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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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How do Virtual Public Schools Operate?
The Nuts and Bolts of Online Learning

By Emily Puro

The concept of a “virtual education” can be a bit hard to grasp. Here’s a Q and A that provides some of the basic information on how these learning institutions operate.

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How to Have the Best School Year Ever
Seven Steps to Academic Success

By Emily Puro

The beginning of a new school year brings excitement, anticipation and high hopes. How can we keep the momentum going as the year progresses? We asked a few local experts – educators and parents alike – what parents can do to make the most of this school year and every school year to follow. Here are seven simple steps they recommend:

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How to Pick a Great Music Teacher
By Teresa Carson

You’ve decided that it’s time to sign your child up for private music lessons. Now what?

The best first step is to ask other parents. “Ask for recommendations from friends, at church, at soccer,” Nancy Parent, a Portland piano teacher says. “The music teacher at school, if there is one, usually has a list of names,” Glenda McKibben, a veteran school music teacher and director of choirs at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church says. The Music Teachers National Association (www.mtna.org) lists 124 teacher members in the metro area on its Web site. Whether you’ve acquired the prospective teacher’s name from the MTNA Web site, a school music teacher’s list or through an advertisement, ask the teacher for references and check them out.

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How to Raise a Lifelong Learner

Parents as Partners in Education

By Teresa Carson

We all want the best for our children, including the best education possible. So how do we, as parents, make that happen?

“We know parental involvement is crucial to children’s success in school and in life,” says Stefani Willis, project director for the Chalkboard Project, an organization focused on improving Oregon’s public schools. “They perform better and they’re more interested in pursuing higher levels of education when their parents are involved.”

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Many Schools of Thought
A Primer on Educational Philosophies
By Emily Puro

Julie Carothers watched her oldest son, now 30, struggle to find his way in school. Whether at the church school, the public school, or the elite prep school he attended at different stages of his education, says Carothers, “I just saw him being lost and uninspired.” More…

The Benefits of Parent Involvement

The evidence is conclusive: when parents are involved in their children’s educations, their kids – and, indeed, the entire community – benefit.

In A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement, a review of 51 studies published between 1995 and 2002, Anne T. Henderson and Karen L. Mapp found that students with involved parents are more likely to:

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The Harvard Fallacy
Debunking the Myths Surrounding Elite Colleges

By Emily Puro

“Collectively, we have robbed students of their senior year.”

This reproach appears prominently on the Web site of The Education Conservancy, a Portland-based nonprofit working to “improve the educational relevance of college admissions” and, according to the organization’s director, Lloyd Thacker, it’s no exaggeration. The college admissions process has become a high stakes game in which education is undervalued, says Thacker, and students are driven to “manage their high school experience in order to gain admission to the most prestigious college.” Thacker feels that, not only does the current system cause undue stress for students and parents, it changes the way we “perceive and pursue education,” destroying students’ enthusiasm for learning and, in many ways, their potential for future success.

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The High Cost of College
Facing Facts; Debunking Myths
By Teresa Carson

College costs a lot of money. That’s no myth; it’s very, very real. Oregon and Washington’s public universities currently charge about $15,000 annually for tuition, room and board. Today’s average cost at private colleges in the U.S. is $32,307, according to the College Board. That’s the average; some of the pricier institutions charge $50,000 – or more. All of these numbers are per year and don’t include inflation. According to the popular Web resource, FinAid.org, college costs increase about 8 percent each year. For today’s newborn – are you sitting down? – that could mean a higher education tab three times that of today’s numbers.

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The Trouble with Math
Tips for Tackling Math Homework with Your Kids

By Rosanne D. Parry

Of all the subjects students bring home from school, math homework is the one that most often leads to conflict and frustration. Children typically need more help with math than other subjects – and parents typically feel ill-equipped to offer it.

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What’s Your Child’s Learning Style?

Why Experts Recommend a Multisensory Approach

By Emily Puro

Nick and Ben Condon were second graders when they studied the digestive system at the Touchstone School in Lake Oswego, but it’s a lesson the Sherwood twins, now 12, aren’t likely to forget. Maybe it was the t-shirt each designed showing where the digestive system lies inside his own body. Maybe it was the rap song they composed with their class. Or maybe it was the puree of leftover lunches their teacher made then passed through a pair of pantyhose to illustrate how liquids and solids separate in the intestines.

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