The school year has ended in many parts of the country, and it’s coming to a close in all the rest, so it makes sense to review what your kids have learned. I do this with my students during the last week of the year, when final exams are finished, grades are done, and the kids are antsy to start their summers.

Here are some discussion starters to stimulate an informal conversation that will surely result in some pride. [More]

School provides skills and knowledge, but it’s up to us adults – teachers and parents – to show kids how to use those skills and that knowledge when they go off to college, to jobs, and to lifelong learning. Just having a bunch of skills and a lot of facts to spout off doesn’t mean much unless they can use those skills and facts to fit into the adult world.

Talk to college admissions officers, employers, human resource folks, and people who run successful enterprises. Ask them what they’re looking for in new students, new hires, and new talent. You’re likely to hear they’re looking for people who... [More]

There are many reasons why teachers want kids to raise their hands rather than blurting out whatever’s on their minds. Losing precious learning-time, avoiding disruptions, and losing the momentum of a lesson are good reasons. Hand-raising helps teachers. But it helps kids even more. Here’s how. [More]

Here are some ways parents, working alone or – better yet – in groups can help improve their kids’ schools. [More]

Here’s something that needs to be said. Technology skills alone won’t guarantee school – or any other kind of – success. There are other skills, habits, and attitudes we adults need to encourage in kids, the human traits that computers and even the most advanced technology simply don’t have.

Such as? Here are a few. [More]

I’ve learned a lot working with kids over the years, but no lesson is more important than the one I learned early in my career: I don’t need to know all the answers all the time.

Here are some examples I’ve dealt with both at home and in the classroom. [More]

We adults – parents and teachers – have a short window of opportunity to hook kids on reading. They’re wide-eyed and eager for only so long before other temptations compete for their attention and time. Any time we can pique kids’ interest in reading, show them what fun it can be, and spend high-quality time with them, we should jump at the chance. Here are a couple of ideas. [More]