Category: School

Passing School Levies Is Becoming An Uphill Climb

5/28/2015

by Dennis Townsend, Contributing Writer

How much is a child’s fundamental education worth? Should we skimp on school funding knowing that today’s students are destined to become tomorrow's leaders? I ask this question because lately it has become the status quo in a lot of communities to vote down school levies. It should be the duty of every citizen to make sure that our children are well educated for life’s tough journeys ahead. At the top of the list of reasons why school levies are not supported by some communities is the accusations that school boards are architects of wasteful spending. If voters count the recruiting of well qualified teachers as a waste of money, or if they think that these top notch instructors are willing to work for peanuts, then they are totally delusional. With the number of privately funded schools across the land, well qualified teachers have no problem obtaining employment. Yet a lot of these teachers passed up the golden ring to come to inner-city schools to teach the disadvantaged only to be let go due to tack of school funds.

The most recent rounds of government cuts have place the education of our youth on the back burner and makes it even more difficult for those we trust to instruct our children. The same government that can’t seem to agree on how to fund our education systems have no problem coming up with 70 billion dollars for the defense budget. Our government spends billions everyday on machines of war while the burden of saving our schools falls on the meager paychecks of those who are struggling already in each and every inner-city community. In most of these blue-collar towns once upon a time, jobs were plentiful and the incoming tax revenue kept the school systems in the black. Of course the cost of everything was just a little cheaper back then, but you never saw near about as many school levies as you do these days.

Our young people are a valuable resource which should be cultivated and allowed to grow and be well educated to the ways of the world. And not only that, there's a pretty good chance that the scientist that could save this planet is being born right now and more than likely will have to endure the public school system before taking on the title as world savior. Should we make the government more responsible for making sure school funding is solid? We all would like to say yes, but we know the truth which is politicians are just not that concerned. All of this will eventually lead us to a genre that is being looked at more closely these days and something I predict will become the way of the land and that is home schooling. All you’ll need is a computer and a desk and that takes the need for a levy right out of the equation.

DLTPONCHO33

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Write W.A.V.E. Media Blogging as Part of Your Student's Writing Curriculum

3/12/2015

Teaching Kids to Write for the Web Using Write W.A.V.E. Media

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Looking for something different and useful to add to your student's writing curriculum? What about web writing? More specifically, how about using guest blogging at Write W.A.V.E. Media (WWM) as part of that instruction? There are no age requirements for posting on these sites, only certain access restrictions (an adult account is required for those under 13, due to usage rules related to hosting and creation tools). There are also several sites within the network, covering just about any topic. This can be adapted into a traditional classroom curriculum or for homeschooled students. As a seasoned homeschool parent and a long-time web writer, I've done this with my own children in various ways.

Getting Started

In the beginning, give your student a chance to get familiar with how the process works. Most importantly, allow him or her to learn how the publishing system works. The first submissions should simply be whatever the student feels like writing. This could be poems, articles, or even school papers. Let him or her feel comfortable with using the sites, learning a few things, and gaining a readership. Also, remember to allow for some of this in between assignments as well. Keep the experience fun and not just a chore.

Potential Earnings

Many ad and affiliate companies require an account holder to be 18 or older. However, it can still be a learning experience and will help ensure they are knowledgeable when they do qualify for payments. You also might choose to sign up for one or more of these and simply transfer any earnings to your student. If your student chooses to publish in other places around the web or to publish books (or sell products or services) that can be linked to from their posts at Write W.A.V.E. Media, links to those might also help them earn. Also, reprints of content are sometimes purchased by clients. In this case, we always give the writer 100% profit from their own content (minus any processing fees by PayPal).

Teaching Web Writing Using Write W.A.V.E. Media

There are many great tips on web writing at the Write W.A.V.E. Media blog, as well as the Article Writer For Hire blog. The WWM forum and the WWM Facebook group also might be useful. Let your students read up on those and implement the lessons into their writing. A very useful tool to combine with lessons learned from those sources is the Yahoo! Style Guide. We also provide submission guidelines and other instructions. Gauge the success of your student's web writing skills by constantly examining their work to see which techniques are applied.

Benefits of Web Writing Skills

No matter the career choice of your students, web writing skills can be a plus. These lessons can be useful in college, as well as in the workforce. Web writing can be used in marketing, journalism, business ownership, business management, editing, and much more. Pretty much any business or company should have a website and web writing skills can be useful in creating and maintaining it.

Grading Based on Performance and Quality

When grading your student on lessons learned, look at both quality and performance. Are the pieces written well? Grade web writing similar to other school papers as far as grammar and spelling. But don't forget the various aspects of internet text, such as SEO and ad alignment. Have they followed our submission guidelines or are they at risk of getting their content edited or removed? Are they getting decent page views on WWM? Is there mostly positive or negative feedback? How much interaction are they getting? What are the readers saying? Is their content being shared by others?

Choice in Education May Increase School Success in Kids

3/11/2015

Image by pang yu liu via Flickr.com

Is Default School Choice Failing Kids?

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

At the beginning of each school year, choosing the right clothing and school supplies becomes a top agenda for parents. These same parents often go with a default school choice, which means that "by default" they simply send their children to the nearby local school without really making a school choice. Is default school choice failing kids?

In addition to parents who are unaware of choice in education, others may know about choice but perceive that they lack funding for private school tuition, or for transportation to a more distant school. This is still a default choice, if parents fail to realize that choice in education may increase school success in kids. As a parent who once utilized school choice for her own children within the public school system and who now utilizes school choice to homeschool all of her children, I feel qualified to explore this subject.

What is School Choice?

School choice in simple terms is the option that parents have to make a choice in education options for their kids. This could refer to vouchers being given to public school children to attend more competent private schools in the area. It could also mean sending a child to a public school outside of the neighborhood due to incompatible opportunities at the neighborhood school.

For some, it may simply mean making the choice between public, private, and homeschool. There are many ways school choice is exercised, but all have the same goal: a better education for our children. Should there be a default school choice?

Is Default School Choice Failing Kids?

Oftentimes, before the kids are even ready to go to school, parents have it set in their brains the school they will go to. Most often, it is simply the neighborhood school. While there certainly is nothing wrong with sending kids to a neighborhood school, it could be a hindrance to have a default school choice.

Default school choice may be failing many kids. Part of this is because all children do not learn in the same way. Along those same lines, all teachers do not teach the same way either. Nor do all schools use the same curriculum or methods. That's actually a good thing. But only if the advantages to varying curricula and teaching methods are utilized. Otherwise, there isn't much of a point in having so many options if they aren't going to be used with the kids they benefit the most.

Choice in Education May Help Homeschool Thrive

According to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), in 2009 a new study was released regarding academic achievement of home schooled children. This national study showed children who were homeschooled scoring an average of an entire 30 percentile points higher than those in public schools on all core subjects. As a seasoned home school parent, those results do not surprise me. Why? My personal thoughts taken from experience are that some of that is due to school choice.

Most parents who homeschool are doing so because they want their children to have the best educational options possible. Therefore choice in education methods is at the forefront of many decisions. Many of these parents chose home school as a method, due to their assessment of what would work for their child. With national home school children scoring so much higher than national public school children, could school choice be the answer?

Choice in Education Increases Test Scores And Graduation Rate

In the above example, home school test scores were well above those of children in public school. Now let's take it a step further and compare test scores of other children whose parents exercised school choice. According to the Friedman Foundation, private schools who participated in voucher programs to exercise school choice had higher test scores and graduation rates than public schools. For instance, in Milwaukee in 2003, the graduation rate at private schools who accepted school choice vouchers was 64%. Public schools had a graduation rate of only 34%. The same material, comprised of many studies, mentions children in several states gaining a significant increase in percentile points when participating in a school choice voucher program.

Choice in Education May Increase School Success in Kids

When comparing the data above with my own research and observances over the years and with my varied experiences with school choice, I continually come to the conclusion that choice in education may increase school success. Many other factors will play a role, but taking steps to ensure that the choice of schools reflects a child's actual needs can be a great start, if not a big factor, in a child's school success.

Incorporating Learning Into Your Child's Daily Life

10/10/2014

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by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Your child's learning is essential to success as an adult and in the business world. We must make sure our children are learning every day. This is not only important during school time, but also necessary during playtime and during normal every day activities. As a veteran mom, I have seen what incorporating learning into your child's daily life can do.

Go through the motions step by step. If you do not emphasize to your child what is going on while running through the normal daily motions, they will become just that, motions without reason. Your child needs to not only learn the hows of doing things, but learn the whys as well. Explain these things in a way your child will understand. For instance, there is no need to go into extreme details with a toddler. But an older child will want to know more information.

One way to make things easier for your child to pick up on is by playing mini games. You could turn a house cleaning into a trivia time, asking the child/ren related questions. Maybe you're doing dishes. Ask your child, "How come we have to wash the dishes with soap instead of just rinsing them with hot water?" The child may answer, "because soap gets them clean". Your response could be: "That's right because if we don't use soap, nasty germs can spread and cause infections. Yuck! We better make sure we always use soap and rinse it off really well so we don't have to taste the soap. Ewwww." So, you can see how easy that was. The child learns how to correctly do dishes, but also learns why it is important. When children know why something is important, they are more likely to complete the task than if you just tell them to do it "because you said so". This also gives them knowledge they can use in their adult lives.

Add extra bits of information to conversations with your child. Your child might be playing with her dolls and a question pops into her mind. She says, "Mommy, how come some people have dark skin and some people have light skin? Instead of saying a quick response like "That's just the way God made us", try saying something like this: "Well, honey, there's different weather in different parts of the world. Some people are around the sun more, so they get darker from something called melatonin that comes from the sun. We are all the same on the inside though, because that's the way God wants us. Wouldn't the world be boring if we all looked the same? How weird would that be? How would we tell each other apart, then?" A response like this not only teaches your child to respect everyone, but also teaches your child about melatonin and makes her think about why there are so many different colors of people, rather than just dismissing it, as the first response causes.

Make sure that none of your child's questions go unanswered or short-answered. Yes, sometimes we can inadvertently ignore our child's questions when we are tired, but we have to remember that their little minds have to be constantly fed. Ignoring their questions or telling them "not right now" can not only hamper their chance for finding that answer they're seeking, but it can discourage them from asking further questions. Not having the desire to question things can adversely affect your child's learning process.

Draw on what your child is learning in school. Take extra time after homework to go over what your child has learned. Research your child's topics further. If your child has been learning about frogs, go to a pet shop and have the pet shop owner tell your child all about them. Look up frogs online. Maybe your zoo or museum has a frog display. Buy a frog book. Play leapfrog. Just be creative and come up with ways to make the lesson "sticky" in your child's mind.

With these things in mind, be prepared to take your child to a whole new exciting level of learning and life. Don't be limited to just my ideas. Come up with your own as well. Have fun and happy learning!

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network

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Is Homework Reducing Learning and Play Time for Kids? Should Homework Be Eliminated? Pros and Cons

8/15/2014

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by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

The subject of homework has long been a debate among parents and teachers. Some teachers believe it is essential, while some find other ways to add to the curriculum. There are parents like myself who feel it takes up valuable time. This time could otherwise be spent reading, playing, or learning in other ways. As a mom, homeschool teacher, and former public school parent, I've seen it from more than one side. I've also done research over the years, as well as asked opinions of teachers. My research and opinions below are accompanied by recent conversations with three teachers.

Homework vs Study Time

Besides what is being taught in class, kids may need or desire to do extra research on their own. They also may want to read unassigned books for the pure enjoyment of reading. However, when homework takes up a substantial amount of time, this may not be possible. The student may tire or run out of time before extracurricular activities or bedtime. Children should be free to explore and learn as much as possible and too much homework may hinder that process. My personal thought is that study time needs to be reevaluated and should be done freely versus being assigned. I expressed some of my thoughts on how to do that in another writeup: "Should Current Homework and Study Methods be Reevaluated?"

Ann W, a teacher and parent, shared the following with me:

"There are several negative effects of traditional homework assignments, especially upon elementary school children. In my experience as a parent and former public school teacher, I've seen both sides to the issue. If homework lacks substance or too much is assigned, children become increasingly frustrated and may develop a bad attitude toward school. In our own experience, homework took four hours of time to complete. Not only did this take away from our family time together, it also reduced the amount of time our child was able to devote to individual reading.

"Down time and actually having the time to read for pleasure can refresh and prepare a student for further learning. Excessive homework, such as writing 20 spelling words 25 times each by a child who can spell all the words correctly and has a fine motor disability, creates a stressful atmosphere and is a waste of precious time. That is just one of the reasons, among many, that we eventually chose to home school our daughter."

Benefits or Drawbacks?

This is the area where it seems the answer varies depending on who you ask. Not all teachers agree and not all parents agree. According to an article on Scholastic.com, there is not credible evidence to suggest that there is a tangible benefit from homework. In fact, in that same article, there is evidence of a no-homework policy working well for students. The argument given by one teacher is that homework is essentially the same as if an adult went to work and then came home and kept working for several more hours. Some may in fact do this, but why put so much pressure on anyone, especially children?

Then, there are those who argue there are indeed benefits. For instance, Sandra Peterson, a teacher, tutor, and home educator shared this with me:

"Especially in the subject of math, homework is, in my opinion, essential. Homework is one of the best day-to-day assessment tools a teacher can utilize. Daily homework can alert a teacher to comprehension problems early enough that the lesson can be re-taught. This is important in math since one concept builds upon another. If the student does not understand how to find factors, they may not understand how to reduce fractions or make equivalent fractions from two fractions with unlike denominators. Many students learn best by practicing skills in a lesson or by summarizing what they have learned in an essay. Not that homework is rote learning, but homework can provide one more opportunity to cement those concepts in the brain. Homework can also be utilized to allow the student to express his individuality, especially in the creative writing portion of the language arts curriculum."

When Can Kids be Kids?

Another argument against homework is that often kids are spending so much time on it, there is no time left for anything else. What about extracurricular activities? What about family time or just regular kid time? When my kids were in traditional school, by the time my oldest was finished with homework, she had no time to do anything but eat dinner and prepare for bed. Yes, learning is extremely important. But so is downtime, fun time, and fitness. All have benefits and all are necessary. If children are spending all their time on homework, where is the time for any of this?

High school teacher Amanda Herron told me what works for her students:

"I teach on a block schedule, instead of traditional, which means our students have four classes a day (instead of eight) and stay in one class for 90 minutes (instead of 55). I rarely, if ever, give homework because I feel that as an effective teacher I should cover what I need to in 90 minutes. Research does back up that daily practice of concepts helps with memory retention, but I feel that in 90 minutes my lessons should teach the concept and offer practice time. By doing traditional 'homework' assignments in class, the students have peer coaches and teachers to ask questions and get help. Especially at the high school level, few parents can help on homework assignments. Also, our students have such full, high-stress lives. At my school, we have a high teen parent rate, added to the necessity of after-school jobs for essentials like gas (and unfortunately for some of my students, family groceries due to the high-unemployment in our area). Colleges are looking for sports, extra-curriculars and community service. If every teacher assigns an additional 45 minutes of homework, our students (with only four teachers) would need an extra three hours in their schedules.

"The average schedule for one of my students:

7:00 a.m. ~ Bus stop.

7:40 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. ~ School day

3:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ~ Sports (football, basketball, etc)

5:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. ~ after school job or baby sit children/siblings until parents get home from later-shift jobs

"There is no time in my students schedules for homework every night. They would not be finished until after 1:00a.m. At schools with traditional schedules (more classes meeting in a day) that could go longer. So, I'm not a fan. I get a better result from my students by keeping practice and project times in class and I have no problem doing this and still covering my state-mandated standards."

What is Being Taught in Class?

A final question that I struggle with often: "What's being taught in class?" If a child is learning for hours throughout the day, why is it necessary to then come home and repeat the process? Haven't they been learning all day already? As someone who has had children in public school and has educated them at home, I have seen things as both a parent and teacher. Whenever we are homeschooling, I have found the children complete more lessons in less time than when they attended traditional school. That's why I struggle so much in understanding why it's necessary to repeat lessons during a time that should be family time.

Because of homeschooling, the performance of most of my kids has increased. They sometimes complete two grade levels per subject every school year. This is without having extra work to complete at the end of the day. Because of this, I'm left to wonder why traditional schools need to assign extra work outside of class. Shouldn't the length of their school days compensate for that? I have the utmost respect for educators and believe most do have the students' best interests in mind. It's just something I have yet to understand, based on research and personal experience.

*Thanks to Amanda Herron, Sandra Peterson, and Ann W for your opinions.

**I originally published this content via Yahoo Contributor Network

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Help! My Daughter is Starting High School: Beat the Mommy Jitters
Is Education the Top Funding Priority at Your Child's School?

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Back to School Activities and Art Projects for Elementary Students

8/9/2014

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by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Back to school! The first day or so of elementary school is usually hectic, whether kids are in public, private, or home school. Supplies are being collected and inventoried, everyone's adjusting to the schedule and routine, and the kids may need something to keep them busy. While parents and teachers are busy gathering supplies and preparing for the school year, kids can enjoy these and other back to school activities and art projects. As a mom, homeschool teacher, and former nanny, I have created and organized many back to school crafts, art projects, and activities, many of which have been geared toward elementary students. Here are a few that students might enjoy.

School Time!

Many people may remember playing "school" as a child. Here's a fun back to school activity to introduce your kids to the concept of school time. This is especially beneficial for kids who haven't yet started school. But, in my experience, most elementary students like playing school, even if they're already in school.This game is best played with a group of friends or family members for the most interaction and real-life experience.

Materials:

small chalkboard
chalk
pencils
paper
an area for students
a teacher area

Instructions:
Choose one person as the teacher. Everyone else (if there are other kids) will be the elementary students. Set up an area just like a classroom and have the "teacher" hand out the supplies to everyone. The teacher gets to teach a lesson to everyone, using the chalkboard. It can be a serious lesson or can also be something fun like instructions to draw animals. To make it the most realistic, require kids to raise hands when asking questions. This activity can last as long as the kids are willing to play. Be forewarned that some elementary students may want to play all day.

Fill the Backpack

In this fun back to school activity, elementary students will race to place school items a backpack, mocking the act of preparing for school. This fun back to school activity prepares a child for the act of getting ready in the morning. While it probably won't be quite as hectic as in this race, there will likely be some mornings when kids are rushing to get ready.

Materials:

school supplies
miscellaneous household objects
backpack or bag for each kid

Instructions:
Give the elementary students a list of school supplies and a set amount of time to collect one of each school supply provided. The tricky part is that all supplies will be placed jumbled up with miscellaneous other supplies in two or three different areas. Whichever student loads his or her backpack with all of the items fastest wins the game.

My School Through Art

Kids like to create art that reflects their own lives. Allow elementary students to paint a picture of their school or classroom. If they haven't seen it yet, take them to see it or ask them to be imaginative and come up with a picture of their ideal classroom. The only materials required for this fun back to school art project are paintbrushes, paints, art paper, and the imagination of the child. Some kids are not so neat with paints, so smocks or aprons may also be a good idea.

RELATED:
How to Get Back to School Supplies for Under $25
How to Make the Most of a Back to School Clothing Budget
Save Time and Frustration When Getting Kids Ready for School

*I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network

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Is Education the Top Funding Priority at Your Child's School?

8/9/2014

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by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Education has become one of the lower priorities in schools over the years. As a mom to many, who also has experienced many different schools as a parent and as a child, I have observed an interesting phenomenon. Our schools are now more focused on other things than they are on what the children are learning. There is a large difference in educational programs offered to help children who are ahead or behind, just since I was a child, compared to what our children are now exposed to. Many wonderful educational programs have simply been cut out of the school structure to add other things. Some of those newer things are good and some are not. While some schools are doing the right thing, many are not. In addition to life experience, I have also researched this topic extensively.

New Playgrounds Every Year
While there are children struggling and behind in their schoolwork, instead of focusing on extra programs that could be helping those children, some schools choose to build a new playground every single year. While children do need playtime, they do not need a brand new playground every year. Playground equipment is built to last. If there are loose bolts, they can be safely tightened, rather than tearing down the equipment, which creates another problem: waste. A new playground is nice, but the education of a struggling child is far more important. If there are no struggling children and the old playground is also beyond repair, the school can then build a new playground. If the playground cannot be made safe, only then is it time for a new one. The old equipment can be resold to someone who can fix it or salvage the parts. The profit can go to the school for funding any other needed projects. If a new playground is needed, the school could hold a fundraising event, in which most communities would be happy to contribute money and even help build the playground. School's educational funds do not always have to be used for a playground.

Standardized Tests
The overwhelming pressure to pass state mandated tests is a huge issue. Many schools are forced to drill the students to no end, in such a way that is required just to pass these tests. Teaching children in these formats is actually hurting their education, due to the fact that valuable time, money, and resources are lost because of that which is spent on preparing the students for these tests. Teachers are being threatened the loss of their jobs, money, or both if the students do not pass these tests. More pressure than ever is being put on teachers as well as students and too much time and money is being spent on teaching the children how to pass these tests, rather than teaching them the core facts, skills, and curriculum they need in order to succeed. This alone may be one of the reasons that many children do not graduate or go on to attend college. The pressure may be too strong or when the students continue to rise grade levels, the work gets harder because there is more focus on testing skills than there is on actual skills.

Free Field Trips
While this is helpful to the parents, speaking from a parent's perspective, I can also say that if there are children who are ahead or behind that need extra help, I'd much rather that money go toward helping the children, even if those children are not my own. There are students that will fit into this category in most every school. Free field trips are fun for the children, but as a parent, I do not mind paying for a field trip, if it means there is more money at the school to educate the children with. I do realize that field trips are an important part of education, but most parents do not mind paying for these, and usually expect to pay for these. This way, more field trips can be scheduled, as the funding will not be coming out of the school's money. If told in advance, many parents would likely not mind chipping in money for the school buses to get there. Even though there will be children whose parents have financial constraints, if other parents contribute, there will usually be enough money to still fund the trips.

Class pizza parties and more
While it is nice to celebrate an event in the classroom together, school funding should not be used for these. Most parents have no problem buying one or two items for a class party. There are many students in one classroom, at least plenty enough that if every student brought one to two items or a few dollars, the party would be more than covered. Most parents would not mind contributing items or a few dollars for a class party, especially if it meant there was more money going toward their child's education.

Summary
There are many other areas in which school funding is not necessary to provide the resources needed. There are many different methods of figuring out how to cover the small costs of extra items. I am a firm believer that the school's primary focus, as well as most of the funding, should go towards learning materials and programs to support the education of children. Teachers and other faculty should also get a fair amount of the funding allotted. If it weren't for the teachers and faculty, there would be no learning. Aside from educational materials and teachers and faculty, if there is still funding left over, and special programs have also been made available, then the funds can be used for these extra items, but not until then. The top priority should always be education. There are even countless websites dedicated to education reform.Education-reform.net is a front runner in those stepping up to help change the way education is being looked at. While there are other priorities besides education, anything else should be placed at a lower priority than educating our children and paying the faculty and administration that help to do so, which is the sole purpose of a school.

RELATED:
Back to School: Laying Ground Behavioral Rules
Back to School: Must-Have Accessories for Teens
How to Make the Most of a Back to School Clothing Budget

*I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network

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Passing School Levies Is Becoming An Uphill Climb

Write W.A.V.E. Media Blogging as Part of Your Student's Writing Curriculum

Teaching Kids to Write for the Web Using Write W.A.V.E. Media

Choice in Education May Increase School Success in Kids

Is Default School Choice Failing Kids?

Incorporating Learning Into Your Child's Daily Life

Is Homework Reducing Learning and Play Time for Kids? Should Homework Be Eliminated? Pros and Cons

Back to School Activities and Art Projects for Elementary Students

Is Education the Top Funding Priority at Your Child's School?

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