Support from parents is key to helping kids do well academically. Here are 10 ways parents can put their kids on track to be successful students.

1. Attend Back-to-School Night and Parent-Teacher Conferences

Kids do better in school when parents are involved in their academic lives. Attending back-to-school night at the start of the school year is a great way to get to know your child’s teacher and his or her expectations. School administrators may discuss school-wide programs and policies, too.

Attending parent-teacher conferences is another way to stay informed. These are usually held once or twice a year at progress reporting periods. The conferences are a chance to start or continue conversations with your child’s teacher, and discuss strategies to help your child do his or her best in class. Meeting with the teacher also lets your child know that what goes on in school will be shared at home.

If your child has special learning needs, additional meetings can be scheduled with teachers and other school staff to consider setting up or revising individualized education plans (IEPs), 504 education plans, or gifted education plans.

Keep in mind that parents or guardians can request meetings with teachers, principals, school counselors, or other school staff any time during the school year.

2. Visit the School and Its Website

Knowing the physical layout of the school building and grounds can help you connect with your child when you talk about the school day. It’s good to know the location of the main office, school nurse, cafeteria, gym, athletic fields, playgrounds, auditorium, and special classes.

On the school website, you can find information about:

• the school calendar
• staff contact information
• upcoming events like class trips
• testing dates

Many teachers maintain their own websites that detail homework assignments, test dates, and classroom events and trips. Special resources for parents and students are also usually available on the district, school, or teacher websites.

3. Support Homework Expectations

Homework in grade school reinforces and extends classroom learning and helps kids practice important study skills. It also helps them develop a sense of responsibility and a work ethic that will benefit them beyond the classroom.

In addition to making sure your child knows that you see homework as a priority, you can help by creating an effective study environment. Any well-lit, comfortable, and quiet workspace with the necessary supplies will do. Avoiding distractions (like a TV in the background) and setting up a start and end time can also help.

A good rule of thumb for an effective homework and/or study period is roughly 10 minutes per elementary grade level. Fourth-graders, for example, should expect to have about 40 minutes of homework or studying each school night. If you find that it’s often taking significantly longer than this guideline, talk with your child’s teacher.

While your child does homework, be available to interpret assignment instructions, offer guidance, answer questions, and review the completed work. But resist the urge to provide the correct answers or complete the assignments yourself. Learning from mistakes is part of the process and you don’t want to take this away from your child.

4. Send Your Child to School Ready to Learn

A nutritious breakfast fuels up kids and gets them ready for the day. In general, kids who eat breakfast have more energy and do better in school. Kids who eat breakfast also are less likely to be absent, and make fewer trips to the school nurse with stomach complaints related to hunger.

You can help boost your child’s attention span, concentration, and memory by providing breakfast foods that are rich in whole grains, fiber, and protein, as well as low in added sugar. If your child is running late some mornings, send along fresh fruit, nuts, yogurt, or half a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Many schools provide nutritious breakfast options before the first bell.

Kids also need the right amount of sleep to be alert and ready to learn all day. Most school-age kids need 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night. Bedtime difficulties can arise at this age for a variety of reasons. Homework, sports, after-school activities, TVs, computers, and video games, as well as hectic family schedules, can contribute to kids not getting enough sleep.

Lack of sleep can cause irritable or hyper types of behavior and might make it difficult for kids to pay attention in class. It’s important to have a consistent bedtime routine, especially on school nights. Be sure to leave enough time before bed to allow your child to unwind before lights out and limit stimulating diversions like TV, video games, and Internet access.

5. Teach Organizational Skills

When kids are organized, they can stay focused instead of spending time hunting things down and getting sidetracked.

What does it mean to be organized at the elementary level? For schoolwork, it means having an assignment book and homework folder (many schools supply these) to keep track of homework and projects.

Check your child’s assignment book and homework folder every school night so you’re familiar with assignments and your child doesn’t fall behind. Set up a bin for papers that you need to check or sign. Also, keep a special box or bin for completed and graded projects and toss papers that you don’t need to keep.

Talk to your child about keeping his or her school desk orderly so papers that need to come home don’t get lost. Teach your child how to use a calendar or personal planner to help stay organized.

It’s also helpful to teach your child how to make a to-do list to help prioritize and get things done. It can be as simple as:

1. homework
2. soccer
3. put clothes away

No one is born with great organizational skills — they need to be learned and practiced.

6. Teach Study Skills

Studying for a test can be scary for young kids, and many educators assume parents will help their kids during the grade-school years. Introducing your child to study skills now will pay off with good learning habits throughout life.

In elementary school, kids usually take end-of-unit tests in math, spelling, science, and social studies. Be sure to know when a test is scheduled so you can help your child study ahead of time rather than just the night before. You also might need to remind your child to bring home the right study materials, such as notes, study guides, or books.

Teach your child how to break down overall tasks into smaller, manageable chunks so preparing for a test isn’t overwhelming. You also can introduce your child to tricks like mnemonic devices to help with recalling information. Remember that taking a break after a 45-minute study period is an important way to help kids process and remember information.

Your child probably will be introduced to standardized testing in elementary school. While students can’t really study for standardized tests, some teachers provide practice tests to help ease students’ worries.

In general, if studying and testing becomes a source of stress for your child, discuss the situation with the teacher or school counselor.

7. Know the Disciplinary Policies

Schools usually cite their disciplinary policies (sometimes called the student code of conduct) in student handbooks. The rules cover expectations, and consequences for not meeting the expectations, for things like student behavior, dress codes, use of electronic devices, and acceptable language.

The policies may include details about attendance, vandalism, cheating, fighting, and weapons. Many schools also have specific policies about bullying. It’s helpful to know the school’s definition of bullying, consequences for bullies, support for victims, and procedures for reporting bullying.

It’s important for your child to know what’s expected at school and that you’ll support the school’s consequences when expectations aren’t met. It’s easiest for students when school expectations match the ones at home, so kids see both environments as safe and caring places that work together as a team.

8. Get Involved

Whether kids are just starting kindergarten or entering their last year of elementary school, there are many good reasons for parents to volunteer at school. It’s a great way for parents to show they’re interested in their kids’ education.

Many grade-schoolers like to see their parents at school or at school events. But follow your child’s cues to find out how much interaction works for both of you. If your child seems uncomfortable with your presence at the school or with your involvement in an extracurricular activity, consider taking a more behind-the-scenes approach. Make it clear that you aren’t there to spy — you’re just trying to help out the school community.

Parents can get involved by:

• being a classroom helper or homeroom parent
• organizing and/or working at fundraising activities and other special events, like bake sales, car washes, and book fairs
• chaperoning field trips
• planning class parties
• attending school board meetings
• joining the school’s parent-teacher group
• working as a library assistant
• reading a story to the class
• giving a talk for career day
• attending school concerts or plays

Check the school or teacher website to find volunteer opportunities that fit your schedule. Even giving a few hours during the school year can make an impression on your child.

9. Take Attendance Seriously

Sick kids should stay home from school if they have a fever, are nauseated, vomiting, or have diarrhea. Kids who lose their appetite, are clingy or lethargic, complain of pain, or who just don’t seem to be acting “themselves” should also take a sick day.

Otherwise, it’s important that kids arrive at school on time every day, because having to catch up with class work and homework can be stressful and interfere with learning.

If your child is missing a lot of school due to illness, make sure to check with the teacher about any work that needs to be completed. It’s also a good idea to know the school’s attendance policy.

Sometimes students want to stay home from school because of problems with classmates, assignments or grades, or even teachers. This can result in real symptoms, like headaches or stomachaches. If you think there’s a problem at school, talk with your child — and then perhaps with the teacher — to find out more about what’s causing the anxiety. The school counselor or school psychologist also might be able to help.

Also try to avoid late bedtimes, which can result in tardy and tired students. A consistent sleep schedule can help.

10. Make Time to Talk About School

It’s usually easy to talk with elementary students about what’s going on in class and the latest news at school. You probably know what books your child is reading and are familiar with the math being worked on. But parents can get busy and forget to ask the simple questions, which can have an effect on children’s success at school.

Make time to talk with your child every day, so he or she knows that what goes on at school is important to you. When kids know parents are interested in their academic lives, they’ll take school seriously as well.

Because communication is a two-way street, the way you talk and listen to your child can influence how well your child listens and responds. It’s important to listen carefully, make eye contact, and avoid multitasking while you chat. Be sure to ask questions that go beyond “yes” or “no” answers.

Besides during family meals, good times to talk include car trips (though eye contact isn’t needed here, of course), walking the dog, preparing meals, or standing in line at a store.

These early years of schooling are an important time for parents to be informed and supportive about their child’s education.

Reviewed by: D’Arcy Lyness, PhD

~Sports with Hudson Heinemann~

……A little about myself…..my name is Hudson Heinemann and I am 10 years old, I was born on Halloween and have the most amazing birthday parties because of it. ( thank you Mother! ) I am in the 4th grade and really like School. I have great teachers and friends, but what I love more than anything is Sports!!! Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter, if it relates to Sports I want to know about it.

My favorite sport is basketball, which led me to a wonderful School called IMG Academy. I attended their Sports Camp over the Holidays and it really was extraordinary.

It is a Boarding Camp, and I stayed a week. Having attended other Camps, I found this Camp to really focus on bringing out the strengths of all the players. I became stronger and my technique really improved.

My favorite NBA team is the Knicks and currently they are not doing very well. They are 12th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 22 wins and 33 loses. Why is this? Some speculate horrible defense, I concur.

Jeff Hornacek, the head coach was not happy at Friday’s night game against the Denver Nuggets with the teams 131-123 loss. The crowd was fired up at Madison Square Garden. “Couldn’t guard anybody, simply as that” Hornacek said. “They should be embarrassed by the way that couldn’t guard anybody. So those guys are happy scoring their points. We’re going to lose every game.”

Clearly he was upset, but who could blame him. I personally am glad to see some emotion in a Coach.

The Knicks allowed Denver to shoot 56.8 percent from the field, including 50 percent from beyond the arc. The Nuggets also racked up 30 assists. Power Forward Nikola Jokie led the way by making 17 of his 23 shots en route to 40 points.

The loss was the fourth straight for the Knicks, who are 3-7 over their past 10 games and 22-33 on the regular season. They are 3.5 games out of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference and may not make the  playoffs if things don’t change.

In conclusion:

~highly recommend IMG Academy

1-866-234-5729

5650 Bollettieri Blvd.

Bradenton, Fl. 34210

www.imgacademy.com

~Knicks need better defense

Evan Sims, Christian Versaci, Hudson Heinemann and Friends.

1.What is the most challenging aspect of being a Coach?

Coaching presents many challenges at every age level and in every capacity. It is, therefore, hard to come up with the most challenging aspect, so I will offer up two.  The first one is communicating to athletes in a way that creates a fun environment that gets them to want to work hard at improving their individual and collective team skills. Each athlete, regardless of age, is unique and has to be approached with whatever means is going to best motivate him or her to reach their full potential.

The second challenge is how to deal with parental concerns and how to best guide them. Parents generally have at least the one common goal of wanting the best for their child.  As a coach of just not one team, but a director of an entire program, I find it very challenging helping parents “grow” as their child progresses from being a very young athlete to an athlete competing at higher levels.  Helping parents manage the emotions of successes and failures of their own child, as well as their team, can be very difficult.

2.Please tell us about your children?

I am very blessed to have four children, all boys, and all are healthy and happy.

My oldest son, Rob, is married and works in Manhattan for a major law firm. He started his own company designing websites at age 12 and has always had a love for business and entrepreneurship.  He attended Binghamton University as an undergraduate before obtaining his Juris Doctor Degree at the University of Buffalo.  Rob and his wife, Amelia, just recently had their first child and my first grandson, Landon.

My second oldest, Chris, lives locally, and is a Partner with New York Life. Chris graduated from Nichols College where he got both his undergraduate degree in Sports Management and Masters in Business Administration.  Prior to his current career, he worked for the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat, and the New Jersey Nets. He was, and still is, one of those happy go lucky guys that truly enjoys people and life. He is a very hard worker with a great personality and just a lot of fun to be around.

Kelby, my third child, just graduated from SUNY Oneonta this spring.  He is probably the quietest of my four boys, at least until you get to know him.  He has a very loyal personality and is similar to his older brother, Rob, in a lot of ways.  Unsure of what’s up next after college, he is currently looking at different types of employment options.  He loves to be by the water, whether it’s the ocean or the lake, and thoroughly enjoys hanging out with his brothers.

That leaves Kyle, my youngest son.  Kyle transferred from SUNY Potsdam, but has not yet selected his next school. He has narrowed down his choices to several schools, where he will continue his basketball career while pursuing a business degree. He loves to compete and is also the daredevil in the family.  Fast and wild are his thing. He attempted his first bungee jump at 6 but had to wait patiently until he was of legal age to sky dive at 18.

All four of my boys are very close and extremely competitive.  They all played basketball for me at the high school level, and all played at the collegiate level in some capacity.  They thoroughly enjoy being with each other and traveling together.  I am very lucky to have four kids that were and remain so close as they grow older.

3. How would you describe yourself?

For as far back as I can remember, helping others succeed has been at my core. As a Big Brother and coach I have always worked with kids to help them to succeed.  As a manager at IBM, my goal was to help employees advance their own careers. Aside from that, others tell me that I am fanatical, committed, have OCD, and sometimes even a little crazy!

4. Do you feel athletic talent is created or some children are born with it?

I think both are true.  There are many athletes that are born with the ability or “gift” that enables them to excel in their respective sport.  But there are also those athletes that just simply work hard, and work hard for many years to develop their skill.

There is, however, a significant difference between the two.  First, just because an athlete is born with certain genetics or traits that can’t be taught or acquired, does not mean that they will be exceptional athletes or that their talent will prevail.  They still must invest countless hours to develop that talent and reach their maximum potential. Those athletes that reach the collegiate or professional level are generally highly committed and driven, traits that may not necessarily be part of that “gift.”

On the other hand, there are those athletes that can excel by simply committing and working hard at what they do.  This, however, does not mean that working hard is a guarantee that an athlete will reach the level of success they desire to achieve.  Sometimes, the hard work is simply just not enough.

What I believe to be absolutely true is that those athletes that commit themselves to work as hard as they can are more likely to reach whatever full potential that their mind and body are capable of achieving.

5. What is a typical day for you?

A typical day for me changes depending on the time of year.  During the winter, I spend most of my time preparing my high school team to compete and succeed.  During the spring, I am heavily engaged with the management of our youth basketball program that serves 8-17 year olds.  In the summer, we switch gears a bit where I direct five weeks of camps.  And in the fall, I spend countless hours helping student athletes with the college recruiting, selection, and application process.

In addition, on an all-year-round basis, I teach basketball skills to athletes of all ages and levels on a more personal one on one or small group basis.

In general, my day begins fairly early to get all of the administrative tasks out of the way unless, of course, its camp season where my days and nights are somewhat reversed.  There are many tasks that have to be completed during the day including calls to college coaches, film review and scouting reports, practice preparations, and the planning and preparation that is required for the next season.

When that day’s work is done, I usually arrive at either the Our Lady of Lourdes or Poughkeepsie Day School gym by 3pm where I will spend the rest of the afternoon and evening coaching and teaching athletes, monitoring other teams’ practices, or consulting with parents.

6. Tell us about your basketball career and how you ended up in the coaching profession.

Although I started to play basketball in the 9th grade, I really didn’t invest any time into the sport until several years later.  I did not play CYO or attend any camps.  I made the junior high team as a freshman, Junior Varsity as a sophomore, and the Varsity as junior, basically because I was tall. At the end of my junior year, I became friends with an all-star athlete, Tom Emma, who eventually played for Duke University, the top Division I program in the country at the time.

Tom introduced me to the world of basketball and all of the hard work and commitment that went along with it to become successful. Spending countless hours, usually more than 8 hours a day during the summer, I remember burning through sneakers at a rate of a pair every two weeks.  After a fairly successful senior year both from an individual and team perspective, the continued hard work earned me a spot playing for Clarkson University for the next four years.  During the summers of my college years, I worked at many different overnight basketball camps.  It was then that I knew that coaching would be a part of my life.  I just did not realize at the time how big a part it would become.

My first job out of college was working for IBM in Poughkeepsie, New York, in August of 1982.  It did not take long to get involved with coaching in the local CYO program where I coached a 6th grade team.  Continuing to coach at the CYO level for the next four years was inevitable and led to my first high school position as the Junior Varsity coach at Our Lady of Lourdes.  I was named the Varsity coach two years later and have been there ever since.

Although successful at IBM, achieving management status in three years, I knew that coaching and teaching young athletes was my passion.  While working and advancing with IBM, I found myself spending more and more time, both physically and emotionally, with coaching.  Edge Athletics was formed in 1996 as a small program with one team and incorporated as a not for profit in 2001.  In 2007, after 25 years, I left IBM to run Edge Athletics and develop all-year programs on a full time basis. I remain the head Varsity coach at Lourdes and am heading into my 28th year.

7.What advice would you give young athletes today?

There are a few things that I tell young athletes to help them develop.

First and foremost, and simply put, they have to have fun.  That might sound like something easy to do and even a little bit of a cliché, but excelling at sports is a complex process.  If young athletes are not playing the sport because they love to play it and are not having fun playing it, then the rest of the process becomes even more complex and difficult. Unfortunately, the coach and the parents are key components for this to happen.

Next, and along the same lines, I stress to the athletes that they need to put in as much time – or as little time – as they want to.  I try to ensure that each athlete recognizes what it takes to be successful, but at the end of the day it is the athlete that has to want to do it more than their parents want them to.

And then finally, I encourage the athletes to set realistic goals for themselves.  It is okay to have a long term dream, but in order for athletes to improve, they must set realistic internal and measurable goals. Those goals can range from improving their shooting percentage, to earning a spot on a team, or earning a starting role on a team. Setting realistic measurable goals is a great way for young athletes to motivate themselves to work hard leading to self-confidence as they achieve them.

James C. Santoro

Director, Edge Athletics Camps, Clinics, and Programs

Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Our Lady of Lourdes High School

Hand-raising is a quick, cost-effective, time-tested technique for gauging student knowledge and progress, but it may not give an accurate picture of students’ grasp of a subject. A new Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) faculty working paper co-authored by Senior Lecturer Dan Levy, doctoral student Joshua Yardley and Professor Richard Zeckhauser examines the biases and challenges that result from hand-raising and the potential solutions offered by the use of “clickers” in the classroom.

“Since student satisfaction often correlates imperfectly with student learning, it is important to explore the ways in which clickers may impact learning specifically, in addition to the positive reviews they are getting from users,” the authors explain in the paper’s introduction.

Richard Zeckhauser, Frank P. Ramsey Professor of Political Economy (L) and Dan Levy, Senior Lecturer (R) Clickers, the researchers argue, may be beneficial in allowing students to complete the learning process (thinking through their own independent responses to a question) and thus giving teachers a clearer picture of their students’ learning

The paper examines the possible benefits of clickers, chief among them anonymity – eliminating the usual “herding” behavior that can result when students are asked to raise their hands. Using a clicker, students are denied the opportunity to mimic other students, and are freed from the embarrassment or peer pressures that would promote certain choices. They can only choose independently.

The researchers conducted experiments in 22 different university classrooms, working with more than 1100 total respondents. Each classroom was divided into two groups: one with hand raising and the other with clickers. The response results differed significantly between the two groups. The hand-raising results were generally more clustered, consistent with the researchers’ theories on herding behavior.

“Those providing erroneous answers love company,” the authors note. But students may also “cluster” toward the responses of their classmates who are known to be knowledgeable about a topic, even if those answers are in the minority. For certain types of questions, the authors found that “clustering with others may also be helpful when there is no single right answer.”

While herding does sometimes push more students toward the correct answer to a question, the students may simply be following the crowd instead of arriving at the correct answer on their own. Clickers, the researchers argue, may be beneficial in allowing students to complete the learning process (thinking through their own independent responses to a question) and thus giving teachers a clearer picture of their students’ learning. Clickers also enable students to comfortably express minority or unpopular political views.

Besides allowing students to engage with questions on their own, clicked responses “can be an important source of feedback for teachers,” the authors explain. Yardley adds, “Clicker data that more accurately reflect student knowledge can help teachers make better informed real-time decisions regarding pacing and focus.” For example, Yardley says, “If clicker data suggest that students understand a particular concept, the teacher moves on, whereas if the data reveal student confusion, the teacher may decide to stay with the topic longer.”

“It seems likely that clicker responses give the teacher a better picture of where the students actually are in understanding a given concept or question,” the authors conclude. The study provides compelling evidence that hand-raising and clicker responses differ significantly from one another, and raises interesting questions about the potential use of both techniques in classrooms of the future.

Dan Levy is senior lecturer in public policy and Faculty Chair of the Kennedy School’s SLATE (Strengthening Learning and Teaching Excellence) Initiative. He teaches courses in quantitative methods and program evaluation. He recently directed impact evaluations of girl-friendly school construction programs in Burkina Faso and Niger.

Joshua Yardley is a Ph.D. candidate in Public Policy at Harvard University, with a focus on research in development economics and education.

Richard Zeckhauser is the Frank P. Ramsey Professor of Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School. His contributions to decision theory and behavioral economics include the concepts of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), status quo bias, betrayal aversion, and ignorance (states of the world unknown) as a complement to the categories of risk and uncertainty. Many of his policy investigations explore ways to promote the health of human beings, to help markets work more effectively, and to foster informed and appropriate choices by individuals and government agencies.

Written By Katie Gibson

MAKING THE FIRST DAY EASIER 

By The American Academy of Pediatrics