Following up on our blogs about improving academic performance, we have teamed up with Mindprint Learning to go into the science of learning to help parents understand that there isn’t one learning trait shared by all students. This blog post by Mindprint will go through 10 different traits that drive learning.  Be sure to join us for our live webinar in January where Nancy Weinstein, the founder of Mindprint, will share how parents can identify where student’s strengths and weaknesses lie, and use that information to improve learning and help students succeed academically. 

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What distinguishes excellent students from just good students?

In 6 Steps to Better Grades, we provided students with concrete tools to help them improve their grades. One of the critical steps we discussed was paying better attention in class. We know that many students zone out in class, then study on their own before exams by reading textbooks and class handout materials (if any). While studying, if the student is stuck, there isn’t much they can do as the assignment or the exam is due/taking place the next day. Some motivated students may google questions and go on youtube to…

We all know that self motivated students who are interested in what they are studying, do well in school and get good grades. Students who are engaged in the class, in the specific subject, and connected to teachers will do better and get better grades. However, as much as we would love for our children to love learning for the sake of learning, it is common for teenagers to disengage and not do as well as they could. Even those highly motivated students often have subjects that they are not excited about. So what can we do to help our teens become better students and improve their grades…

Each May, millions of students around the world sit down to take one or more of the 38 Advanced Placement Exams. Administered by the CollegeBoard, each exam in America costs nearly $100. Notable for their rigor, a good score on these exams actually may result in saving thousands of dollars in college courses (at some schools) and boosting a student’s college application. In this blog post, we will be going over what AP courses are, what they mean for college admissions, and whether they are worth the money. We will also discuss the option of “self-studying,” for students that are not…

By: Valerie Erde

In my work as a tutor, many teens have walked through my door reluctantly, to say the least. They weren't interested in studying for the ACT or SAT, and at times weren't even interested in college at all. Sure, they knew that it was important for their future in a general way, but they definitely wanted to do something more fun than ACT/SAT practice tests with their limited free time.

I'm also a parent, so I know just how frustrating it can be to watch your child fritter away time and talent and fail to reach success or mastery of a skill. Of course you…

Fall is here, and many families have heard the news that their schools will be conducted 100% online or will take a hybrid approach where each portion of the student body will attend school 1-3 days a week. A compilation of reopening plans from Education Week, a trade publication focusing on K-12 education, shows that more than 80 school districts including Los Angeles, Houston, Fairfax VA, and Montgomery MD are reopening or have reopended with remote learning only. Families that were incredibly disappointed (an exhausted!) by the spring distance learning experience are looking for…

With the in-person SAT date finally confirmed for August, current juniors (rising seniors), as well as sophomores that are ready, can now plan in earnest for test preparation.  Especially for students with newfound time on their hands at home with cancelled internships or truncated summer programs, they can now set aside a chunk of time this summer to study for standardized exams. We have compiled a list of the most popular and effective online courses available to help students decide what works best with their schedule, study style and budget.

These online prep courses offer a…

By: Kate Sonnenberg

Scholarly researchers and educators generally agree that bilingual or multilingual children have increased brain plasticity and an academic edge. In Why Bilinguals Are Smarter, Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, writing in the New York Times, reports that “the bilingual experience improves the brain’s so-called executive function — a command system that directs the attention processes that we use for planning, solving problems and performing various other mentally demanding tasks.” Auburn University lists Twenty-five Reasons to Study Foreign Languages, including, among…

In this trying time of self-isolation and boredom, it’s easy for students to lose track of their goals. Luckily, we live in a digital world. For those students with newfound time on their hands, there is an incredible array of online courses where they can learn just about anything - from coding to Latin, to graphic design, to playing the bagpipe!  In the next series of blogs, we will bring together a list of top online platforms that students should consider in a variety of fields of interest starting with this one - online language programs. This is a great time to brush up on a…

By: Rosemary Laberee

Compliments of a very scary pandemic, many parents have been thrust into the role of facilitator of their children’s education. Many feel ill-equipped and worried about what these next few weeks will bring. The prospect of keeping children engaged in their school work, free of anxiety, and gainfully occupied for the hours of the day they are not online, receiving and uploading lessons, is overwhelming. This is a fact, whether you are a veteran home educator or not.

These are waters that home educating parents navigate daily. The added component of…