p. 1

2 u.s department of education margaret spellings secretary first published in november 1992 revised 2002 and 2005 this booklet is in the public domain authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part for educational purposes is granted while permission to reprint this publication is not necessary the citation should be u.s department of education office of communications and outreach helping your child succeed in school washington dc 2005 to order copies of this publication in english or spanish write to ed pubs education publications center u.s department of education p.o box 1398 jessup md 20794­1398 or fax your request to 301­470-1244 or email your request to edpubs@inet.ed.gov or call in your request toll-free 1­877­433­7827 1­877­4ed­pubs if 877 is not yet available in your area call 1­800­872­5327 1­800­usa­learn those who use a telecommunications device for the deaf tdd or a teletypewriter tty should call 1­ 800­437­0833 or order on-line at www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html this publication is also available on the department s web site at www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/hyc.html on request this publication is available in alternate formats such as braille large print audiotape or computer diskette for more information please contact the department s alternative format center at 202 260­9895 or 202 205­0818 books magazines and programs are mentioned in this booklet as examples and are only a few of many appropriate resources listing of materials and resources in this book should not be construed or interpreted as an endorsement by the department of any private organization or business listed herein.

[close]

p. 2

3

[close]

p. 3

4 when it comes to the education of our children failure is not an option president george w bush

[close]

p. 4

5 foreword at the heart of the no child left behind act of 2001 is a promise to raise standards for all children and to help all children meet those standards in support of this goal president george w bush is committed to promoting the very best teaching programs welltrained teachers and instruction that is based on research can bring the best teaching approaches and programs to all children and help to ensure that no child is left behind however the hours in a school day are few and the time a teacher can spend with any one child is limited for children to be successful in school parents and families need to be actively involved in their children s learning they need to become involved early and stay involved throughout the school year in fact many studies show that what the family does is more important to a child s school success than how much money the family makes or how much education the parents have by showing interest in their children s education parents and families can spark enthusiasm in them and lead them to a very important understanding that learning can be enjoyable as well as rewarding and is well worth the effort required we hope that you will use the information and activities in this booklet to get involved and stay involved and help your child to read better to take on challenging math and science classes to value the study of history the social sciences art and music and to prepare for a rewarding life of continuous learning let s get started.

[close]

p. 5

6 contents

[close]

p. 6

7 introduction every child has the power to succeed in school and in life and every parent family member and caregiver can help the question is how can we help our children succeed the answer comes from a combination of common sense and research about how children learn and about how to prepare them to learn we know for example that children tend to do the same things as their parents do what we say and do in our daily lives can help them to develop positive attitudes toward school and learning and to build confidence in themselves as learners showing our children that we both value education and use it in our daily lives provides them with powerful models and contributes greatly to their success in school as our children s first and most important teacher it s important that all parents build and keep strong ties to our children s schools when parents and families are involved in their children s schools the children do better and have better feelings about going to school we help our children to succeed by working with teachers to make sure that they provide curricula and use teaching methods that are based on strong scientific evidence about what works best in helping students to learn the purpose of this booklet is to make available to you information that you can use to help your child to succeed in school the booklet includes ß information about things that you can do at home to contribute to your child s school success ß activities that you can use to help your child acquire the skills to succeed in school ß answers to often-asked questions about how to work with teachers and schools and ß tips on how to help your child with test taking.

[close]

p. 7

8 the basics if you think about it although school is very important it does not really take up very much of a child s time in the united states the school year averages 180 days in other nations the school year can last up to 240 days and students are often in school more hours per day than american students clearly the hours and days that a child is not in school are important for learning too here are some things that you can do to help your child to make the most of that time encourage your child to read helping your child become a reader is the single most important thing that you can do to help the child to succeed in school and in life the importance of reading simply can t be overstated reading helps children in all school subjects more important it is the key to lifelong learning here are some tips on how to help your child become a reader ß start early when your child is still a baby reading aloud to him should become part of your daily routine at first read for no more than a few minutes at a time several times a day as your child grows older you should be able to tell if he wants you to read for longer periods as you read talk with your child encourage him to ask questions and to talk about the story ask him to predict what will come next when your child begins to read ask him to read to you from books or magazines that he enjoys make sure that your home has lots of reading materials that are appropriate for your child keep books magazines and newspapers in the house reading materials don t have to be new or expensive you often can find good books and magazines for your child at yard or library sales ask family members and friends to consider giving your child books and magazine subscriptions as gifts for birthdays or other special occasions set aside quiet time for family reading some families even enjoy reading aloud to each other with each family member choosing a book story poem or article to read to the others show that you value reading let your child see you reading for pleasure as well as for performing your routine activities as an adult reading letters and recipes directions and instructions newspapers computer screens and so forth go with her to the library and check out books for yourself when your child sees that reading is important to you she is likely to decide that it s important to her too ß ß please note in this booklet we refer to a child as him in some places and her in others we do this to make the booklet easier to read please understand however that every point that we make is the same for boys and girls.

[close]

p. 8

9 if you feel uncomfortable with your own reading ability or if you would like reading help for yourself or other family members check with your local librarian or with your child s school about literacy programs in your community ß get help for your child if he has a reading problem when a child is having reading difficulties the reason might be simple to understand and deal with for example your child might have trouble seeing and need glasses or he may just need more help with reading skills if you think that your child needs extra help ask his teachers about special services such as after-school or summer reading programs also ask teachers or your local librarian for names of community organizations and local literacy volunteer groups that offer tutoring services the good news is that no matter how long it takes most children can learn to read parents teachers and other professionals can work together to determine if a child has a learning disability or other problem and then provide the right help as soon as possible when a child gets such help chances are very good that she will develop the skills she needs to succeed in school and in life nothing is more important than your support for your child as she goes through school make sure she gets any extra help she needs as soon as possible and always encourage her and praise her efforts for more information about reading see the u.s department of education booklet helping your child become a reader listed in the resources section page

[close]

p. 9

10 ß ß as you fix dinner ask your child to help you follow the steps in a recipe talk with him about what can happen if you miss a step or leave out an ingredient as you fix a sink or repair a broken table ask your child to hand you the tools that you name talk with her about each step you take to complete the repair tell her what you re doing and why you re doing it ask her for suggestions about how you should do something as you watch tv together talk with your child about the programs if you re watching one of her favorite programs encourage her to tell you about the background of the characters which ones she likes and dislikes and who the actors are compare the program to a program that you liked when you were her age as you read a book with your child pause occasionally to talk to him about what s happening in the book help him to relate the events in the book to events in his life look at that tall building didn t we see that when we were in chicago ask him to tell in his own words what the book was about ask him about new words in a book and help him to figure out what they mean ß ß it s also important for you to show your child that you re interested in what he has to say demonstrate for him how to be a good listener ß when your child talks to you stop what you re doing and pay attention look at him and ask questions to let him know that you ve heard what he said so when are you going to help your granddad work on his car when your child tells you about something occasionally repeat what he says to let him know that you re listening closely the school bus broke down twice ß monitor homework let your child know that you think education is important and so homework has to be done here are some ways to help your child with homework ß have a special place for your child to study the homework area doesn t have to be fancy a desk in the bedroom is nice but for many children the kitchen table or a corner of the living room works just fine the area should have good lighting and it should be fairly quiet provide supplies and identify resources for starters have available pencils pens erasers writing paper and a dictionary other supplies that might be helpful include a stapler paper clips maps a calculator a pencil sharpener tape glue paste scissors a ruler a calculator index cards a thesaurus and an almanac if possible keep these items together in one place if you can t provide your child with needed supplies check with her teacher school counselor or principal about possible sources of assistance.

[close]

p. 10

11 ß set a regular time for homework having a regular time to do homework helps children to finish assignments of course a good schedule depends in part on your child s age as well as her specific needs you ll need to work with a young child to develop a schedule you should give your older child the responsibility for making up a schedule independently although you ll want to make sure that it s a workable one you may find it helpful to have her write out her schedule and put it in a place where you ll see it often such as on the refrigerator remove distractions turn off the tv and discourage your child from making and receiving social telephone calls during homework time a call to a classmate about an assignment however may be helpful if you live in a small or noisy household try having all family members take part in a quiet activity during homework time you may need to take a noisy toddler outside or into another room to play if distractions can t be avoided your child may want to complete assignments in the local library don t expect or demand perfection when your child asks you to look at what she s done from skating a figure 8 to finishing a math assignment show interest and praise her when she s done something well if you have criticisms or suggestions make them in a helpful way ß ß one final note you may be reluctant to help your child with homework because you feel that you don t know the subject well enough or because you don t speak or read english as well as your child but helping with homework doesn t mean doing the homework it isn t about solving the problems for your child it s about supporting him to do his best you may not know enough about a subject such as calculus to help your child with a specific assignment but you can help nonetheless by showing that you are interested helping him get organized providing a place the materials he needs to work monitoring his work to see that he completes it and praising his efforts for more information about homework see the u.s department of education booklets helping your child with homework and homework tips for parents both listed in the resources section page

[close]

p. 11

12 watch a lot of tv are likely to spend their time in the same way children who live in homes in which parents and other family members have quiet time away from the tv when they read either alone to each other talk to each other play games or engage in other activities tend to do the same ß watch tv with your child when you can talk with him about what you see answer his questions try to point out the things in tv programs that are like your child s everyday life when you can t watch tv with your child spot check to see what she s watching ask questions after the program ends see what excites her and what troubles her find out what she has learned and remembered go to the library and find books that explore the themes of the tv shows that your child watches limit the amount of time your child spends playing video games as with tv programs be aware of the games he likes to play and discuss his choices with him ß ß ß encourage your child to use the library libraries are places of learning and discovery for everyone helping your child find out about libraries will set him on the road to being an independent learner here are some suggestions for how to help ß introduce your child to the library as early as possible even when your child is a toddler take him along on weekly trips to the library if you work during the day or have other obligations remember that many libraries are open in the evening if your child can print his name it is likely that your library will issue him a library card if you will also sign for him see that your child gets his own library card as soon as possible so that he can check out his own books when you take your child to the library introduce yourself and your child to the librarian ask the librarian to show you around the library and tell you about the services it has to offer for example in addition to all kinds of books your library most likely will have magazines of interest to both your child and to you it will likely have newspapers from many different places most libraries also have tapes and cds of books music cds and tapes movies on video and on dvd and many more resources your library also might have books in languages other than english or programs to help adults improve their english reading skills ask the librarian to tell your child about special programs that he might participate in such as summer reading programs and book clubs and about services such as homework help · ß

[close]

p. 12

13 ß let your child know that she must follow the library s rules of behavior libraries want children to use their materials and services however they generally have rules such as the following that your child needs to know and obey library materials must be handled carefully materials that are borrowed must be returned on time your child needs to learn how long she can keep materials and what the fine will be for materials that are returned late all library users need to be considerate of each other shouting running and being disruptive are not appropriate library behaviors help your child learn to use the internet properly and effectively the internet/world wide web a network of computers that connects people and information all around the world has become an important part of how we learn and of how we interact with others for children to succeed today they must be able to use the internet here are some suggestions for helping your child learn to do so properly and effectively ß spend time online with your child if you don t have a computer at home ask your librarian if the library has computers that you and your child may use learn along with your child if you re not familiar with computers or with the internet ask the librarian if and when someone is available at the library to help you and your child learn together to use them if your child knows about computers let her teach you ask her to explain what she is doing and why ask her to show you her favorite web sites and to tell you what she likes about them this will help her build selfconfidence and pride in her abilities help your child to locate appropriate internet web sites at the same time make sure that she understands what you think are appropriate web sites for her to visit point her in the direction of sites that can help her with homework or that relate to her interests pay attention to any games she might download or copy from the internet some games are violent or contain sexual or other content that is inappropriate for children resources such as getnetwise http www.getnetwise.org a public service provided by internet corporations and public interest groups and familiesconnect http www.ala.org/iconn/familiesconnect.html a service of the american library association can help you to make good web site choices and give you more information about internet use you might consider using filters to block your child from accessing sites that may be inappropriate these filters include software programs that you can install on your computer in addition many internet service providers offer filters often for free that restrict the sites that children can visit of course these filters are not always ß

[close]

p. 13

14 completely effective and children can find ways around them the best safeguard is your supervision and involvement ß monitor the amount of time that your child spends online internet surfing can be just as time consuming as watching tv don t let it take over your child s life have her place a clock near the computer and keep track of how much time she is spending online remember many commercial online services charge for the amount of time the service is used these charges can mount up quickly teach your child rules for using the internet safely let him know that he should never do the following tell anyone including his friends his computer password use bad language or send cruel threatening or untrue e-mail messages give out any personal information including his name or the names of family members home address phone number age school name or arrange to meet a stranger that he has talked with in an online chat room ß for more information about helping your child use the internet see the following publications listed in the resources section page

[close]

p. 14

15 ß make your child responsible for getting ready to go to school each morning getting up on time making sure that he has everything he needs for the school day and so forth if necessary make a checklist to help him remember what he has to do monitor what your child does after school in the evenings and on weekends if you can t be there when your child gets home give her the responsibility of checking in with you by phone to discuss her plans ß encourage active learning children need active learning as well as quiet learning such as reading and doing homework active learning involves asking and answering questions solving problems and exploring interests active learning also can take place when your child plays sports spends time with friends acts in a school play plays a musical instrument or visits museums and bookstores to promote active learning listen to your child s ideas and respond to them let him jump in with questions and opinions when you read books together when you encourage this type of give-and-take at home your child s participation and interest in school is likely to increase.

[close]

p. 15

16 activities what follows are activities that you can do with your child to help build the skills attitudes and behaviors needed for school success there is no one right way to do the activities you should make changes and shorten or lengthen them to suit your child s attention span you might want to use them as a starting point for some activities of your own if you don t have some of the resources listed for an activity remember that most public libraries offer free use of books magazines videos computers and other services other things that you might need for these activities are not expensive age levels for the activities are indicated at the start of each activity ages 5-7 ages 7-9 ages 9-11 keep in mind however that children don t always learn the same things at the same rate you are the best judge of what your child may be ready to try so use the age levels as guides as your child learns and grows not as hard and fast rules for example an activity listed for children ages 7­9 may work well with your 5-year-old on the other hand the same activity may not interest your child until he is 9 or 10 as a parent you can help your child want to learn in a way no one else can that desire to learn is a key to your child s later success enjoyment is important so if you and your child don t enjoy one activity move on to another you can always return to any activity later on.

[close]