skipping one class can easily become a habit, and what the results might be. Maybe it’s losing a credit or even dropping out, leaving you with nothing. Just ditching a single class could dramatically alter your future, whatever it may be. Next time you are about to cut class, or just not study for a quiz, think about how this situation right now could end up hurting you later on.

About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.

Dylan shares lessons that he learned in his first year in high school.

The Basics
I just finished grade nine and I have to say, it wasn’t as bad as far as high school stereotypes go. But, there are still some things kids should be aware of before starting grade nine.

1. Popularity. It’s a good idea to develop social skills earlier in life rather than later. It will help you a lot in high school and in the future—whatever your career might be. However, getting too hung up with the idea of “being popular” can lead to potential problems, the worst being unsuccessful grades.

2. Confusion.
 One thing you do not want to do in high school is fall behind. Confusion is usually the first step in falling behind. If you are confused about something, always ask questions about it. You may get made fun of, but the only thing that you have to worry about in high school is yourself. In the long run, you will succeed, but only if you listen to yourself and not to others.

3. Don’t Cram.
 Probably the number one thing you don’t want to do at any point in high school is cram for tests. In most cases, cramming leaves you sleep-deprived and completely clueless. Trust me, you’re much better off studying for and hour or so a night up until the test. This way you’ll have a firm grasp of the material, and you will be well rested for the big day.

4. Examinations.
 Everyone fears examinations: it’s fine if you do. The only advice I can really give you is to review and be prepared. Even if you feel that you have a good grasp on the subject, it is always a good idea to review every night. If you wait until a week before to start studying, you end up cramming.  By reviewing every night, you have a much better chance of receiving a high mark on the final.

My Mistake: 
A mistake that I made this year was that I didn’t change my schedule before the year had started. I had Math, English, Geography and French in first semester, and my two electives, Gym and Science, in the second. I had one hard semester and one easy one. It is better to balance out your courses if yours are set up like mine. The workload becomes much easier to manage when more challenging courses are spread out evenly between each semester.

About me: I go to South Secondary School in London, ON and I have two younger siblings. I have always been a movie guy. But movies aren’t the only thing I enjoy. In the summer I love to bike with my friends down to the Thames River and ride along the trails. The sights and the entire ride are always beautiful. Anyway, hopefully you’ll enjoy my new posts! Remember to leave feedback and comments at the bottom! – Dylan.

School is almost done for the year. Over the course of the year, students have been taught a lot of information in the classroom—all of it very important knowledge that can, and will, become the academic foundation that they will build future careers upon.

But what if the most important lessons that students learn over the school year—the ones that will help them in their future careers the most—are being learned during recess?

Recess, it turns out, is more than just a time for kids to burn off their excess energy so that they don’t drive the teacher nuts; it’s a chance for kids to learn social lessons that are as important in an office/corporate/networking setting as any amount of education.

Here are Oxford Learning’s 12 Career Lessons Learned During Recess:

1. Not everything goes your way all of the time, and nobody likes a pouter.
2. Tell people what you think, but remember to be tactful.
3. Don’t be so caught up in playing marbles that you don’t notice that the touch football game is getting closer and closer.
4. Challenge gender stereotypes.
5. Test your limits.
6. Apologize right away.
7. Don’t do anything that would horrify your mom.
8. Reach out to the shy kid.
9. When in a race, give it all that you’ve got.
10. Do a silly victory dance, especially when other people are watching, but don’t be cocky.
11. Help someone up.
12. Don’t make people wait for you.

So, when your kids tell you that their favourite school subject is recess, there’s no need to worry. After all, they may be learning more at recess than you ever thought.

Printable PDF Version: What’s Good on the Playground Is Good in the Boardroom

Study secrets that teachers wished they had time to teach

Let’s face it: teaching students the secrets to acing tests isn’t on the curriculum. In fact, there’s barely time for teachers to cover the basics, let alone spend extra time teaching solid study skills. So, it’s no wonder that students struggle when it comes to study time!

Without solid study skills, students are left to figure it out on their own. However, The Oxford Learning Insider’s Guide To Studying gives students the tips that the pros use. These are the tips that teachers wished that they had known when they were students.

Insider Tip 1: Review with a Pen and Paper

Before beginning to study, students need to know WHAT to study. So, the first step is to grab a pen and paper and read over all notes, writing down subject headings, subheadings, and bolded words. This helps to give a clear picture of the study material.

As studying progresses, students should continue to write down any and all meaningful keywords. This creates study notes, which can then be used as reference material during the study process. Rather than continually looking through a textbook, or flipping through notes, students can just refer to their own study notes.

Get an Edge: Focus on writing down the ideas or concepts that are the most challenging, or that are the most difficult to remember.

Bonus! The physical act of holding the pen and writing makes study time active rather than passive. Reading over notes is passive; writing down keywords is active. Active studying is good studying!

Stay tuned…tip 2 is next.

Related: Study Tips for Exam Success