Parenting and Learning Issues

Parents can play a significant role in the academic success of their children. Unfortunately, many parents don’t realize the importance of involvement in a child’s school career and are not sure how to get involved constructively. Too much or too little parental involvement sometimes becomes detrimental to the child – a difficult obstacle for many to overcome. The good news is that you can take relatively easy steps to show your child you are interested in his or her school work and offer the necessary help and support along the way.

The Parent-Child Relationship

A successful school experience begins at home, with the relationship between the parent and child. This process involves developing good habits at home that your child will easily adapt to during the school year. It also incorporates nurturing a comfortable, trusting relationship with your child that will make him more willing to come to you when problems and challenges in the school environment do occur. Some of the ways to encourage your child’s success in school include:

This TED Talk discusses 5 Parenting Tips for Raising Resilient, Self-Reliant Kids.

Good Habits

Good home habits will limit distractions and put schoolwork at the forefront throughout the academic year. First, instill a love of reading in your child, by keeping plenty of interesting books at home and reading together on a regular basis. Let your child see you sit down with

High school students' graduation rates and academic success are a primary concern in many school districts nationwide. This is especially true in light of the current administration has recent focus on higher education to remain competitive in the global marketplace. However, the concerns and needs don’t always match the actual data from high schools today – when accurate data can be collected. Naviance Succeed was created to help schools along the way and promote college and career readiness for the high school students who need it most. Is Naviance Succeed working? We’ll look at the innovative program and some schools adopting it.

The Science behind Naviance Succeed

Although most schools have assessment and curriculum systems today, most programs are designed with the educator in mind. Naviance Succeed is a student-centered approach to secondary education that provides sufficient support and resources to ensure students succeed in the public school system. According to the Naviance website, the program is designed with integrated tools that consider the following factors:

• Success Planning—Naviance Succeed allows customizing college and career readiness programs at the school and district levels. Programs can target specific age groups or other demographics as needed.
• Career Planning—In addition to ensuring students are career-ready, Naviance Succeed offers tools to help students find the perfect career by introducing a wide range of choices.
• Course Planning—A large portion of preparing for a career or college is the right schedule of secondary courses. Naviance Succeed has many tools to help students with long-range

With the continued national focus on workforce readiness, degree attainment, and increasing the number of Americans who earn postsecondary credentials, institutions of higher education are focusing on ways to ensure students who enroll in college actually end up with a degree or professional certificate on the other side. As schools are examining this factor in greater detail, information is emerging that makes many college educators wonder why students who may perform well in high school flounder academically when they enter the halls of higher education. A number of recent studies suggest that many high school students are ill-prepared for the academic rigors of higher education, even if their performance in high school was above average. This knowledge is leading some schools to revamp freshman programs to ensure more students stick with their academic efforts until they find success and a degree.

Parents evaluating whether a school is truly preparing students for life after graduation may find it useful to look beyond rankings alone. Public School Review's article on Public School Rankings: Are They Accurate? explores why traditional rankings do not always reflect long-term student outcomes.

This video reports on how 60% of students are not ready for college-level work.

“One Year Out” Explores College Readiness

A recent study conducted by the College Board, titled “One Year Out,” looked at college readiness, as well as several other factors that determine whether those who enter

A debate in New Jersey brought the homework controversy to light once again. The Galloway Township school district discussed whether students should be given homework-free weekends so that children could have more time with their families and for extracurricular activities and sports. At the time, the plan needed to go before the school board for a vote before it became official. In 2011, Galloway Township adopted a policy restricting weekend homework for elementary school students, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

In 2026, the issue continues to resurface around the country as educators discuss once again how much homework is too much and whether it is actually counterproductive to the learning process. Public School Review has also explored this question in its guide to how much homework students should expect in public school.

Why Galloway Was Talking About Homework-Free Weekends

Galloway Township considered recommendations from district officials and school board members to limit the amount of homework students received. The recommendations came through research, as well as parent-teacher surveys. According to the Huffington Post, officials making the recommendations determined that less homework would allow additional time for students to focus on extracurricular activities and spend more quality time with their families.

Many parents and school officials in the district also voiced frustration over stressed students who could not seem to find enough hours in the day to complete assignments, especially when some of the homework looked like simple “busy work” on the surface.

“We really

The heatwave that has swept much of the country this summer has become a big problem for many school districts that typically offer remedial courses and a host of activities throughout the summer vacation. With triple digits over many days in the Midwest and other areas of the country, schools without air conditioning are grappling with ways to keep kids cool inside buildings and during outdoor activities. In some cases, the heat has simply become too much, and schools have been forced to cancel many of the popular summer activities they offer. The heat is definitely on this summer, and we’ll take a look at how schools are surviving the extreme weather conditions.

This video shows how students cope with a summer heatwave.

Hottest Temperatures in Years

A recent article on Reuters reports that the triple-digit temperatures the Midwest is facing are some of the hottest in recent history. The National Weather Service, which has been busy posting extreme heat warnings for much of the country’s mid-section, has said that this will be the most significant heatwave this region has seen in five years. One senior meteorologist at the service predicted the heatwave will affect as many as 40 states across the country, although the hardest-hit areas appear to be in northern Midwest cities like Rapid City, South Dakota; Springfield, Illinois; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. In some places, heat indexes have been