Parental Involvement from K-12

Learn how direct involvement in your child’s education can impact school performance. Get expert advice on how to get involved, learn why and when you need to talk to a teacher and ways to make changes on campus.

View the most popular articles in Parental Involvement from K-12:

Common Mental Health Problems in School Children and How to Address Them

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Common Mental Health Problems in School Children and How to Address Them
Millions of people struggle with mental health issues on a daily basis, but no one wants to think that these issues might affect children. As a parent, it is your responsibility to know what your child needs and to provide it. This includes identifying problem behaviors and seeking treatment when your child needs help.

It is a fact of life that children are sometimes going to break the rules. It’s also a fact that they’ll occasionally show an outburst of emotion or throw a tantrum in the middle of the grocery store. Childhood development is a trying time and children are often ill-equipped to understand or properly deal with the changes they’re going through.

But there is a point at which behavioral issues go beyond the point of being normal. If your child is becoming extremely withdrawn and avoiding social interaction, it might be something more. If your child is expressing angry or violent thoughts and behaviors, it might be something to worry about. Mental health is a difficult thing to gauge, but you can see the signs when your child exhibits behaviors that are abnormal for their personality or for other children of their age. It is your job as a parent to notice the change and to seek help.

In this article, we’ll explore the subject of mental health issues in school children. We’ll talk about the most common issues affecting children of school age and how parents and teachers can work together to identify those issues. We’ll also talk about what schools and parents can do to support these children.

This TEDx Talk discusses mental health in our schools.

How Common Are Mental Health Issues in Children?

According to the National Alliance on

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Common Behavioral Issues in School-Age Children and How Alternative Schools Can Help

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Common Behavioral Issues in School-Age Children and How Alternative Schools Can Help
Being a parent is never easy, but some children are more challenging than others. If you're concerned that your child's behavioral issues might be more than just temporary, consider whether an alternative school might be the next move.

Raising children is a difficult and often thankless job. If you ask any parent, however, you’ll hear them say that it’s worth it. Your child is more than just your flesh and blood – he is your life and your number-one priority. When something seems wrong, no one has to ask you to step in and find a solution. Chances are that you’ve already been thinking about what to do.

It’s not easy being a parent, but some children are more difficult than others. As a parent, however, you know the difference between your child acting out and your child acting differently. Behavioral changes are going to happen throughout your child’s life, but some changes are not normal. If you notice your child exhibiting serious behavioral issues or sudden changes, run, don’t walk to your pediatrician’s office. From there, the next step might be to visit a child psychologist. No parent wants to hear that their child has a behavioral disorder but knowing is better than not knowing because it means that you can take steps to help your child.

Finding help for your child is just one step in the process. Once you start getting his behavioral issues under control, you need to start thinking ahead. This means considering your child’s future, particularly in terms of his education. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most common behavioral issues in school-age children and talk about whether an alternative school might help your child.

This video examines

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The Importance of Friendships for Grade School Students

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The Importance of Friendships for Grade School Students
Having friends makes the tough times a little bit easier, but sometimes making friends is the hardest thing of all. Keep reading to learn about the importance of friendship for young children and how to help your child make friends.

Friends come and go over the years. If you think back over the course of your life, you can probably name different friends from different time periods. You may even have certain friends that you rarely see but, when you do, it seems like no time has passed at all. Unfortunately, few of us are lucky enough to still be friends with the people we knew in college, let alone grade school.

Though it is normal for friendships to change over time, the people you spend your time with impact your life in more ways than you realize. Having a good friend by yourself can make the stresses of life seem a little more bearable. Friendships can even cancel out some of the difficulties of life.

In fact, a new study revealed that the friendships children make during the early years of school can actually offset the negative consequences of bad parenting. Keep reading to learn more about the importance of friendships for grade school students and how to cultivate them.

This TEDTalk discusses the importance of childhood friendships.

Why Are Friendships Important for Children?

When it comes to early childhood development, many parents focus on things like a healthy diet, regular exercise, and stimulating activities. Early childhood friendships are easily overlooked as something that has an influence on a child’s development, but they are more important than you may realize.

Paul

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What Are Public Schools Doing to Fight Obesity and Is It Working?

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What Are Public Schools Doing to Fight Obesity and Is It Working?
Childhood obesity rates continue to climb. While many public schools have implemented policies and programs to combat the problem, there is always more to be done. Keep reading to learn what schools are doing to prevent obesity and how you can help.

The times are always changing and what was considered normal a few decades ago may no longer be the case. While change is often a good thing, sometimes it isn’t – that is the case with the rising prevalence of obesity among children. Childhood obesity rates are ever-climbing, and it has become something of an epidemic in the United States.

While obesity may seem like nothing more than an aesthetic issue, body weight has a significant impact on health and wellness – especially for children. Children who are overweight or obese are much more likely to become obese adults and that puts them at right for a whole host of dangerous health problems that could negatively impact their lifespan and their quality of life. As a parent, it is your job to provide for your children and to keep them happy and healthy. If your child is overweight or obese, don’t play it off as a minor issue – step up and do something about it!

In this article, we’ll discuss the problem of childhood obesity and what public schools are doing to prevent it. We’ll also discuss some at-home tips you can implement to help your child achieve and maintain healthy body weight.

This video examines the issue of childhood obesity.

Identifying the Problem: Obesity in Children and Adolescents

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, over 78 million adults and

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Tips for Parents of Public School Children with Food Allergies

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Tips for Parents of Public School Children with Food Allergies
Food allergies are no laughing matter and it doesn't take long for them to become dangerous. Keep reading to learn how to keep your child safe at school if he has a food allergy.
As a parent, it is your job to worry about your child but worrying won’t protect him or her. When you send your child to school, you are giving up control and placing his care in the hands of his teachers and administrators. If your child suffers from a food allergy, going to school could put him at risk for accidental exposure to his allergen.

While you can’t enclose your child in a plastic bubble to protect him, there are simple steps you can take to keep him safe at school. Keep reading to learn more about food allergies in children and to receive tips for keeping your child safe when he is at school.

This video explains parents' concerns about sending their allergy-prone children to school.

How Common Are Food Allergies in Children?

According to the Food Allergy Research & Education Corporation, there are more than 170 foods that have been reported to cause allergic reactions. The eight primary food allergens are milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. Current estimates suggest that roughly 15 million Americans suffer from food allergies, including nearly 6 million children under the age of 18.

A food allergy is more than just a sensitivity to a certain type of food – it is a medical condition triggered by exposure to an allergen that induces a harmful immune response in the body. Allergies can range in severity, but some of the

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What Parents Need to Know About Lunch Shaming
What Parents Need to Know About Lunch Shaming
Students all over the nation go hungry every day not because their schools don’t offer lunch, but because they refuse them to children with outstanding debts. Read on to learn about the horror that is lunch shaming and what can be done about it.