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.

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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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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