State Scores Released!

The January 10, 2008 issue of Education Week includes a national look at school performance across six indicators of success. The article, title Quality Counts 2008: Tapping into Teaching, is a fascinating look at the similarities and differences that exist amongst this country's states. For a limited time only access to the article is free!! Take the opportunity to look at Virginia's (or any other state) public school performance and how it compares to the national average. You might be pleasantly surprised!!!!

Homework help...for parents

As the school year gets closer and closer to the scheduled SOLs, you may find that you child's homework increases exponentially in preparation. The increase in stress for your child may cause negative feelings toward school to emerge or intensify. In order to help your child maintain a positive relationship to homework, school, and learning, experiment with these strategies from the Department of Education to see what works best!

General Homework Tips for Parents

1. Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework.

2. Make sure the materials your child needs, such as paper, pencils and a dictionary, are available.

3. Ask your child if special materials will be needed for some projects and get them in advance.

4. Help your child with time management.Establish a set time each day for doing homework.

Don't let your child leave homework until just before bedtime.

5. Be positive about homework. Tell your child how important school is. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your child acquires.

6. When your child does homework, you do homework. Show your child that the skills they are learning are related to things you do as an adult. If your child is reading, you read too. If your child is doing math, balance your checkbook.

7. When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers. Giving answers means your child will not learn the material. Too much help teaches your child that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work for him or her.

8. When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, try to oblige him/her. Cooperate with the teacher. It shows your child that the school and home are a team. Follow the directions given by the teacher.

9. If homework is meant to be done by your child alone, give him/her the necessary space. Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive effects. Homework is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong learning skills.

10. Stay informed.Talk with your child's teacher. Make sure you know the purpose of homework and what your child's class rules are.

11. Help your child figure out what is hard homework and what is easy homework. Have your child do the hard work first. This will mean he will be most alert when facing the biggest challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue begins to set in.

12. Watch your child for signs of frustration. Let your child take a short break if she is having trouble keeping her mind on an assignment.

Let us know if you have additional tips that work well for your child! We would love to start a dialogue for parents on any of the subjects listed in the blog. Invite your friends to view our blog or to email us with any ideas!

Come spend (part of) the day with us!

On the Spectrum: A New Workshop on Autism

On January 26, 2008, Educational Connections is proud to host a workshop given by Nadya Molina here at the learing center. Ms. Molina is a board certified behavior analyst who currently owns and operates Alternative Behaviors. Through her company, Ms. Molina focuses on implementing positive and nurturing interventions for individuals and families impacted by autism and other learning, cognitive, mental, and emotional differences.

Though the number of autism diagnoses increases every year, there is still much to learn about the disorder, how to treat it, and how to identify it. This workshop will be a very informative experience and will offer participants a deeper understanding of what autism is and how you can best teach students who are affected by it and other autistic spectrum disorders, such as asperger's syndrome. Check out Ms. Molina's website for more useful information.

This workshop will be held at the Learning Center on Saturday, January 26, 2008 from 9:30-11:30 am. Please R.S.V.P. to sarah@ectutoring.com by January 20 if you would like to attend. Due to the unique nature of this seminar, Educational Connections will be charging $5.00 at the door to attend the event. We will also be giving away more FREE STUFF and selling some of the furniture we have that doesn't need to go to our new office when we move.

The moment you've all been waiting for!!!

The announcement of the "blog comment" winner!!

During the month of December, readers were encouraged to respond to the blog entries that connected most to their families or educational experiences. Thank you to all who participated! Due to the level of response we received, we opened the contest to all respondants over the holiday season. The lucky winner of $75 towards the service of choice is Diana Richter of Fairfax, VA. While she posted anonymously, through the wonders of computer technology, we were able to find her (actually, it came out through her son's Educational Coach that she was the poster). In any case, keep on reading! There's sure to be another contest in the near future. Be sure to pass on our website to your friends so that they can take part as well!

We hope that all of you are having a great 2008 thus far! As the second half of school begins, let us know if we can be of any assistance to you or your family. We look forward to working with you this year.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year,

The staff at Educational Connections