The year 2000 Diagnostic & Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) provides criteria for diagnosing ADHD. The criteria are presented here in modified form in order to make them more accessible to the general public. They are listed here for information purposes and should be used only by trained health care providers to diagnose or treat ADHD.

DSM-IV Criteria for ADHD

I. (Either A or B:)

A. Six or more of the following symptoms of inattention have been present for at least 6 months to a point that is disruptive and inappropriate for developmental level:

• Often does not give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities.
• Often has trouble keeping attention on tasks or play activities.
• Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.
• Often does not follow instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand instructions).
• Often has trouble organizing activities.
• Often avoids, dislikes, or doesn’t want to do things that take a lot of mental effort for a long period of time (such as schoolwork or homework).
• Often loses things needed for tasks and activities (e.g. toys, school assignments, pencils, books, or tools).
• Is often easily distracted.
• Is often forgetful in daily activities.

B. Six or more of the following symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity have been present for at least 6 months to an extent that is disruptive and inappropriate for developmental level:

• Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat.
• Often gets up from seat when remaining in seat is expected.
• Often runs about or climbs when and where it is not appropriate (adolescents or adults may feel very restless).
• Often has trouble playing or enjoying leisure activities quietly.
• Is often “on the go” or often acts as if “driven by a motor”.
• Often talks excessively.
• Often blurts out answers before questions have been finished.
• Often has trouble waiting one’s turn.
• Often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations or games).

II. Some symptoms that cause impairment were present before age 7 years.

III. Some impairment from the symptoms is present in two or more settings (e.g. at school/work and at home).

IV. There must be clear evidence of significant impairment in social, school, or work functioning.

V. The symptoms do not happen only during the course of a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or other Psychotic Disorder. The symptoms are not better accounted for by another mental disorder (e.g. Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, or a Personality Disorder).

Based on these criteria, three types of ADHD are identified:

1. ADHD, Combined Type: if both criteria 1A and 1B are met for the past 6 months
2. ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive Type: if criterion 1A is met but criterion 1B is not met for the past six months
3. ADHD, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type: if Criterion 1B is met but Criterion 1A is not met for the past six months.

American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 2000.

As a parent it’s natural to want the best for your child. And for many parents, college is more than the best choice; it’s the only choice. But a growing number of high school seniors are deciding to take a breather before heading to the dormitory. It’s called a “gap year” and it’s been standard procedure for students in England, Australia, and many of America’s elite prep schools for years.

As painful as it is to hear that your child doesn’t want to go to college quite yet, it may be less painful than it would be a year from now, $20,000 poorer and no closer to hanging his diploma in the den. Sending a kid who’s not ready to college, is like sending a kid who’s not feeling hungry to an all-you-can-eat buffet. Gap years give kids the opportunity to figure out what they want to do with their lives, but also what theydon’t want to do. And they don’t need a trust fund to make it happen! Here are 11 great ways to spend a year off:

• For Nature Lovers: For kids who love the outdoors, the Student Conservation Association might be just the ticket. Can you see your teen traveling through 7 states and 18 national parks as a member of the National Park Service’s Exotic Plant Management Team? Giving tours of Native American archeology sites along North Dakota’s Knife River? Working to monitor endangered birds with conservation experts in Hawaii’s Hakeakala National Park? Well, brush up their resume! Those were some of the jobs SCA had available when this article went to print. In addition to providing housing, health insurance, and travel expenses to and from the site, SCA interns get a living allowance of $160 per week, and an education award of $1,200-4,725 once their gig is up. But more than that, SCA gives teens a chance to explore a career in over 30 conservation related fields. (www.thesca.org)
• Make It a City Year- A great program, tailored specifically for 17-24 year olds, this 10-month Do Good-er whirlwind drops volunteers into service teams of 6-12 members. They work in schools as tutors and mentors, helm youth leadership programs, and revitalize neighborhoods by painting murals, planting community gardens, and volunteering in other key endeavors. City Year has 17 locations in the U.S. to choose from, some more popular than others. And there are four times throughout the year to apply. So while their earlier deadline for Fall passed on April 15th, students can still apply for the May 31st deadline. The bad news? Only 1 out of 4 applicants makes the cut. The good news? Your kid will know in just 2-4 weeks whether she’s one of them. (www.cityyear.org)
• Join the Corps- Searching for the perfect fit on Americorp’s website might feel like looking for a needle in a haystack, but it’s a seriously cool haystack. There are thousands of intriguing programs to choose from, and they all include a living allowance, healthcare, and $4,725 towards college once the gig is up. (Some programs also offer room and board.) Volunteers might work on a Native American reservation, council teens on alcohol and drug prevention, help Katrina victims, tutor kids through a literacy program, or build low-income housing with Habitat for Humanity. There’s no fee to apply, and depending on which program you pick, this can be a cheapy way to swing a gap year, in a field you care about. (www.americorps.org)
• For Top Chef Fans: If your kid dreams of opening his own restaurant, becoming a chef to the stars, or hosting a show on the Food Network, it might be time to get his feet wet. A full culinary school degree is probably overkill, but some of the most prestigious schools in the country offer abbreviated versions. Our favorite? The French Culinary Institute in New York, where the pros teach most of the 250 essential skills used in their famous fulltime Culinary Arts course. From prepping stocks, to knocking out a killer array of sauces, this is a quickie version, with the same famous professors. But at $6,875 for the 110 hours of instruction, he’ll definitely need to work a job during his gap to pay for it.
• Out of Africa: Sometimes a little wanderlust can lead to some major personal growth. And the good news is, your kid doesn’t need a trust fund to traverse the globe. All he needs is a little ingenuity and a willingness to work. InterExchange is his ticket to Ghana, where he’ll have a chance to work with preschool or primary school children. From distributing and collecting library books, to assisting with after school activities, to teaching kids in the classroom, this is a bird’s eye view into a peaceful and welcoming country. And the entire cost (which includes food, housing, and assistance) is $2,945 for the year. Students just need to get themselves there. (www.interexchange.org)
• Good Day, Mate!: If Aussie life is more appealing than the African rainforest, consider contacting Alliances Abroad. The program fee is reasonable– $2,200 for room, board, training, and in-country travel expenses– plus there’s close to $900 per month in salary! The work is in rural hospitality, mostly in the Australian Outback. Participants need to pay their international airfare but the program includes a jetlag recovery weekend at Australia’s Rainbow beach, to make the time change a little easier… (www.alliancesabroad.com)
• Get Professional Help: For decades, The Center for Interim Programs has been helping kids figure out how to milk a gap year for all it’s worth. The company charges a flat fee of $2,100, which is good for a lifetime, and they offer scholarships if a student has to pay for most of the year on his own. Because Interim has been doing it for so long, they’ve got a thick Rolodex of tempting contacts. A sample year on a low to moderate budget might include turtle conservation work in Greece (tent space provided), helping out at a Tibetan Buddhist retreat center in France, teaching English at a bilingual school in Costa Rica, and then finishing up by working at an outdoor education center in New Zealand. (www.interimprograms.com)
• Farm it Out: Have a green thumb under your roof? There’s an amazing organization called WWOOF that allows the willing and able to make their way around the world hopping from farm to farm. Each country has its own organization, but the worldwide website serves as a sort of umbrella to put would-be volunteers in touch with the appropriate contact people. From picking grapes at an Italian vineyard, to volunteering on organic farms from Turkey to Taiwan, Brazil to Bulgaria, WWOOF is a great way to keep budgets lean during a gap year. There are no fees to participate and there’s no payment. But volunteers get room, board, and hands-on experience. (www.wwoof.org)
• Join the Club: The Rotary Youth Exchange program has been functioning for 75 years in 80 countries, completely through the club’s network of volunteers. Highschoolers can apply directly through their local Rotary Club, and unlike many other travel programs with any sort of infrastructure, there are no fees for placement.  Here’s how it works: the applicant pays for airfare, health insurance, and visas, but the Rotary Club supplies room and board and $50-100 a month in spending money. Want more information? Let their fingers do the walking to: www.rotary.org
• School Time: For those with a larger budget, Youth for Understanding has some wonderful programs, especially for teens that need a bit more handholding. Dubbed a “13th Year Abroad”, YFU’s gap years run the gamut—from learning Russian in Ukraine, to practicing yoga in India. Most of the 19 programs have some sort of academic component, which can be a great thing for students trying to show the admissions office at their dream school another semester’s worth of good grades.  Prices for the programs vary, but many hover around $7,000- $9,000 for the year, with room, board, all airfare, classes, and costs included. Programs may be eligible for college credit, and there’s a good pool to choose from, whether you’ve got a kid who’d like to study dance in Venezuela, or take intensive Spanish in Chile. (www.youthforunderstanding.com)
• For Dabblers: Got a kid with no idea what she wants to do with her life? Consider the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), a residential program for 18-24 year olds with campuses in Colorado, California, Maryland, and Iowa. Modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, NCCC is like college without the homework: participants live in dorm rooms, eat cafeteria grub, and interact with a group of ready-made friends all 24 and under. They move from project to project and from state to state—doing everything from helping the American Red Cross with hurricane relief efforts, to building low-income housing with Habitat for Humanity, to helping combat soil erosion with the U.S. Forest Service. They get trained in CPR and first aid, and a bird’s eye view of the environmental, education, and public safety non-profits that serve as partners. Many of them end up getting hired down the road by the nonprofits they serve, and everyone gets room, board, stipend, and a $4,725 education award. (www.americorps.org)

Princeton encourages it. Harvard’s a big fan. From Tufts to MIT, some of the most prestigious universities in the nation are urging students to consider something that would make most parents cringe: The idea of putting off college for a year in favor of some much-needed downtime.

It’s called a “gap year.” And while it’s been a common and popular rite of passage in Australia and the U.K. for decades, the concept is now starting to gain significant steam here in America.

Why? A growing number of high school seniors are balking at riding the academic conveyor belt from preschool all the way to university. They’re burnt out. Or not quite ready. Or they want to explore a few interests before deciding what to study in college. So instead of packing their bags in anticipation of freshman year, they’re volunteering in New Orleans or teaching in Thailand. They’re starting the great American novel, or interning to help figure out what they want to do with their lives.

Understandably, that makes a lot of parents nervous. But before you drive your kid to college in an armored truck and deliver him to the dorm yourself, it’s important to understand the facts, including what a gap year is, and what it is not.

For one, a gap year does not mean that a student is doomed to remain degree-less forever. While there are no formal studies on the number of students who never end up making their way to college post-gap, anecdotal evidence from admissions officers across the country says very few actually drop off the college radar. Taking a gap year can actually make kids more focused and ready for the rigors of academic life. In fact, Harvard, arguably the most competitive university in the country, believes so much in the gap year that they encourage every student they admit to consider a year off before matriculation. And Princeton has just announced a new program called the “bridge year” that will allow newly admitted students to spend a year performing public service abroad before beginning their freshman year.

The reason behind higher education’s support of the gap year is clear: Better-prepared students mean higher completion rates. And it’s completion that matters. Parents should remember that getting a kid into college is only half the battle. According to the College Board, three out of five students who enter a public four-year college don’t manage to snag a degree within five years. And nearly 30 percent of all students who enter college don’t return for their sophomore year. Considering the fact that this year’s average price at a four-year private college is a whopping $23,712 per year, it’s a pretty expensive place to dabble. Sending a kid who’s not ready to college is like sending a kid who’s not feeling hungry to an all-you-can-eat buffet.

That said, not all gap years are created equal. If you have a kid determined to take a year off, here are some guidelines to follow:

Have the money talk
Just because you’re willing to chip in for college doesn’t mean you’re on the hook for a gap year as well. Remember, it’s about learning responsibility in the real world. Be honest up front about what you are — and are not — willing to do. Require that your child create an in-depth budget for her year, in addition to telling you how she plans to contribute financially. While many students dream of a year of unfettered travel, it’s perfectly reasonable to require that your kid wait some tables for a few months to pay for all or some of the year.

Get in first 
A gap year should be a measured decision, not a procrastination technique. It should never be used to avoid taking the SAT or ACT on time, stall the need to fill out college applications, or jump into the Senior Slide early. If you have a high schooler under your roof who’s dreaming of taking a year off, keep him on track. Act as if he’s going to college as planned. Once he gains admission, he can call the college to request a deferment, which most admissions offices will gladly grant.

Create a plan B 
The best way to start a gap year is with an admissions offer to your dream school in hand. But for students who didn’t get into their college of choice the first time around, a gap offers a second crack at it. Holly Bull, director of the Center for Interim Programs, the oldest gap year advisory service in the country, says that for students who’ve had less than stellar grades during senior year, a gap year offers a second chance to show solid performance, through an academic program abroad or some other curriculum-based program. Sometimes the gap year can make all the difference in getting an acceptance letter the second time around, Bull says. “It’s been known to happen. It’s certainly not a guarantee, not something you can bank on, but we’ve had some.”

Put it in writing
The most successful gap years are full of unexpected surprises along the way. But in between all those surprises lives a lot of planning. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — a chance for your child to see the world and figure out their place in it. If they’re angling for independence, have them prove they deserve it by doing research and coming up with a course of action. From a budget to a schedule to the phone calls needed to land that dream internship, the planning phase is just as vital to the gap year, and just as much a learning experience, as the gap itself. It’s perfectly OK to deviate from the plan once the year begins, but starting without one is a recipe for disaster.

The road to college can be a rocky one. Between SATs, ACTs, tough courses, teacher recommendations, a cutthroat pool of applicants, extracurriculars, college essays, and everything in between, it’s an exhausting journey. So what should you do if your child says she doesn’t want to take the trip?

First, take a deep breath. As a parent it’s natural to want the best for your child. And for many parents, college is more than the best choice; it’s the only choice. But before you tell your child she’s grounded for the rest of her life, consider the cold hard facts: College may seem like the ticket to success, but getting your kid there is only half the battle. It’s completion that matters. And only 2 out of 5 students who enter a public four-year college manage to snag a degree within five years. For two-year colleges, the graduation rate is even more abysmal (28.9% in 2007). While it’s taking many students more than five years to graduate, many students aren’t graduating at all—nearly 30% of all students who enter college don’t return for their sophomore year.

That hurts. Because the cost of college is anything but cheap. According to The College Board, this year’s average price at a 4-year private college is a whopping $23,712 per year. Public 4-year colleges rang in this year at $6,185 per year, and public 2-year colleges at $2,361 per year.

So, as painful as it is to hear that your child doesn’t want to go to college, it may be less painful than it would be a year from now, $23,712 poorer and no closer to hanging his diploma in the den. Sending a kid with no interest to college is like sending a kid who’s not feeling hungry to an all-you-can-eat buffet… a waste.

Most worthwhile careers require education. But they don’t all require a college education. Some train future workers through apprenticeships, some through hands-on experience, others through specialized training programs. The most important thing you can do as a parent is help your child figure out what he cares about, what makes him tick, what he’s passionate about.

The college classroom is not for everyone. Here are 6 great ways for high school graduates to spend some time off, or find their life’s calling outside university walls:

For Nature Lovers: Not everyone dreams of life behind a big corporate desk. For kids with fresh air running through their veins, the Student Conservation Association might be just the ticket. Can you see your teen traveling through 18 national parks as a member of the National Park Service’s Exotic Plant Management Team? Giving tours of Native American archeology sites along the Knife River? Working to monitor endangered birds with conservation experts in Hawaii’s Hakeakala National Park? Trolling the vast reaches of the Alaskan backcountry? Well, brush up their resume! Those were some of the jobs SCA had available when this article went to print. In addition to providing housing, health insurance, and travel expenses to and from the site, SCA interns get a living allowance of $160 per week, and an education award of $1,200-$4,725 once their gig is up. But more than that, SCA gives teens a chance to explore a career in over 30 conservation related fields. www.thesca.org

For Kitchen Mavens: Dinner at home isn’t what it used to be. People are simply too tired to cook. Somebody’s got to take care of the “prepare” in “prepared foods”, put the “bake” in “fresh baked bread”, and the “home” in “just like homemade”. And that somebody might be sitting under your roof right now. The food service industry is the largest private sector employer in the country, second in public employment only to the U.S. government.  If your kid dreams of becoming a private chef to the stars, starting a catering business, or hosting a show on the Food Network, training is paramount, and college won’t necessarily help as much as culinary school and job experience. The unofficial Ivy League of cooking schools includes The Culinary Institute of America, The French Culinary Institute, California Culinary Academy, The New England Culinary Institute, Johnson and Wales, and the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. For chefs with big dreams, but smaller bank accounts, there’s the American Culinary Federation’s Apprenticeship Program, a 3-year training opportunity that allows students to work full-time (and earn money doing it!) under the watchful eye of a chef mentor. www.acfchefs.org

For Healing Hands: When it comes to healing, Western medicine is barely out of puberty. Much of what America dubs “alternative” has been around practically since the dawn of civilization.  According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 36% of Americans above the age of 18 use some form of alternative or complementary medicine. In fact, in 1997, we shelled out $47 billion dollars for it. Alternative medicine has been growing at an astonishing rate. If you’ve got a kid with interest, some areas to explore include acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, massage therapy or bodywork, and ayervedic medicine. Another very interesting field is Traditional Oriental Medicine (TOM). Although students need about two years of community college credits, the coursework then segues into hands-on study in everything from oriental herbs to tai chi. Check out the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (www.nccaom.org), the National Center for Complementary or Alternative Medicine (http://nccam.nih.gov), or The American Massage Therapists Association (www.amtamassage.org).

For Itchy Feet: Sometimes a little wanderlust can lead to some major personal growth. And the good news is, your kid doesn’t need a trust fund to traverse the globe. All he needs is a little ingenuity and a willingness to work. Some of our favorite programs? Teaching English in Ghana through Interexchange (Program cost: $2,945 for the year, but food, housing, insurance, and other services provided), rural hospitality work in the Australian Outback through Alliances Abroad (Program fee: $2,200, but room, board, training, travel expenses, a jetlag recovery weekend at Australia’s Rainbow beach, and close to $900 a month salary included), volunteering on organic farms from Turkey to Taiwan, Brazil to Bulgaria, through WWOOF.org (no fees and no pay, but room, board, and great hands-on experience), or the Rotary Youth Exchange program, which has been functioning for 75 years in 80 countries, completely through the club’s network of volunteers (no fees for placement, applicant pays for airfare, health insurance, and visas, but room and board and $50-100 a month in spending money is included). Want more information? Let their fingers do the walking to: www.alliancesabroad.com, www.wwoof.org, orwww.interexchange.org.

For Future Tradesmen: The best way to learn is by doing and there are a ton of programs out there that will pay your kid to learn hundreds of skilled trades. Since 1937, the U.S. Department of Labor has been on a mission to establish apprenticeship programs across the country in everything from auto mechanics to accordion making. They last anywhere from 1 to 6 years, with the average being 4. You may not think much of the guy who comes to wire your office or the construction worker whistling Dixie from a highway overhang, but they might be having the last laugh. While much of corporate America is withering away behind a desk, they’re working sane hours for good wages. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America both offer very selective programs. The cost? Absolutely free. www.ibew.org or www.carpenters.org

For Dabblers: Got a kid with no idea what she wants to do with her life? Consider the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), a residential program for 18-24 year olds with campuses in Colorado, California, Maryland, and Iowa. Modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, NCCC is like college without the homework: participants live in dorm rooms, eat cafeteria grub, and interact with a group of ready-made friends all 24 and under. They move from project to project and from state to state—doing everything from helping the American Red Cross with hurricane relief efforts, to building low-income housing with Habitat for Humanity, to helping combat soil erosion with the U.S. Forest Service. They get trained in CPR and first aid, and a bird’s eye view of environmental, education, and public safety non-profits that serve as partners. Many of them end up getting hired down the road by the nonprofits they serve and everyone gets room, board, stipend, and a $4,725 education award. www.americorps.org

So there you have it. A place to begin when your child says she doesn’t want to go to college. You’re thrown for a loop. We get it. Just remember that saying no to college may be the right decision for your child, or it may be the right decision for now. Many students who drop off of the education conveyer belt, skipping college in favor of something else, end up on campus eventually. Believe it or not, several top universities, Harvard included, encourage students to take time off before they settle in for freshman year. That’s because students who explore the world a bit before entering college tend to be more focused and mature. While many of their classmates come to campus ready to party, they come ready to learn.

By Zrinka Peters

It’s finally summer, the great outdoors are calling, and sitting down with a book might be just about the last thing your child would choose to do. After all, doesn’t that sound kind of like school?

Sure, summer reading does have a lot to do with learning. But that doesn’t mean it has to be dull. Summer can be a great time to exercise not only the body but the mind as well. As Elizabeth Kennedy, expert contributor to About.com’s Guide to Children’s Books, says, “Any time you read, you tend to increase your vocabulary, knowledge, and understanding, even if your motivation for reading is fun.”

A great resource for summer reading is your local library’s summer reading programs. Many libraries have established programs which can provide extra incentives and guidance to kids for summer reading.

Nancy Smith, a librarian in Washington County, MN, says, “The goal is to keep kids reading through the summer, so they don’t fall back.” The summer reading program at Smith’s library, like at many others, sets reading goals for young readers – challenging them to read (or be read to) 10, 20 or more hours over the summer. Along with goals, the library offers rewards. After completing 20 hours of reading, kids get their names posted on the library’s “wall of fame.” Readers’ names are also entered in drawings for surprise prizes.

Many libraries also offer age-appropriate book clubs and story times for babies on up to teens. Attending story time can even be used as reading time that works towards the child’s reading goal.

But wait – what about reading just for fun? Kennedy notes that “Summer also provides time for kids to enjoy purely recreational reading, with no pressure to read certain books or to pass follow-up tests, just a chance to discover the joy of reading for its own sake.” Summer, with its hours of free time and slower pace, provides the perfect opportunity to read for pleasure instead of sticking to assigned books. It’s a great time for kids to explore whatever they enjoy or interests them, through books. That makes summer reading a top way to prevent the notorious “summer slip” that puts so many kids behind when they return to school in September.

But what about the reluctant reader who can’t be persuaded by simple rewards to pick up a book? As Kennedy points out, “Their continued participation is dependent on their being connected with books at the appropriate reading level on subjects that interest them.” To this end, a children’s or teen librarian can be an excellent resource when trying to locate interesting books that will appeal to your child. The librarian can also help with finding age-appropriate books that cover subjects your child has a particular interest in. Ladybugs anyone? Or maybe volcanoes?

Summer reading has the potential, maybe even more than during the school year, to turn a reluctant reader into a voracious one, if they take the opportunity to delve into subjects that they find fascinating. Make this a reading summer! Your kids – and their teachers – just might thank you.

Source: education.com

Speaking to your child is just as important for literacy growth as reading to him. Elizabeth Burke Bryant, Executive Director of Rhode Island Kid’s Count, a campaign to close the gap in reading levels between low-income students and their higher income peers, says literacy-rich interaction between a parent and a child is key. In a small snippet of conversation, hundreds of words and images are exchanged. Those words are important building blocks to a rich vocabulary.

Talk to them about anything and everything—how a thermometer works, what colors things are, the lyrics to songs. It is important to create a literacy-rich home environment at the earliest age possible.

• Open up communication between Pre K/K and elementary school teachers.

Experts agree that preschool is a fundamental, yet often overlooked part of schooling. Commonly, the PreK and K-12 systems do not communicate, which leaves room for gaps in learning, and opens the possibility of under-preparing or over-preparing a child for the elementary years.

“You absolutely have to both start earlier and have this integration and connection, every bit of the way, from birth to third grade,” says Bryant. Don’t undervalue the preschool years. Find out what your child is learning, what they will be learning and how you can prepare them every step of the way.

• Use your resources.

The first stop in locating resources is your local library. Not only does it provide reading material, it is also a great place to meet other parents. You can also use the library to research additional community hubs in your area, such as the YMCA, local nonprofits or after school programs.

Take for example, the Philadelphia School District’s innovative idea: Parent University. It is the school district’s innovative new series of workshops, created specifically for parents. They offer 52 different classes, including “English as a Second Language”, “Educational Conversations”, and even a class called “How to Make Parent-Teacher Conferences Work for Your Child”. All of these classes are free for parents in the district, and most are aimed at training parents to be more involved in their children’s education.

One of the best things you can do to help your child is to educate yourself. Find out what resources your school provides for parents and get yourself involved.

Source: http://www.education.com/magazine/article/parent-involvement-education/