Get Involved Article Archive

• 25 Ways You Can Make a Difference - Being involved in your children’s education can be as simple as asking them about their school day or as bold as volunteering once a week for lunchroom duty.
• 5 Reasons To Get Involved - Higher grades and better behavior are just a few of the benefits of parent involvement.
• One Last Dance With My Daughter - A mom writes movingly about what it means to be involved in her child's school and education. A must-read for any parent who has ever thought about volunteering at school.
• "It’s Worth Every Minute" - Helping your children succeed in school and beyond is easy. Just get involved.
• Back-to-School Quiz - The transition from summer fun to school rules can stress out kids and parents alike. Take our quiz to see what your future holds: happy days or high blood pressure!
• 10 Tips for Middle School Parents - Ways to stay involved in your child’s education—even when she’d rather not have you around.
• 11 Tips for Kindergarten Parents - Simple ways to get involved and make a difference for your child and the school.
• MySpace and Facebook: What You Should Know - Social networking sites keep growing in popularity. Here are 10 things to get parents up to speed.
• Get Ready for Kindergarten - Ease the stress on that momentous first day of kindergarten and prepare your child for success in the year ahead.
• Moving Up to Middle School - The step from elementary to middle school can be a big one, but these tips will help ease the transition for both parents and children.
• Parents Are Teachers, Too - Use these simple ideas to reinforce learning at home and develop your child’s academic skills.
• What Is Your Child’s Learning Style? - Understanding how your child learns can reduce frustration and improve achievement.
• How Dads Can Help - When fathers get involved, children do better in school. Here are some simple, effective ways that dads can make a difference.
• Are You a Helicopter Parent? - Take the quiz to find out where you fall on the involvement spectrum.
• Learning Styles Quiz - Get insight into how your child learns best.
• Presentations on Online Safety  - Resources to help you arrange a school presentation for parents about how to keep kids safe online.
• Back-to-School Parent Homework - A little preparation before school starts can make it an A-plus year for the whole family.
• Children Do Better When Parents Monitor Schoolwork - After reviewing thousands of studies on learning, researchers discovered one clear and certain fact: The most outstanding students have parents who monitor their schoolwork.
• Homework Help: Dos and Don'ts - Some tips to keep in mind when you help your child with homework.
• 10 Success Secrets for Parent Tutoring - Tutoring your own child can be a difficult undertaking. Children can be overly sensitive and stubborn. Parents can get impatient.
• Tips for Helping With Writing Assignments - A writing assignment can seem like a tough challenge for a child. Good writing involves everything from understanding a subject to knowing how to organize thoughts and checking spelling and punctuation.
• Homework Hints for Latchkey Kids - Today’s kids don’t live in a “Leave It To Beaver” world. A growing number are home alone after school.
• Make Homework a Positive Learning Experience - There’s no question that students today have more homework than kids used to have.
• Steps To Help Your Child Earn Great Grades - Some kids—and even some parents—believe that an A student is just born that way. But teachers know that students can learn the skills they need to earn A’s.
• Parents' Role in Homework Is Important - Kids grumble about it. Parents worry about it. But homework does help children learn better.
• Provide Homework Help by Asking Questions - Children whose parents are involved in their education do better in school. A key way to be involved is to help your child with homework.
• Education "Basics" Are Learned at Home - We hear a lot of talk about teaching children basic skills.
• Parents Can Help Children Have a Great School Year - Schools do their best to provide children with a quality education.
• What's Your Child Doing at School? - You can, and should, keep track of what your child is learning at school.
• When Should You Write a Letter to School? - There are lots of reasons to communicate with your child’s school.
• You Need to Be an Effective Advocate For Your Child - When kids need special education, parents must sometimes become advocates.
• Parents & Schools Should Work Together on Problems - Very rarely will a child go through school without ever breaking a rule.
• Teachers Wish Parents Would Do These Things - Parents and teachers can work more closely if they know what is expected of them.
• Five Ways You Can Make a Difference This School Year - As a parent, you were your child's first teacher. Even when your child is in school, you still teach important lessons every day. Research shows that when parents and schools work together, students do better.
• Both Parents Can Remain Involved in Child's School - About half the children in school today will spend some time living in a single-parent family. But often, both parents want to remain involved with their children's education.
• Tip: Get to Know Your Children’s Teachers Early - First impressions are crucial. The first contact you make with your child’s teachers can set the stage for the rest of the year.
• Tell the teacher if homework is causing problems - Is your child struggling with homework? Don’t delay in getting help.
• Is It Time for a Conference With Your Principal? - Even the most successful adults sometimes feel nervous about meeting with the school principal.
• Follow These Eight Steps To Solve School Problems - When you think your child is having a problem at school, don’t wait, or the problem may get bigger.
• Use the C.A.R.E.S. model to build a strong partnership - It’s hardly news that children learn best when parents are involved.
• Start an After-School Club to Meet Your Teen’s Interests - Your teen spends hours on the computer, but there’s no computer club at school.
• Teens Are Less Likely to Drop Out If Parents Are Involved - Your involvement in your teen’s education is always important. But if you feel your teen is at risk for dropping out, involvement goes from being important to being critical.
• Get High School off to a Good Start - The first year in high school can be a make-or-break year, says one veteran principal.
• Do You Know Key Who’s Who at Your Teen’s School? - Who was your teen’s elementary school principal?
• Get Involved So Your Teenager Doesn’t Feel the Need To Cheat - Any teacher will tell you that there’s always been some cheating in school. But today, cheating seems to be at an all-time high.
• Disabled Teenagers May Need Special Test Accommodations - Teens today have to take many important tests—from college entrance exams to state tests.
• Help Your Middle Schooler Adjust - Starting at a new school, especially in the middle grades, can be tough.
• Support Education To Boost Your Child’s Success - As a new school year begins, be supportive of your child’s education.
• Boost Student Achievement by Getting Involved - Research shows student achievement rises when parents are involved in their children’s education. This is true for all grade levels.
• To promote learning, don’t interrupt the school day - Forging a strong parent-school relationship means more than just joining the PTA.
• Parents Who Monitor Children Influence Behavior & Grades - Now that your child is in middle school, you don’t need to hover over her every minute.
• Parents’ Support For Teachers Sets A Good Example - When parents and teachers work together, students reap the benefits.
• Middle Schoolers Still Need Help With Problems - Your child’s grade in a subject plummets. He never has homework . . . or has trouble with assignments. He’s afraid to go to school.
• Ten Ways To Help Your Child Deal With Peer Pressure - Tangible ways to help your child cope with peer pressure.
• What School Parent Groups Do - PTOs and PTAs are often known for their fundraising, but they do a lot more.
• Crafty Parent Shares Her Talents - Sharon Johnston has always loved crafts. Now she’s passing on her passion to the students at her daughter’s school.