August 19, 2007

The road to a good education
Educators offer a few ideas to help keep your student on a solid path

By ED COX
of The Chronicle

     Whether they’re busy sifting summer’s dregs for some final family fun, or helping equip the kids with the freshest fads, few school parents may spend these dog days of August pondering how to help their child do better in class.
     But given how much student success can depend on parental support, Moms and Dads might do well to set aside a quiet moment for reflection, and perhaps resolve.
     What can you do for your child’s education this year? A lot with a little involvement. That’s the consensus of the local education community and the conclusion of researchers.
     Students with involved parents — regardless of their income or background — are more likely to attend school regularly, pass their classes, be promoted, and earn higher grades and test scores, according to a 2002 study by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
     They also tend to have better social skills, enroll in higher-level programs, graduate and go on to post-secondary education.
     How can you confer these blessings on your child? Show interest, say local principals and teachers.
     Whatever the grade level, it is critical to know what is going on in and outside the classroom and how your child is doing, they say.
Starting out
     Besides attending parent-teacher conferences and getting involved in the parent-teacher organization, Dry Hollow Elementary principal Greg Bigelow suggests meeting the child’s teacher early in the year and finding out her expectations for homework and classroom do’s and don’t’s.
     And Chenowith Elementary principal Matt Ihle advises going out of your way to talk to the teacher about your child, asking small-talk questions like “How did her week go?”
     Always start by asking questions, he says, even if you’re upset about something, adding that teachers will be happier to talk to you after school hours while they’re not preparing.
     Being respectful of a teacher not only models positive behavior to your child, but also unconsciously improves the teacher’s disposition toward him or her, say Martin and Barbara Nemko, authors of “How to Get Your Child a Private School Education in a Public School.”
     For parents with more time and interest, volunteering in your child’s class offers a glimpse of what’s really going on and can both help your child’s integration and establish a special connection with the teacher.
Growing up
     While many elementary parents do get to know their child’s teacher at the beginning of the year, fewer make the effort or see the need as the child grows older.
     That’s compounded by the fact — or the perception — that kids that age don’t take kindly to seeing their parents roaming the halls at school.
     “I think a lot of times parents assume that their kids don’t want them involved,” says Sarah Anderson, who teaches sixth grade at The Dalles Middle School. “That’s not necessarily the case.”
     Anderson says it’s very important for kids to see their parents supporting them at sporting events and awards assemblies. Other ways to get involved include volunteering as parent chaperones on field trips or as coaches’ assistants.
     Finally, she says, attending parent-teacher conferences regularly and asking your child every day in some detail about school is critical, as is keeping tabs on your child’s social life.
     “Check their MySpace [page]. Who are they talking to? Who are they associating with? A lot of times that has a lot to do with what’s going on at school.”
Moving on
     Stephen Jupe, principal at The Dalles Wahtonka High School, agrees.
Parents need to be as “with it” as good teachers, Jupe says. That includes tracking students’ academic progress, making sure the mail doesn’t get diverted at report card time, and knowing if they’re smoking, using drugs, or skipping school.
     “Don’t go into denial when there are obvious signs” of deterioration, he says, recommending that parents keep in touch with their student’s counselor and PODS (homeroom) teacher and believe the school about incidents, such as skipping, even when they contradict a student’s past behavior.
     “Put the child’s future first,” he urges. “That can mean tough love, too.”
     On the positive side, he says, parents can help by taking a strong interest in true learning and its promotion and by modeling such behaviors as reading.
     “Kids eventually tend to look like their parents,” he notes. “And that’s because they watch them. And although teenagers may see us as uncool if we’re living very well-disciplined lives, I think in the end they come back.”
     Jupe says the most common errors he sees parents committing are:
     • Not paying enough attention to their child’s academic progress;
     • Not responding in a supportive way when the child is skipping school;
     • Not communicating things in the student’s personal life that could be disrupting learning;
     • Not sitting down as a family to help the student choose courses; and
     • Not offering enough encouragment, support and advice about post-graduation activities.
     Noting that science has determined that the brain’s frontal lobe, involved in decision making, does not develop fully until the mid 20s, Jupe says high schoolers still need guidance.
     “Don’t think your kids are grown up just because they’re 6-foot-6 and weigh 250 pounds. They need help thinking.”
     Jupe says while much depends on the student in the long run, “a very small amount of the school and the parent can make the student successful... They’re the foundation.”
     Anderson credits much of her success to the school-era attentions of her mother, who she says knew all her friends and attended every awards ceremony.
Making oneself visible in that way is the best thing a parent can do, Anderson contends. “The kids appreciate it. They may not realize they appreciate it, but they do.”
On the Net:
www.ncpie.org
www.kidsource.com

How do you spell better grades?
     Educators offer this advice about homework:
     1. Know the routine. Especially with younger students, familiarity with the teacher’s homework system and rhythms is the main tool parents need to support their child at home.
     2. Set study apart. Be sure to establish a quiet study place and time when the student can concentrate. In the absence of homework, a good book can be read.
     3. Keep good tabs. Opinions differ on the need to check homework nightly, but it’s essential to respond if the student has missed a key concept that future learning builds on. If no work comes home for a week or two, be sure to check with the teacher.
     4. Show you care. All children, especially younger ones, need some help and want their efforts recognized.
     5. Challenge their thinking. The best teachers do not give students the answers but make them work to get them. Support those efforts as a parent.
     Principals Greg Bigelow and Stephen Jupe, school board member Wayne Haythorn, and teacher Sarah Anderson contributed ideas to this list.