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While every parent hopes for academic success for their children, most are unsure how to go about nurturing and guiding their children to that success. Students that are successful in the classroom often exhibit similar characteristics, no matter what their age, gender, or cultural background. By identifying the characteristics common to successful students, parents can go to work helping their kids develop those traits that will reap the greatest benefit for them in school.

Eagerness to Learn

Children who perform best in school have a natural eagerness to learn new things. According to , much of that eagerness stems from parents and others in the child’s life that have offered a world of interesting things to discover. When children are exposed to many different environments at a young age, they quickly learn that the world is a big, interesting place just waiting for them to explore. However, parents that work this concept too hard may burn a child out on the learning process before school even begins. It is also important for kids to have plenty of free time both with other children and alone to create and play.

This TedTalk discusses the importance of every child needing a champion.

Love of Reading

The states that the most important thing parents can do to ensure their children’s success in school is to nurture a love of

Your kids will get better grades if you are involved at school! A 2008 study from the indicates that students perform much better academically if their parents are involved in the school. However, that news can create more stress for already busy parents who are trying to juggle full-time jobs and child-rearing simultaneously. The good news is that there are many ways to get involved in your child’s school without taking time off from work or further taxing an already packed schedule. Check out these ten ways busy parents can make a positive impact at their children’s schools.

Consider a Parent Club

Consider membership in the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) or similar group at your child’s school. Parent groups typically meet one evening a week or month to accommodate a busy work schedule. They are often involved in many of the all-school activities and stay abreast of the latest happenings within the school, according to . PTA members get to know many of the school staff and play a role in the school's overall success.

Sponsor a Student Club

Student clubs may also meet in the late afternoons or evenings, and they are generally looking for adult sponsors. High schools need parental help for sports teams, music and theatre productions, and other after-school clubs. Even elementary and middle schools might offer extracurricular activities at a convenient time for your schedule and in a subject where you can offer

School vouchers are a source of debate between public and private schools nationwide, but nowhere is the debate more acutely felt than in Indiana. Indiana is home to one of the largest voucher programs in the country, and many are waiting to see whether this program delivers on all of its promises. Vouchers are also a major point of contention in places like Wisconsin and Louisiana, where schools are fighting for students and parents are waiting to see if the benefits of school choice will come to fruition. Do vouchers improve the quality of education for all students? With inconclusive test results, the jury appears to be out still. However, that doesn’t change the intensity with which both sides fight for the type of education system they believe is best.

Competition Heats Up in Indiana

The Indiana voucher system is getting bigger this year, and public schools nationwide are feeling the heat. reports that the new voucher system first passed the Indiana legislature in 2011, and the hundreds of students who left public schools for private pastures last year could turn into thousands of students this year. Public schools are turning to advertising and door-to-door campaigning to keep kids in their neighborhood schools and funding in the public school system.

Currently, more than 8,000 students in Indiana have applied for the voucher program for the upcoming school year. There is room for as many as 15,000 students to take advantage of

Although New York City recently issued guidelines for sex education in all of its high schools, the rest of the state does not appear to be faring as well. A recent report by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) suggests that sex ed in New York schools is inconsistent at best, as well as incomplete and inaccurate in a number of schools across the state. In a state that has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country, public schools need to produce a well-rounded, comprehensive curriculum without bias or stereotypes, the report recommends.

About the NYCLU’s Report

In creating the report, titled, “Birds, Bees and Bias: How Absent Sex Ed Standards Fail New York’s Students,” the looked at 82 public school districts across the state. The organization originally asked 108 districts for information about their sex education programs, but 26 that responded were excluded from the study due to insufficient information. The study also did not include schools in New York City, since the city took measures to standardize and update the sex education programs last year. The 82 districts included in the study encompasses just over 540,000 students, which is more than half of all the students in the state, with the exception of students within New York City.

The report found that although New York’s Department of Health published guidelines in 2005 regarding sex education in schools, those guidelines are not requirements for schools to follow. The guidelines