Your Kids

Making Parent-Teacher Conferences Work: Tips For Success

(NAPSA)-For many busy moms and dads, parent-teacher conferences may be the only chance to meet with their children's teachers.

"Just as parents encourage their children to prepare for a test, the same principle applies to parent-teacher conferences," said Dennis Van Roekel, president of the 3.2 million-member National Education Association (NEA). "To maximize the benefits of parent-teacher conferences, parents need to do their homework before meeting with teacher."

NEA offers these tips to parents:

Prepare yourself by asking key questions. Write down the answers to the following:

• What concerns do you have about your child's academic progress or behavior?
• What questions do you have about the school, its curriculum, programs and procedures?
• Does your child have any health problems that might affect his or her behavior and/or academic progress?

Prepare questions for the teacher. Don't be afraid to engage in a frank conversation with your child's teacher. Good questions to ask the teacher include:

• How is my child doing in your class?
• Is my child working up to his or her ability? Where could my child use improvement?
• What resources are available if my child needs extra help?
• What can we do at home to support what you are doing in the classroom?

Know expectations. Having clear guidelines of parent, teacher and student responsibilities will help set the stage for academic success. Ask which kinds of evaluation methods and tests will be used to determine your child's aptitude and progress.

Plot a timeline. Ask about important assignments and upcoming big projects. Confirm corresponding due dates so nothing takes you by surprise.

Keep in touch. Exchange phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Find out if the teacher has a classroom Web site or other means of communication to obtain important announcements, homework assignments and deadlines.

"When parents go into the meeting prepared, it can make all the difference for a winning conference between parent and teacher," said Van Roekel.

For more information or to obtain a copy of "A Parent's Guide," NEA's 10-part brochure series, go to www.nea.org or call (800) 717-9790.

Protect Children From Digital Disasters

Monitoring online activities will help protect kids' digital reputations.

(NAPSA)-With every post and click, your children are creating a digital reputation. A positive online reputation can open doors for educational, scholarship and employment opportunities. A negative one will have the opposite effect. Often, your digital reputation is the first impression someone has of you. That's one reason parents need to communicate with their children about their digital reputations and to keep checking their Internet activity.

Expert Opinion
As Davina Pruitt-Mentle-director for Educational Technology Policy, Research and Outreach at the University of Maryland- says, ÒAs a parent, it's important to know about digital reputation-for kids to understand their future in terms of admission to college, internships, externships and scholarships, whether it be academic or sports. But more, they need to understand the consequences down the road."

Forty-three percent of job recruiters eliminate candidates due to negative content found online. At the same time, only 3 percent of people self-search online for reputation problems.

What To Do
KeepSafe.org and the American School Counselor Association have teamed up to provide families with a number of resources that will help them build an online reputation that is an asset rather than a liability.

Suggestions for creating a positive online image:

• Maximize networks. Use online communication and tools to connect with people you know, including teachers, coaches and employers.
• Use e-portfolios to share your creativity and interest for college admissions and scholarships.
• Share your expertise and passions.
• Share your skills, knowledge, and creativity for employment and internships.

Too many young people, however, make choices they may regret later. According to The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:

• Seventy-one percent of teen girls and 67 percent of teen boys who have sent or posted sexually suggestive content (known as sext_ing) say they have sent it to a boyfriend or girlfriend.
• One in five teens say they've sexted even though the majority know it could be a crime.

Helpful Resources
To help families understand the impact of online reputation and view a short video portraying the true story of two teens facing the positive and negative consequences of their digital reputation, go to www.iKeepSafe.org/reputation.

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