Sue Scheff: Great Schools....

What a fantastic website! http://www.greatschools.net/ Whether you are searching for the perfect school for your individual child or looking for information on how to improve your school, Great Schools has it all! Offering advice on learning differences, academics and activities, and help you be an educated parents is what Great Schools has and more!

Sue Scheff: Summer Learning

National Center for Summer Learning

What's the problem we're trying to solve?

During the summer months, young people living in poverty often don’t have access to essential resources that support their academic and developmental progress. As a result, they experience well-documented setbacks in academic performance which contribute to growth in the achievement gap. They also face nutritional setbacks which contribute to the problem of childhood obesity.

Our vision and mission.

The vision of the National Center for Summer Learning is for every young person to experience enriching, memorable summers. To realize that vision, our mission is to ensure that children and youth in high-poverty communities have access to quality summer learning programs.

What we do.

Based at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, the Center engages in research, develops policy, and delivers professional development designed to achieve the following results:

Increase the number of providers offering high-quality summer learning programs to young people living in poverty;
Increase the number of organizations and policymakers that identify summer learning as a public policy priority; and
Increase funding for high-quality summer learning programs for young people who currently lack choices and opportunities

Through its nation-wide network of providers and partners, the Center is focusing national attention on how high-quality summer learning programs help close the achievement gap, lead to higher graduation rates, and promote healthy development.

Sue Scheff: Family School Your Go-To Guide for School Success

Another great parenting website, School Family - your go-to-guide for school success offers a tremendous amount of educational articles, parenting tips, information to help you guide your way through your child’s school years. Here is one of their recent articles on helping your teen manage their time and money this summer.

Help Your Teen Budget Time, Money This Summer

For many teens, the summer paycheck is the first “real” money they’ve ever had. And some have a tendency to spend every cent they make on clothes, CDs, and entertainment.

You can teach your teen a valuable lesson by insisting that he make a budget for his money. Included in the budget should be a regular savings plan—both for things he’d like to buy in the near future (for example, a personal digital media player) and for college or other education after high school.

If he doesn’t have a summer job, perhaps you can find ways to help him earn some money this summer. He could offer to baby-sit, for example, or do chores for an older neighbor who can’t manage by herself.

While you’re at it, have your teen make a time budget, too. It’s normal for teens to lounge around. But when they spend day after day in front of the TV, they’ll be bored at best, and possibly even depressed. Besides, kids tend to get into trouble if they have too much time on their hands.

Teens respond well to choices. If your teen seems to show no interest in getting off the couch, give her a choice of things she might do: organize the family photo albums, take neighborhood kids to the pool in the afternoon, volunteer at an animal shelter. When you give teens projects to do, you not only help them manage their time—you keep them interested in life.

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