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Seven Steps to School Success
(adapted from the AOL Parent Resource Center)

Step 1: Manage Time

Why? Enforcing time schedules for homework is an effective way of increasing the number of assignments completed.
How? Establish a consistent daily routine for your child to follow after each school day, including a designated time for homework. Monitor their progress

Step 2: Get Organized

Why? For many students, school-related problems are due to being unorganized rather than a lack of intelligence.
How? Make a checklist of things your child needs to bring to and from school every day. Review the list with him/her. Put a copy by the front door and one in their schoolbag.

Step 3: Set Priorities

Why? Sometimes children fail to hand in assignments and fall behind because they simply don't know where to begin.
How? Teach your child the essential skill of prioritizing by asking him/her to write down all the things he needs to do, including non-school-related activities, then rank them in order of importance.

Step 4: Get Focused

Why? Interruptions can disrupt your child's concentration, prolong the time it takes to complete assignments, and increase errors.
How? Set up a special place for doing homework that is well-lit, comfortable, and distraction-free. Have a supply of study materials nearby (paper, pencils, dictionary, etc.)

Step 5: Motivate! Motivate! Motivate!

Why? Most children say they want to do well in school, yet many still fail to complete the level of work necessary to succeed. The reason is often lack of motivation.
How? Acknowledge their efforts, celebrate their successes, praise them frequently (and sincerely), and encourage them to learn.

Step 6: Take Time to Unwind

Why? Kids who are constantly bombarded with activities and information often have difficulty attending in class or focusing on homework.
How? After school, allow your child some time to relax (listen to music, talk on the phone, have a snack) before tackling their homework.

Step 7: Get Involved

Why? Your positive involvement increases homework completion and school attendance, improves your child's attitude towards school, and decreases the likelihood of behavioral problems.
How? In addition to the first six steps, make the most of your parent-teacher conferences.

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Student Success

By NEIL C. SCHMIDT, PH.D.

If you've ever been to an athletic awards ceremony, you have probably heard the coach talk about the qualities of her athletes, not just in terms of their athletic skill, but the overall qualities they possess as students. Those qualities generally include being well-rounded and being involved with other school activities. At the top of the list, however, are the academic and personal standards these athletes hold for themselves. Coaches and teachers alike will tell you it is because these students have learned the importance of being responsible.

What Does it Mean to be Educationally Responsible?
Student success in the classroom is a result of the family, the student, and the school being responsible. Since example is by far the best teacher, parents, schools, and staff must model what it means to be responsible.

Parents

Parents must take the following responsibilities for:

• Insuring that their child attends school on a regular basis and comes to school prepacc3333—assignments completed and well-rested.
• Discussing their child's assignment on a daily basis. If you as a parent have any questions about your child's schoolwork, please contact the teacher—teachers are usually very eager to help. When parents contact their child's teacher, it sends a very clear message; not only to the student, but also to the teacher about the value they have placed on the child's education.
• Motivating their child to work diligently in the classroom and to be accountable for their actions in school. Children are motivated and influenced by the behaviors and attitudes of their parents. A parent's reaction and interest in the challenges of their child's school experiences sets a powerful example for the child. Curiosity, persistence, and follow-through are learned very early in a child's life by observing the behavior of their parents and their siblings.

The School

The school and the staff have the following responsibilities:

• Provide stimulating and appropriate instruction—instruction that respects the dignity of each child and provides every student with a beginning place of success.
• Provide adequate and appropriate curriculum materials, a safe learning environment, and staff training for all of its members that enables every teacher to provide quality instruction for every student.
• Work together with parents to create multiple opportunities for parents to become involved in their child's learning.
• The School along with parents must bridge the experience of the home and neighborhood with the curricula of the school, which allows every child to achieve high levels of learning.

Students

Students also have a role to play in their success in the classroom. Their complex and varied responsibilities include:

• Coming prepacc3333 for class each day.
• Accepting responsibility for his/her behavior in and out of school. How a student spends time outside of school is equally important to how they spend time in school.
• Setting time aside each day for doing homework; participating in enrichment activities such as music, sports, clubs, and community service projects; and establishing positive relationships with other children and adults all contribute to the healthy development of a child. Success in the classroom is connected to a sense of well-being and successful relationships with others outside of school.

A Successful Partnership

When everybody assumes their responsibilities—the school, by providing quality education and instruction; the student, by assuming responsibility for his or her behavior; and the parent, by insuring that the child takes school seriously—when all these elements come together, the student will be successful in school. A student's learning is the result of everyone placing a high value on each child and his or her ability to achieve at high levels of learning.

Dr. Neil Schmidt is former superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (Santa Monica, CA), and an acknowledged leader in national and state school reform. He is the father of two children and lives in Fillmore, California.

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Top Ways To Create An "Educated Home"

By LEAPFROG ENTERPRISES, INC.

Here are some of the best ways to begin:

1. Model "literacy" and teach your children to value reading. Make sure there are plenty of books in your home, and make sure your children see you reading them. If you're not already a library member, join now with your children and make trips to the library a regular family ritual. Do not allow reading to fall into the "do as I say, not as I do" category.
   
   
2. Sit down together as a family at the dinner table. As tempting as it is to grab a bite in front of the television set or allow your kids to finish their homework while they eat, resist the temptation and use this important time of the day to share your daily experiences, learn about each other, teach manners, model problem solving, and teach respect for other people's opinions.
   
   
3. Talk to your children from the very first day you bring them home from the hospital. Make the most of their early years by helping them build strong vocabularies that will give them an edge when they begin to learn to read. Once your children start talking, be sure to practice the art of listening. A child who feels heard will most likely develop good self-esteem, an essential building block in the development of a successful adult.
   
   
4. Limit time spent watching television and playing video games (and that means you, too). While there is certainly a number of quality viewing experiences available on television, we are all familiar with the mind-numbing, couch-potato effects of too much viewing. Make sure to provide your kids (and yourself) with alternatives to television and video games. It's not enough to say "go outside and play"--give your children specific suggestions on fun things to do without tuning out in front of the tube.
   
   
5. Safeguard your family's health by setting them on the right path to a healthy lifestyle. Make sure the whole family gets plenty of exercise and eats healthy foods. The old phrase "sound minds, sound bodies" is still true today. Teachers would be the first to tell you that children loaded up on junk food are not in peak learning form.
   
   
6. Expose your child to a variety of cultural experiences. Music performances, museums, theatre, and ethnic festivals will all expand your child's horizons and stimulate his or her innate curiosity. Activities, field trips and the like don't have to be expensive to be valuable. Most large cities have lots of opportunities to sample the arts at little to no cost.

When Your Teen Begins to Fail

By LEAPFROG ENTERPRISES, INC.

Many teenagers experience times when keeping up with schoolwork is difficult. These periods may last for several weeks and may result in social problems as well as a decline in academic performance. Some teens get through these difficult times with minimal assistance from their parents or teachers. It may be enough for you, as a parent, to listen your teenager's problems and suggest coping strategies, provide a supportive home environment, and encourage his or her participation in extracurricular school activities.

However, when the difficulties last longer than a single grading period or are linked to a long-term pattern of poor school performance or problematic behaviors, you and your teen's teachers may need to intervene. If you step back and let your teen "figure it out" or "take responsibility for their own learning," this may lead to a deeper cycle of failure at school.

Identifying At-Risk Behavior

To intervene effectively, you need to know some common characteristics of teens at risk for school failure. These characteristics include:

• Attention problems. The student has a history of attention issues at school.
• Poor grades. The student consistently performs at barely average or below average levels.
• Retentions. The student has been retained in one or more grade levels.
• Absenteeism. The student is absent five or more days per term.
• Lack of connection with school and community activities. The student is not involved in sports, music, scouting, or other extracurricular activities.
• Behavior problems. The student may be disciplined frequently in school or may show a sudden change in school behavior, such as withdrawing from classroom discussions.
• Lack of confidence. The student believes that success is linked to natural intelligence rather than to hard work and that his or her own ability is insufficient and cannot be changed or improved.
• Limited goals for the future. The student seems unaware of what career options are available or of how to attain those goals.

How Can You Respond and Help Your Teen?

It's important for parents to remember that teens need their parents, not only to set appropriate expectations and boundaries, but also to advocate for them.

When your teen is having difficulty, you can assist by:

• Making time to listen to your teen's fears or concerns and trying to understand them.
• Setting appropriate boundaries for behavior that are consistently enforced.
• Emphasizing the importance of study skills, hard work, and follow-through at home and in school.
• Arranging tutoring or study group support for your teen at the school or in the community through organizations such as the local YMCA or a local college or university.
• Providing a supportive home and school environment in which education is clearly valued.
• Encouraging your teen to participate in one or more school activities.
• Becoming more involved in school activities by attending school functions, such as sporting events, concerts, science fairs, and plays, to show your support for the school.
• Meeting as a team with your teen and a school counselor to discuss expectations for the future and to figure out how you and the school can support your teen's learning environment.
• Helping your teen think about career options by arranging for visits to local companies and colleges, providing information about careers and vocational or college courses, and encouraging your teen to participate in an internship or a career-oriented part-time job.
• Encouraging your teen to volunteer in the community or to participate in community groups such as the YMCA, scouting, 4–H, religious organizations, or other service-oriented groups to provide an out-of-school support system.

Understanding the factors that may put an adolescent at risk for academic failure can help parents and teachers to determine if a student is in need of extra help or support. Being aware of common problems can help parents and teachers know when it is important to reach out to the student before a "difficult time" develops into a more serious situation.