K-12 Articles

Information on Cyberbullying

What is Cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is a new form of harassment, emotional abuse, intimidation and threats that emerged with the invention of the Internet. It is the use of instant messaging, e-mail, chat rooms, cell phones, websites or pagers to...
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Internet Safety for Kids of All Ages

Kids are being introduced to the Internet at a very young age. Research for homework and school projects is easily accessible from our personal computers that are located in our homes. As parents, we are responsible for monitoring our children's online...
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Is your Child Happy at School?

As a parent, you'd love to have your child share all of his feelings with you. It would be so easy if he just told you everything that happened to him so you could help him learn to cope with all of life's problems. Realistically, this isn't going to...
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Is Your Child's Teacher a Bully?

We've all heard about kids being bullied by peers. Kids taunt, tease, pull hair, shove and push each other on a daily basis. In recent years, schools have taken steps to stop bullying and many have a zero tolerance level for any type of peer harassment....
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It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

For most of the country, school is starting up this week or later this month-at the beginning of September for the rest of us. Getting ready to send your children back to school is on everyone's mind. School clothes and supplies are the most visible...
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Just a Harmless Vanilla Bean?

Some of the greatest, most used, and most profitable breakthroughs in science have not been made by scientists. They have been made by just regular people with too much time on their hands. And the rest of us have to pay-we have to stand in line at pharmacy...
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Keep Kids Learning All Summer

Early in the 20th century schools in urban districts operated all year `round. However, in rural areas where agriculture was the center of life, the school calendar was designed so the children were off school during spring planting and fall harvest....
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Keep Morning Stress at a Minimum: Establish a Routine

Morning! It can be a time of stress. The kids are fighting over who gets to use the bathroom first, scrambling to find clothes to wear to school and wolfing down breakfast as they head out the door. Mornings can be chaotic and that chaos creates a great...
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Keep your Licensed Teen Safe this Summer

Every year hundreds of teenage drivers lose their lives in motor vehicle accidents. Statistics show that the leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 20 is motor vehicle accidents. Teen are responsible for 14% of all accident...
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Keeping Our Kids Safe in the Post 9/11 World

Recently, radio talk show host and CNN personality did a week-long special entitled "The Perfect Day." According to Beck and others, "The Perfect Day" is a coordinated, planned terrorist attack against America's schools to the tune of Russia's Beslan...
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Kids and Competition

In the backyard, the classroom, the community and while participating in sports and other competitive activities, kids are provided with excellent opportunities to learn new skills while having fun. Sports teams teach kids good sportsmanship, self-discipline...
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Making Sense of No Child Left Behind

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has met with mixed results and mixed feelings. Some think it is just a waste of money. Some love it because our children will be able to compete in a changing world-a world that is, educationally-speaking, leaving...
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Middle School Homework and Study Habits

The report cards came home and you're disappointed with your child's scores. You know he has the ability to do better, but aren't sure how to get him to give his best effort. What should you do? Many children today are capable of getting good marks...
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National Memories

Few events are seared into our memory, and bring the country together-not as Democrat and Republican, not as Black and White, but as Americans, or as human beings. And it's amazing how your age determines how you remember things. In my parents' generation,...
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Nothing New Under the Sun

"I had to go through the same thing when I went to school." Every parent has uttered this phrase, or something similar. We have used the phrase to comfort a kindergartener who comes home crying and to tell a freshman to suck it up and go back to school....
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Parent and Family Involvement in School

When visiting my grandson's school, I often hear administrators and teachers complaining that not enough families are involved in their children's education. I got thinking about his and decided it is the school climate. I definitely do not feel welcome...
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Parent-Teacher Conference Dos and Don'ts

Finals are over and done, and grades have arrived. Now comes the dreaded time to discuss the grades. It's Parent-Teacher Conference season again! Parent-Teacher conferences can be nerve-racking for parents, teachers and students alike. As students...
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Preparing Your Child for the First Day of School

It seems like school was just dismissed for the summer, yet here we are facing another year of back to school. For some kids, this will be the very first time they attend school. Be aware that your attitude towards them starting school has a huge impact...
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Promoting Childhood Literacy

The number of American adults who are illiterate is astounding. People who lack the ability to read well have a tough time succeeding in life. Thousands of students across the nation, from every walk of life, face significant challenges while learning...
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Public or Private?

Daniel attended private school until sixth grade, when he was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism. Even though Daniel set the curve in all of his classes the school told his parents that they did not have the ability...
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School Lunches ... Hot or Cold?

First there were four, now there are six, no one knows how many more there may be in the future. The four original food groups were tossed out a long time ago. The food pyramid, also, seems to be on its way out, in favor of something more descriptive...
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School Violence: Can it Be Stopped

It's a fact that violence in schools is prevalent in today's society. We hear of school shootings, swarmings and attacks on children for their clothing, shoes and milk money. Students have been beaten and robbed for anything they have that is of value....
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School's Out for Recess

Recess used to be the best part of school; that and lunch. But today, a shocking two-thirds of public elementary schools do not have any recess at all! Part of the problem, according to educators, is 2001's No Child Left Behind Act. Because schools...
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Se Hablan Otras Idiomas?

In the late 1990s, the Salem-Keizer school district in Oregon began requiring every student in its high schools to take at least two years of foreign language. (At that time, our choices were limited to Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and American...
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Siblings and Individual Identity in High School

When the first day of high school looms in the near future, teens are both excited and anxious. They worry about such things as finding the correct classrooms, being on time for classes, strict teachers, how they will perform academically and new subjects...
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Simple Math ... a Simple Gift

Math affects every aspect of our lives-from balancing the checkbook to estimating the amount of sales tax at the grocery store. While we may not use Algebra regularly (and no one can convince me there's a practical use for geometry), simple math (addition,...
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Special Needs Education: Your Child, Your Rights

Many children today have special needs that make it difficult for them to learn. It's imperative for you, as a parent to be aware of both your rights and your child's within the education system. This will prevent your child from falling through the cracks....
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Strategies to Help Kids Cope with Stress

Many parents believe that kids don't experience stress. Nothing could be further from the truth. Kids have a great deal to worry about in school, in the community and at home. Grades, their social life or different family situations all affect kids. These...
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Summer Advice

A few weeks ago, at the weekly after-school program I run through my local church, a group of middle school girls and I got to talking about parental advice. I have a young son and they forbade me to be the typical hypocritical payment. "What do you...
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Summer Reading

In 1998, a book was published in the US that turned a hatred of reading to love. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was published for the first time in the US and kids began reading again. Despite what some may say about the content of the Harry...
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Summer Safety Tips to Keep Kids Safe

It won't be long until kids run from the school, shrieking in delight because they're free for the summer. They'll be spending time in the sunshine, riding bikes, camping, swimming and enjoying life in general. However, there are a multitude of dangers...
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Teach Your Child to Write Well

When American children head off to junior kindergarten, they must be ready to learn. It is your responsibility as a parent to prepare your child for school. Parents should coach their children in the first steps of writing. This includes printing letters...
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Teacher Tenure: A Double-Edged Sword

Teacher Tenure (the policy making it almost impossible to fire teachers) has noble roots. It was created to prevent a complete administration change when a new superintendent or principal arrived at a new school. It was created to protect good teachers....
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Teachers Packing Heat

After the recent school shootings (and thwarted school shootings) in the past month-just as after all school shootings-discussion has turned to the validity of the "Gun Free" zones. Questions swarm after these horrific events-Could this tragedy have been...
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Teaching Children a Love of History

Parents and grandparents are responsible for teaching children a love of history. To begin, relate anecdotes and stories of family to your child. Bring out old family photographs, birth and death certificates and other sources of your family history....
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