Reference Desk
- Is My Child On Track?
- Kindergarten Readiness
- Learning To Read
- Types of Schools
- Learning Personalities
- Standards and Testing
- Gifted Children
- The Early Years (3-5)
- The Middle Years (6-12)
- The Teen Years (13-18)
- Parent-School Connection
- Your Parenting Style
- Keeping Your Kids Healthy
- Extracurricular Activities
- Life Skills
- Thinking About College
- Special Needs
Parent-School Connection
As a parent, getting involved in your child’s education is one of the biggest predictors of academic success. But, what are the best ways to get involved? Should you join the PTA? Petition for more book titles in the library? Read on for information and guidance on topics covering everything from approaching your child’s teacher to advocating for a new dress code in the school.
Tips for Negotiating the Parent-Teacher Relationship
- Parent Teacher Communication Tip Sheet
- Building Parent-Teacher Partnerships
- Parent-Teacher Conferences: Working as a Team
- Making the Most of Your Parent-Teacher Conference
- Working with Teachers and Schools: Helping Your Child Succeed in School
- Back-to-School Tips: Connecting With Your Child's School Counselor for a Successful School Year
- Communicating with Your Child's Teacher
- Parent-School Reading Compacts: Activity Sheet
- How to Make Lemonade When Your Child Gets the Bad Teacher
- When to Talk to Your Child's Teacher
- When You Need to Talk to Your Teacher
- Three Questions Every Parent Has a Right to Ask (but might be afraid to)
- What Teachers Really Want From Parents
- Teachers Forced to Foot School Costs
Getting to Know The Educators at Your Child's School
- Current Trends in Teacher Experience and Placement (National Center for Education Statistics)
- Key Findings From Research on Teacher Quality and Student Achievement (Center for Public Education)
- Characteristics of Full-Time School Teachers (National Center for Education Statistics)
- Characteristics of School Principals (National Center for Education Statistics)
- High School Guidance Counseling (National Center for Education Statistics)
- School Counseling Demystified
- Five Characteristics of an Effective School Board (Center for Public Education)
Want to Initiate Change at Your Child's School?
- Working with Teachers and Schools to Build Character in Children
- Resources for Facilitating Your Child's Academic Success
- How to Help: Talk with Teachers to Resolve Problems -- Helping Your Child With Homework
- Helping Kids Breathe Easier: Campaigns to Rid Schools of Toxins Promote Eco-Friendly Cleaners
- Be Ergowise This School Year
- What Makes a High School Successful
Getting Involved at Your Child's School
- What Research Says On Parental Involvement in Children's Education: Epstein's Framework
- Online Resources for Parent/Family Involvement
- Getting Involved at Your Child's School
- 5 Easy Ways to Volunteer in the Classroom
- Involved Parents: The Hidden Resource in Their Child's Education
- Are You an Overly Involved Parent?
- Family Involvement: A Key Ingredient in Children's Reading Success
- Get Involved in Your Child's Life at School
- The ABCs of Advocacy for Children With Special Needs
- A Guide to Creating Teen-Adult Conversations in Your Community
- Get Involved in Your Child's Life at School
- Parental Involvement in Learning: Statistics
- What Research Says On Parental Involvement: National Standards
- Fundraising 101
School Policies That Affect Your Child
- Who and What Shape the Curriculum?
- Zero-Tolerance Policies
- Student Dress Policies
- Uniforms and Dress-Code Policies
- The School-Within-a-School Model
- Affective and Social Benefits of Small-Scale Schooling
- Blending Gifted Education and School Reform
- School Choice as Education Reform: What Do We Know?
- The Effects of Competition on Educational Outcomes
- Recess in Elementary School
- Is the Elimination of Recess in School a Violation of a Child's Basic Human Rights?
- K-12 Single-Sex Education: What Does the Research Say?
- The Lowdown on Single-Sex Education
- Extended School Year (ESY)
- School Reform: Resource List
- Indoor Air Quality: Tools for Helping Your School
- Are We Paying Teachers Enough?
- School and Asthma
- A Parent's Guide to NCLB
- Why Some Schools May be Happy About Dropouts
- Sex Ed 101: What Your Child May Not Be Learning in School
- The Diversity Debate
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Special Education
- Building Parent-Teacher Partnerships
- Frequently Used Educational Terms
- Special Education Evaluation: An Overview
- Preparing for Your Journey through the Special Education Maze
- What Standardized Tests Do and Don't Tell You
- Parent Checklist for Special Education
- The Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP)
- Tips for a Successful IEP Meeting
- Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)
- Rights and Responsibilities of Parents of Children with Disabilities
- Student Placement in Elementary and Secondary Schools and Section 504 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act
- Accommodations, Modifications, and Alternate Assessments: How They Affect Instruction and Assessment
- Opportunities for Supplemental Educational Services under No Child Left Behind
- Terms Used in Individual Standardized Tests
Rights and Responsibilities
- Assessing Students with Learning Disabilities Under No Child Left Behind
- Choice and Supplemental Educational Services Frequently Asked Questions
Questions for Schools
- Questions to Ask Private Schools: Step 1 -- Profile of My Child as a Learner
- Questions to Ask Private Schools: Part 2 -- Before You Apply
- Questions to Ask Private Schools: Part 3 -- Schools to Which You Have Decided to Apply
- Questions to Ask Private Schools
- Evaluating Schools: Questions and Tips for Parents, Schools, and the Community
- Taking Stock of Your School's Reading Standards: Activity Sheet
- Do Kids Need a Longer School Day?
- The Reading Wars: What Are They?
