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5 Tips for Monitoring Screen Time for Kids
Many school districts have implemented technology initiatives that provide laptops or tablets to students. While these technologies open opportunities for learning outside of school, they also require parental oversight to ensure children aren’t spending too much time online.

It has been more than a decade since the first large-scale one-to-one technology initiative was launched in Maine. That program, which put laptops in the hands of every public school student in the state, represented a major shift in the manner in which students learn. Recognizing the growing value of technology, particularly the Internet as an educational tool, the program opened doors for students to learn that otherwise would not have been available. For the first time, students could easily expand their learning time beyond the boundaries of their classroom and regular school day.

Yet, as children learned to utilize technology for educational purposes, the non-educational aspects of technology began to become more prominent. Gone are the days when a laptop was used to type a report or to access an online encyclopedia for research. Now, children have thousands of online distractions from YouTube videos to games to apps that allow them to chat, text, and share pictures with their friends.

This video explains what happens when you allow your child unlimited screen time.

All this makes it more difficult for parents to manage what their children utilize their technology to do. However, there are steps parents can take to ensure their child utilizes technology for learning first and fun second.

Set Rules and Stick to Them

Establishing rules can go a long way in helping your child define the boundaries of their use of

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9 Smart Tips for Boosting Your Child's Academic Success

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9 Smart Tips for Boosting Your Child's Academic Success
Turn your child into a stronger student by creating the right support structure and expectations. Use these nine tips to help maximize your child's academic success.

Your child’s success in school is dependent upon a wide variety of factors. Certainly, the quality of programming at your child’s school, the quality of your child’s teacher, and access to quality resources are all critical components of your child’s success. But the factor that is most important for your child’s academic achievement is your involvement in their educational process.

According to the Michigan Department of Education, parental involvement is twice as predictive of a child’s academic success than socioeconomic status. Yet, the same report also notes that a lack of parental involvement is the largest issue facing public schools today. There are likely many reasons for this gap, not the least of which is that some parents just don’t know how to help their children when they bring schoolwork home. However, involvement in your child’s education does not begin and end with struggling to help them with homework. There are many methods you can employ to help your child achieve his or her academic potential, and here are nine ways you can naturally incorporate into your child's academic support.

This video offers some suggestions for helping your child succeed in school.

Create a Routine and Stick to It

A major barrier that many parents face is simply finding the time in their schedules to sit down with their children to talk about school, review work, and provide assistance when needed. This has become even

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Public or Private? Which School is Best for Your Child?

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Public or Private? Which School is Best for Your Child?
Should your child attend a public or private school? A tough question indeed! Public and private schools have many benefits for children and their families, yet they both have drawbacks as well. In this article, learn about the pros and cons of each to help make your decision to go public or private an easier one.

The age-old question of where to send your child to school, if you’re fortunate enough to have a choice, is one that has been debated for ages. Do you go the private school route to give your child smaller class sizes, more rigorous learning experiences, and a better shot at an upper-tier college? Or do you opt for the public school option, where your child will experience more diversity among their classmates and have more opportunities for exploring academic and extracurricular activities? No doubt, private schools, and public schools have their advantages and disadvantages, which help create a vastly different school experience for your child.

The School Experience

Obviously, there are sharp contrasts in the type of experience your child will have at a public or private school. In private school, your child will likely be in classes with fewer students, with a teacher that is more likely to report enjoying his or her job, and at a school that is more likely to have modern resources, including supplies and textbooks that are relatively new, if not brand new. The curriculum is driven at the school level, with teachers having more say regarding what is taught and how they teach it. Private school students also engage in more physical activities and eat healthier school meals than do public school students.

Conversely, public school students are more likely to attend a school that is socially, racially, and economically diverse. Public school students take part in a curriculum

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Prevent Brain Drain: Keep Your Kids’ Minds Sharp During Vacation

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Prevent Brain Drain: Keep Your Kids’ Minds Sharp During Vacation
Long periods of time off from school can lead your child to lose valuable knowledge and skills. Learn more about brain drain and 4 ways to keep your child's mind revving, even during vacation. incorporating quality learning exercises into their spring, summer, and winter vacations.

While some school districts have moved to year-round schedules, most still adhere to the traditional nine-month calendar, with a winter break, spring break, and a lengthy summer break sprinkled throughout the year. These vacations offer much-needed respite from school, but even spring break, which is typically only a week, can have a measurable negative impact on a child’s mental acuity. At 10-12 weeks, summer vacation can result in a substantial brain drain that can significantly impact your child’s education.

What is Brain Drain?

As the saying goes, if you don’t use it, you lose it. According to research, over the course of summer vacation, students lose between 2 to 2 ½ months of math skills from the previous year’s learning. This loss of computational understanding is experienced by children regardless of their background or family income. Some students also experience significant setbacks in reading ability as well. Students with a low socioeconomic status can lose up to three months of reading skills in just 2-3 months of summer break. These deficits also appear during the shorter winter and spring vacations, although not in nearly as robust a fashion.

The vacation brain drain is a serious issue for children of all ages, but the stakes are much higher for kids in high school. With SATs, ACTs, AP and IB courses, and other high-demand academic requirements, high schoolers can little afford to return to school having lost 2-3 months of academic skills. Fortunately, this brain drain can be

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Public School Holiday Celebrations: Christmas-centric or Multicultural?

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Public School Holiday Celebrations:  Christmas-centric or Multicultural?
As public schools in the United States continue to increase in their racial, ethnic, economic, and religious diversity, some districts need to rethink their holiday celebrations in a manner that is inclusive and respectful of all people.

With the children home for the holidays, with the spirit of love and peace in their hearts, how did their schools celebrate the season? Or did they celebrate Christmas?

In many locations, holiday parties involve decorating contests that include Christmas trees and ornaments. In elementary schools, Santa might make an appearance. Songs of reindeer and gifts ring out, along with talk of who’s been naughty or nice. Children are asked to write essays on “what I want for Christmas,” or after the holidays, they are asked to explain what gifts they received.

However, this Christmas-centric view does not align well with the actual makeup of today’s public schools. Research shows that today’s public schools are more diverse than ever. While the data tends to speak from an ethnic or racial point of view, it is still indicative of the need to take multiple perspectives into account. Schools have to begin to recognize that not all children celebrate Christmas and have made adjustments that make their celebrations more inclusive. However, there is still much work to be done if public schools are to have a truly multicultural perspective.

In this video, The Doctors discuss a recent news story about a school district that banned all dominant holiday celebrations in the name of inclusion.

Unintended Consequences

There remain many public schools in this country that engage in holiday celebrations that

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