You can help your child be a successful student. You should begin encouraging your child to develop good study skills at an early age. You should also make sure your child has a good study environment. Most importantly, communicate with your child’s teachers and advocate for your child’s academic success.
It is five o’clock in the evening, and your child finally drags herself to the kitchen table to do homework. Ten minutes later she says she’s done and bounces off to her room. Wow! She must really understand her assignments to be done that quickly! One small sheet of paper tells a different story on report card day, however. What did you do wrong, and how can you help your child become more successful academically? Do you and your child have to settle for mediocre grades?
Dropout Rates
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, five out of every one hundred students enrolled in high school in October 2000 dropped out of school before October 2001. The tracking of high school dropouts from 1990 through 2001 has shown that between 347,000 and 544,000 students in the tenth through the twelfth grades left school each year without graduating. Minority students and students living in low income families were at a greater risk for dropping out of high school.
Early Beginnings
Achieving academic success needs to begin when a child starts elementary school. Good study habits are instilled when a child is young. It is important for parents to have high expectations of their children. This doesn’t mean putting undo pressure on your child, and you shouldn’t confuse high expectations with unrealistic ones. Instead, help your child understand what it means to do the best she can. Let her know how proud you are of each and every success she achieves, no matter how small. Not all children will be straight “A” students, and many children may have learning disabilities, which will make it more difficult to succeed in school. However, every child can reach a set of goals, and it is important that each child feels that she is capable of doing so.
Parent/Teacher Relationships
One of the most important steps you can take to help your child succeed in school is to become acquainted with the administration and faculty of your child’s school. Many parents drop their children off in the mornings, pick them up in the afternoons, and never meet the teachers, guidance counselors, or principals. These are the people who are with your child eight hours every school day. Don’t you want to know those who have so much influence and control over your child?