Improving student success depends on a lot of different variables—poverty, accountability, school climate, teachers, curriculum, and more. One piece of the puzzle that doesn’t get much attention is access to college advising. The Economic Mobility Project notes that in schools serving predominately low-income students there are more than one thousand students per counselor. Those counselors … Continue reading First Lady Michelle Obama Launches Campaign to Help Students Go to College
New Guide Helps Hispanic Families Navigate the College Application Process
Latino students are graduating high school and enrolling in college at the highest rates in our history, and they are now the largest minority group in our nation’s colleges and universities. However, only 23% of Hispanic adults 25 and older have an associate degree or higher, and only 12% have a masters or doctorate. In … Continue reading New Guide Helps Hispanic Families Navigate the College Application Process
College Changes Everything Month and the New FAFSA
The US Department of Education has changed when students heading to or already in college can fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA can be filed as of October 1, 2016, three months earlier than in years past, and will use 2015 income and tax information. In conjunction with this … Continue reading College Changes Everything Month and the New FAFSA
Help ADHD Students Concentrate by Letting Them Fidget
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 11% of children ages 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as of 2011, and rates of diagnosis have increased an average of 5% per year from 2003 to 2011. Many of these students have 504 Plan or Individualized Education Plan … Continue reading Help ADHD Students Concentrate by Letting Them Fidget
10-Minute Film Festival: Back to School Edition
Illinois PTA has mentioned the NBC News Education Nation Parent Toolkit before, but the toolkit has continued to grow in the past two years, adding videos and more to the toolkit. Here’s a 10-minute film festival of videos from the toolkit, each a minute or less, to get you and your child ready to go … Continue reading 10-Minute Film Festival: Back to School Edition
Use the Super 5 to Get Your School Year Off to a Great Start
Be a Learning Hero has launched The Super 5: Back-to-School Power Moves to help families get their school year started right. Families know their child’s interests, habits, and personality, but they may not know what their child is expected to learn. The Super 5, in both English and Spanish, provides families with resources to address … Continue reading Use the Super 5 to Get Your School Year Off to a Great Start
5 Things You Need to Know About the PARCC Score Release
Last week, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released preliminary score reports for this spring’s PARCC assessment. Here are five important points to understand about these scores. The scores are only preliminary. The scores are aggregated at the state level, and school districts have not yet checked the data to eliminate duplicate student records … Continue reading 5 Things You Need to Know About the PARCC Score Release
8 Things to Do to Get Back in the School Routine
Our summer schedules tend to be more relaxed, with vacations, events, and evening activities changing our regular family habits. As back-to-school time approaches, here are things your family can do to get ready for the tighter schedules we tend to have during the school year. Reestablish a regular bedtime routine. Over the summer, it’s easy … Continue reading 8 Things to Do to Get Back in the School Routine
Inexpensive Ways for Dads to Build Lasting Memories with Their Kids
Fathers and father figures play an important role in helping children grow, as Illinois Fatherhood Initiative founder David Hirsch noted in his TEDx talk. Children with engaged fathers develop: Better friendships Fewer behavior problems Better results at school Higher self-esteem and life-satisfaction Lower chances of becoming criminals or abusing drugs More satisfying adult relationships But … Continue reading Inexpensive Ways for Dads to Build Lasting Memories with Their Kids
Using the Summer to Build Your Child’s Vocabulary
We all know the importance of building our vocabulary even as adults. A broad vocabulary ties into everything in our lives—reading, speaking, writing, singing, and more. It is one of the foundations of education. But when it comes to helping our children build their vocabulary, many of us are at a loss of how to … Continue reading Using the Summer to Build Your Child’s Vocabulary
Cool Things Kids Can Learn Online for Free
With summer moving into its final month, your kids may have reached the “There’s nothing to do” stage. While it’s certainly okay for kids to be bored, sometimes you need to find an activity for them so you can get something done (even if that something is just preserving the last of your sanity). Common … Continue reading Cool Things Kids Can Learn Online for Free
Dealing with Summer Boredom
Summer vacation has just begun, but you’ve probably already heard it: “Mom! I’m bored!” Your first response might be to offer suggestions of things to do, but those are often greeted with a series of no’s. Experts suggest that an alternative approach to the “I’m bored” lament can be good for kids—let them be bored. … Continue reading Dealing with Summer Boredom
Free Resources for a Safe and Healthy Summer
Summertime bring lots of outdoor activities like cookouts and swimming. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have bundled a collection of free resources for summer that will help plan safe cookouts, prevent mosquito bites, and protect children and guests … Continue reading Free Resources for a Safe and Healthy Summer
How to Teach Your Child that Failure is the Key to Success
When your child comes home with a math or spelling test that they didn’t do well on, what is your reaction? Is that failure an opportunity to learn, or is it a negative experience that hinders their success? How you answer that question can have a significant effect on whether your child develops a growth … Continue reading How to Teach Your Child that Failure is the Key to Success
7 Tips for Getting Your Reluctant Reader to Pick Up a Book
If you love to read, few words from your child strike you to your core like, “But Mom (or Dad), I hate to read!” Even children who are good readers would often rather do anything but pick up a book. For boys, the situation is glaring: in every state and in every grade, boys lag … Continue reading 7 Tips for Getting Your Reluctant Reader to Pick Up a Book
New Website Helps Families Turn Teens into Safe Drivers
Most high school students would much rather sleep late, play video games, and perhaps work at a summer job than go to summer school, but the one class that changes that decision for many teens is driver education. Handing the car keys to your child is a big turning point for both parents and teens, … Continue reading New Website Helps Families Turn Teens into Safe Drivers
Help Your Child Be the First in the Family to Go to College
May 1st was college decision day for high school seniors—the day they let the college of their choice know they were coming. Some of those students will be the first in their family to attend college, and they face challenges that those whose parents went to college don’t deal with. But helping your child become … Continue reading Help Your Child Be the First in the Family to Go to College
Helping Your Child Develop a Growth Mindset
You may have recently heard about the importance of children having a growth mindset as part of the tools needed for success. We’ve even discussed its importance on One Voice Illinois. But how do you help your child develop a growth mindset? The Project for Education Research that Scales (PERTS), a research center in the … Continue reading Helping Your Child Develop a Growth Mindset
New Readiness Roadmap Helps You Pave Your Child’s Path Forward
A new Readiness Roadmap from Be a Learning Hero in partnership with National PTA, Univision, Great Schools, Scholastic, Common Sense Media, and other organizations helps parents navigate the sometimes confusing path from childhood to adulthood. The roadmap is based on the Parents 2016 survey that identified the key things that families want and need to … Continue reading New Readiness Roadmap Helps You Pave Your Child’s Path Forward
Improving Your Student’s Study Skills
End of semester exams are approaching for many students, and some may be experiencing some test anxiety. A new article by Study Medicine in Europe provides some science-based tips on how to study effectively and reduce test anxiety. While aimed at college students, the study tips are useful for any student preparing for an exam. … Continue reading Improving Your Student’s Study Skills
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