Parents --- Homeschooling Can Take a Lot Less Time Than You Think by Joel Turtel
... Moreover, unlike the public school child, whose day is largely taken up by non-task activities, the homeschooled child has ample time left each day to take part in other activities — athletics, art, history, etc” So, according to the authors, if home-schooled children study for only two hours a day, year round, they will get three times more educational hours on academic basics like reading, writing, and arithmetic than public-school students get.

Parents' Complaints --- Arrogant Public Schools Turn a Deaf Ear by Joel Turtel
... Public-school employees get tenure after a few years. That means, in effect, that it's almost impossible to fire them, no matter how bad or even mediocre they are. If you couldn't be fired, would you care about parent's complaints? That's why they don't, and that's why public-school teachers or principals can be arrogant or indifferent to parent's legitimate complaints. Parents, the solution is to stop hitting your head against the brick wall of arrogant public-school employees.

Parents Demand Dumbed-down Tests:An Unintended Bad Consequence of the No Child Left Behind Act by Joel Turtel
... In New York City, school authorities estimated that over 30 percent of the city’s 11th-graders would not be eligible to graduate if the English language standard that will take effect next year was being applied today. Diane Ravitch of the Brookings Institute in Washington is a longtime analyst of New York’s public-school system She estimated that in some neighborhoods, less than 5 percent of high-school seniors would qualify to graduate under the new standards.

Computer Training, or "Would You Like Fries With That?" by Albert Medinas
... However, just as with online computer training schools, there are a lot of great places to get the additional training and skills you need to succeed in this brave new world of ours. As with traditional computer training schools, you will have to do your homework in order to get the best training for your buck. Plus—and this is key—you are only going to benefit by actually trying to learn. Many employers test computer skills prior to employment anyway, so cheating the system or attending ...

Emergency Lesson Plans, Real Lifesaving Tools for Teachers by Frank Holes Jr.
... Get this done early in the year, and you can save yourself many headaches later, not to mention worries about what will happen in your room if you are unable to be there. EMERGENCY LESSON PLAN IDEAS: Language Arts: Include short writing activities involving students opinions. Thus they don't have to have 'background' information, and they can write from their own experiences. Parts of speech review can include mad-libs or easy, fun worksheets. Math: Leave a calculator activity.

Back to School Savings: Six Ways to Save Money During Back-to-school Time by Jamie Jefferson
... With many schools starting in August, the weather is too hot for the fall and winter clothes that they’ll need for the duration of the school year. And if you shop too far in advance, your child could actually outgrow an outfit before it’s time to wear it. Purchase one new outfit (or new single clothing item) for that first day to heighten the excitement – and save the rest of the wardrobe budget for a few months from now. If your budget doesn’t allow for a new clothing item for each child, ...

Study Skills - How Can YOU Help Your Kids? by Frank McGinty
... In that case, check whether the school runs a Homework Club. Many schools are now doing this and it's proving a highly popular option. Sessions are held after school and supervised by teachers - so the work gets done! If your school doesn't have this, ask for it! You provide the materials, the school provides the location - and the kids supply the effort. Voila! Doing all you can to provide homework help will pay huge dividends all round. Happy parenting!

Back to School Checklist by Kathy Burns-Millyard
... Buying these types of backpacks will ensure they last through the entire school season, instead of having to be replaced halfway through the year. College bound students might prefer laptop and gadget bags, sling bags, messenger or duffle bags instead. 2. Paper Supplies: This includes notebook paper, spiral notebooks, pocket folders and binders among other things. Most kids need all of these from the time they start first or second grade, though the needs get heavier as the children get older.