As a special educator I am often asked by parents how they can help their children academically (even in summer school when most kids are out having fun).  I, of course, have many opinions and beliefs regarding this question.  

To start, helping a child succeed at school is not a single monumental task, but rather years of little challenges, road blocks and discussions with their child regarding school.  As a student begins to experience success and develop skills, parents need to scaffold the support they provide for their child in order to promote success. They have to toe that fine line between doing too much for their child and leaving their child alone to be independent and possibly fail because of lack of skills.  Providing the support that a child needs in order to be successful at any one time is the key.

Spend significant time letting your child know how important school is and that success in school can impact the rest of their lives.   I would encourage each parent to teach their child that learning is a lifetime activity that does not stop when you graduate high school or college.  You can do that by reading to your children and letting them see you read for enjoyment.  Establishing an early love for literature will only benefit students in the long run.  Parents should also monitor homework completion and discuss expectations regarding citizenship and conduct both in and out of school.

Once values and expectations have been established, it is very important that school work become part of a child’s routine the same way sleeping and eating is.  I would encourage that parent to provide a reasonable time in their child’s day where the environment is quiet and free of distractions.  Parents also need to limit the amount of activities their child is involved in at one time.  While all being very valuable activities, I have witnessed a student involved in hockey, piano, drama, orchestra, and boy scouts all at the same time even though they are consistently not able to complete assignments for school.  It is not productive for a student to be starting homework at 9:00, when they should be laying down for the night.

Finally, I would encourage that parent to expose their child to as many different concepts, ideas, cultures and experiences as possible.  A good learner draws from their life experiences and is able to make many connections back to what they have seen and been told about.  The skill of learning comes easy to some and hard to others, but there is not doubt that it can be developed and fostered from an early age.

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