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Tag: parent-teacher

How to make the most of parent-teacher conferences

January 28, 2016 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

Does the thought of sitting down with your child’s teacher make you squirm in your seat like a second grader? It shouldn’t, but it is surprising just how many adults find the face-to-face meeting with a teacher an uncomfortable experience. The purpose of parent-teacher conferences is to inform parents about their child’s progress and to […]

Getting the most out of Open House

September 18, 2015 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

School has been in session only a few weeks, and now it’s time for Open House. For many parents, the experience is one of shuffling around crowded hallways and classrooms with only a vague understanding of what it’s all about. However, Open House can be an important event for parents, teachers and children. Here’s how […]

Why should I vote on my school district budget?

Why should I vote on my school district budget?

May 14, 2015 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

Few people argue against the value of a good education, and when it comes to the local school district, almost everyone has their opinion. Yet, in just a week, news media will likely report the record-low voter turnout for the annual school budget vote and school board elections. Statistics from the New York State Board […]

Staying connected to your child’s classroom

October 15, 2014 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

You’ve visited your child’s classroom for back-to-school night, met his/her teacher and scheduled your parent-teacher conference. Now what? Staying connected during the school year is an important step in your child’s education. More than 500 studies have shown the positive benefits that result when parents get involved in their children’s education, including improved grades and […]

Professional development days good for teachers, and students

April 14, 2014 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

You look at the district calendar and see a staff development day on the schedule – again. Why is there another day off? you wonder. Before you get frustrated about how it will wreak havoc on your own schedule, it helps to understand why these days are part of every district’s yearly calendar. School districts […]

Teacher’s message: ‘They can do it’

March 27, 2014 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

New York state’s standardized English Language Arts (ELA) tests begin April 1, and I am grateful that my fourth grader is not anxious about the three days of test-taking. He is inclined to be anxious about many things, like thunder, high winds, and my absence at 8:45 p.m. when I had told him I expected […]

The deal with data

January 31, 2014 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

It’s one of the acronyms tossed about in education: DDI, or data-driven instruction. At the heart of DDI is, obviously, data. In the eyes of some, data – or its collection – is seen as invasive. But the word data means, simply, information. And for school districts, data can provide a wealth of information to […]

Parent-teacher conferences important on many levels

October 29, 2013 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

Decades of research shows that students learn more, have higher grades and have better attendance when their parents are involved in school. That’s why parent-teacher conferences are so important: They help us to be involved and stay involved with our child’s education throughout the school year. We expect to hear about our child’s academic performance […]

Get to know your child’s teacher(s)

October 2, 2013 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

When our children are preschoolers, we tend to have easier access to their teachers. We see them at drop-off or pickup, and there may be field trips or other activities at which parents are welcome. We can get a sense of who their teachers are and make a connection. As our children move through elementary […]

APPR – What does it mean for your child?

September 16, 2013 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

New York’s new teacher evaluation system has gotten a great deal of press and caused much anxiety for public school educators in the state, and emotions are likely to ratchet up another notch as parents are able to view their child’s teacher’s scores sometime this fall. The Annual Professional Performance Review – or APPR – […]