Parents care deeply about their children’s educations. And that’s a good thing. Studies have shown that when parents are involved in their children’s schooling, those kids earn higher grades, score better on tests, have better social skills and behavior, and are more likely to go on to college.
Educating yourself about education options and topics is a great start toward becoming more involved in your child’s school life. We offer the following articles to help you on your journey.

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Who Fares Best in a Virtual Environment?

By Emily Puro

While online education has shown great promise as an effective model for many students, virtual schooling is not for everyone. A briefing produced by the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) cites an analysis of several research studies focused on K-12 online learning, finding that students who succeed in online schools typically “enjoy technology, have strong language skills, and are visual learners; they also have consistent parent support and are involved in non-academic activities.” More…

How to Choose The Right School for Your Child
By Teresa Carson

Ronna Neuenschwander did everything right. The southeast Portland mother of two hoped her artistic daughter would go from Buckman Elementary School’s arts program to the arts magnet da Vinci Middle School or to Mt. Tabor Middle School. But when her daughter did not get into either choice, Neuenschwander set out to find the best school for her child.

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‘Don’t Know Much Geography’
Helping Children Learn About the World

By Emily Puro

It’s no secret that geography is a weak subject for many American students (and often for their parents, too!). A 2006 sampling of over 500 recent U.S. high school and college graduates between 18 and 24 years old found half unable to locate New York on a map of the United States. More than 60 percent couldn’t find Iraq on a map of the Middle East, and nearly three-quarters incorrectly named English as the most widely spoken native language in the world. More…

The Future of Oregon’s Virtual Public Schools

By Emily Puro

Two bills are being considered in the 2009 Oregon State Legislature that would significantly limit access to online education in the state. Currently, state law requires at least 50 percent of the students enrolled in a charter school offering online courses to be residents of the district that sponsors the charter, unless the school applies for and is granted a waiver.

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Helping Your Child Choose the Right College (and Get Into It!)
By Teresa Carson

Donavan Burkert-Kerr had things relatively easy. Her talented high school daughter knew she wanted to major in music, specifically voice. So when the southeast Portland family started looking at colleges, the universe of possibilities was narrowed to about 100, from the more than 4,000 choices in the U.S. But even with “only” 100 candidates, the search was still a grueling one, as the family tried to help Brianne pick out just the right handful of colleges for her applications.

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