Parental Involvement from K-12

New struggles and challenges must be confronted at each grade level during a child’s academic development. Specifically, in the public high school years, many teens struggle to stay organized, facing difficulty managing their assignments and agendas. The high school years open students to far more freedoms, social opportunities, new technologies, and countless distractions. Subsequently, many teens cannot seem to figure out how to manage all of their obligations.

Being organized is an essential skill that will help your teen as he or she grows into an adult. Research shows that organized students develop habits that will help them perform better in school and in the long term in their professional and adult life. Thankfully, there are several ways parents can continue to guide their teenage children toward greater organization and self-management.

Secrets to Teenage Organization

One of the main reasons many parents struggle to guide their teenage children towards organization is the common teenage desire for freedom from their parents. As teens encounter more privileges and responsibilities, they want to break free from the parental nest.

During this period of unrest and self-discovery, teens quickly feel overwhelmed and disorganized. As teens desire more freedom and self-control, parents are often pushed away as they try to intervene. Despite this power struggle, parents can still offer guidance and support.

Set the Boundaries

First and foremost, if your teen is among the many who desire to assert their independence, you must first set and explain clear boundaries and expectations.

In this empowering article, we present a comprehensive guide to help parents become active partners in their child's academic journey. Homework plays a vital role in reinforcing learning, promoting responsibility, and building valuable study habits. However, it can also be a source of stress and frustration for both children and parents.

Discover a wealth of practical homework tips, strategies, and best practices that will transform homework time into a positive and productive experience. From fostering a conducive study environment to establishing a consistent routine, we explore how parents can create a supportive atmosphere that encourages their child's academic growth.

Explore effective communication techniques that bridge the gap between parents and teachers, ensuring that parents are well-informed about assignments and can offer timely assistance when needed. Uncover the importance of setting realistic expectations, acknowledging the uniqueness of each child's learning style, and avoiding undue pressure.

We'll also delve into the art of motivation and encouragement, understanding the delicate balance between supporting independence and providing guidance. Learn how to turn homework into a collaborative effort, where parents act as mentors, helping their children navigate challenges and celebrate achievements.

Incorporating insights from education experts and experienced parents, this article serves as a valuable resource for parents seeking to be proactive advocates for their child's academic success. Whether you have a kindergartener or a high schooler, these homework tips will empower you to create a positive learning environment at home and foster a lifelong love for learning in your child. Embrace this

As teens today are confronted with new and unfamiliar issues when compared with teenagers in any recent or long-term past, many parents struggle to identify the catalysts or strategies to stimulate and motivate their teens. As theTeen Skills organization asserts, many parents struggle to connect with their kids because their experiences are so far from most adults’ frame of reference: “Today's teens are faced with choices and circumstances their parents didn't face. They live in a world where it requires a security badge to enter a high school…where they compete scholastically with 4.9 G.P.A.s…where classmates cheat using cell phone technology…where world events and economic issues make it scary to contemplate the future. Is it any wonder teens often lack motivation?”

As many experts reveal, a loss or lack of motivation in teens is often symptomatic of far greater issues, such as a lack of self-confidence, a lack of esteem, and so forth. To boost teens’ feelings of enthusiasm and drive, parents can consider some expert advice and strategies for support.

Lacking Motivation and the Long Term Implications

As teen specialist Judy Schepps Battle further supports “Most of the problems of education are problems of motivation...When a child is self-motivated, the teacher cannot keep him from learning.” Students who lack motivation often display a gap between their abilities and their academic output and effort. While this can appear at a very young age, including

Despite popular community and school programs that condemn the use and abuse of drugs, research and reports reveal that teen drug use is on the rise. As published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), researcher Neil Swan illuminates the many problems arising in teen behavior and drug usage habits. According to Swan’s report: “The percentage of America's 8th, 10th, and 12th graders who use marijuana continued to increase last year […] Students' use of several other categories of drugs also escalated, while anti-drug attitudes among teenagers deteriorated, the survey found.”

As the perceived harm of drugs dwindles, and as teens encounter drugs regularly, either in schools, the media, or their personal lives, experts fear that the harmful patterns of teen drug abuse will continue to escalate.

Teens and Drug Abuse

When Do Drug Habits Begin?

While drug abuse can begin at any age, recent studies reveal that middleand high school students engage in harmful drug abuse behaviors. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Monitoring the Future survey, prescription drug painkillers and inhalants are increasing among teens. For example, OxyCotin, a powerful narcotic, was used by 9.3% of 12^th graders, 6.2% of 10^th graders, and 2.5% of 8^th graders in 2004 – all higher levels than in prior years.

What Inspires Harmful Drug Choices?

As drug use continues to present a problem among adolescents and teens,

The Center for Education Policy predicts that by 2012, nearly 74% of all public schools in America will require students to pass an exit exam to graduate. Currently, many schools across the country have already implemented mandatory exit-course tests, often referred to as “EOCs” ("which" stands for “End of "course” exam)."According to interviews and surveys, “state-e" education officials reported many reasons for adopting end-of-course exams. Almost all states that have adopted or are moving toward end-of-course exams reported that they are doing so to improve overall accountability, increase academic rigor, and achieve alignment between state standards and curriculum.”

An Ove"View of Exit Exams

The national education initiative “NChildrenil" Left Behind” is considered one of the leading causes and catalysts for the rise in exit exams. No Child Left Behind requires all schools to submit formal standardized test scores, which will be utilized to assess and review each school’s ance. To better prepare students for standardized tests, many schools have implemented EOCs and graduation tests to provide students with added and consistent testing practice.

A graduation exit exam is often a project or test that assesses a student's understanding of their high school educational experience; an EOC, on the other hand, is designed to evaluate a student of a particular class/course content and information.

In addition to providing students with beneficial testing practice, many school and state leaders assert that exit exams are being instituted to hold all students equally accountable