How to Help your 9th Grade Students to Exel

By Dr Stephen Jones

The 9th grade can be one of the biggest adjustments of a students life. The expectations are so different from middle school that some students want to give up. An effective school principal and teachers must recognize the anxiety of a 9th grader and plan to reduce it. Believe in your students capability to have a passion for learning. Seek to create an excellent school environment. Here are some things you can do:

1.  Teach them how to study and to perform well

2. Give students one on one success meetings with the best teachers

3. Take them outside of school to see the world of work

4. Invite in interactive speakers to talk about their professions

5. Start an internship program for 9th graders

6. Specific tutors for graders in subjects where they frequently have problems 

7. Continuous information for 9th grade parents in a newsletter or blog

8. Show that you care and create class spirit

9. Tell them that you expect them to get a post secondary education and show them the way

10. Never, never, never give up on them

You can change your school by always seeking to innovate. Think inside the bust. What are the three most innovative things you can do for 9th. At a minimum have a suggestion box where they can anonymously share problems and suggest solutions. Each generation has its way of thinking. To get workshops for your students or parents contact Dr. Stephen Jones at Learn@DrStephenJones.net/books or http://www.DrStephenJones.net

610-842-3843.

How Advanced Placement Courses Successfully Prepare Students for College

If you want your student to be better prepared for college, I highly recommend that they enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) courses. You may be asking why.  Students who enroll in AP courses are better prepared for the challenges and rigor that a college level course can bring.  Preparing students for college takes a lot of preparation and planning.  Too many students go to college with great enthusiasm and with little preparation. During the first few weeks of college some students realize that they are not prepare them. They start to realize that college requires long hours of studying, reading, solving problems and managing a schedule that is full of reading assignments.  If you are sending your first student to college an AP course can give your student confidence that they can handle college level courses.

Completing an AP course in high school can help your student to get over the anxiety that is common during the first six weeks of college classes.  Some students receive their first C grade or less while in their first semester of college and it is a tremendous shock.  This is especially true when the student has not received a grade of less than a B during their entire K12 experience. It’s sad to say that some students want to drop out after their first unusual grade.  Some students realize that they were not taught how to learn independently or to research knowledge on their own.

Students who are the first person in their family to attend college face unique obstacles. They do not know what to expect or how difficult it will be. There are many who have no counselor to turn to when it is time to apply to college. The counselor to student ratio is five hundred to one in some high schools. A student may not be steered toward an advance placement course if the parent is not communicating with their counselor.  It is important for each parent to be actively involved in their student’s high school education.  Always seek out the best courses for your student and get them tutoring when necessary.

I recommend community college courses for students who want to get a taste of college before attending undergraduate school. Community college classes can give your student a similar challenge that an AP course can provide. Also, a community college course can be a way for a student to catch up if they are behind in a certain course. For example, if you want to study engineering in college you will need to take calculus while in high school. If you are behind you can take a pre-calculus course during the summer and calculus during your senior year.  It is far better to take calculus during your junior year and AP calculus during your senior year if possible.

Some student’s classmates scare other students away from AP classes.  They tell them how long they study and the difficulty of the course content.  If you are their parent encourage your student and support them with resources and tutoring. It is worth it.  You are cutting down on the chances that your student will struggle while they are in college.  In fact, there is a prize at the end of every AP course. If your student scores a 4 or a 5 on the standardized AP course during May they are able to reduce the number of courses they take during college.

To succeed a college student must develop good study habits while enrolled in an AP course. It is a great way to prepare for college. Your student must devote their energy to earning the best grades in each class by meeting the expectation of the course. Students who are successful know that they must manage their time. Here are ten additional ways that a student benefit from AP courses:

1.  A reduction in the number of courses required during college

2.  Get in the habit of good time management for tests

3.  You will have some of the best teachers in your school

4.  You will have an early experience regarding the expectations of a college professor

5. You learn how to do advanced research

6.  You will share knowledge with some of the best students in your high school

7.  Get tutoring from some of the best teachers and students.

8.  Get preparation for a community college course.

 One of the best skills that a high school student can learn is how to focus on their goal.  There are always plenty of distractions in high school.  Focus on your goal to be excellent in all AP classes. Identify your distractions such as social activities, day dreaming, peers and sports.  Students who are willing to eliminate distractions while they are in high school have a great habit of doing the same while in college.  One of the biggest distractions in college is the freedom in your schedule when there are no classes.  I encourage all students to write down their goals in each AP class and to work hard to achieve them.

The decision to enroll in an AP course is a serious choice.  It can be life changing and have a positive effect on the rest of a student’s courses.  Acceptance into a college is just the beginning of a student’s career journey.  All the studying that a student is doing in high school lays the foundation for how successful his/her college experience will turn out. Now is the time to enroll your student in an AP class that helps with the transition from high school to college.

Dr Stephen Jones is a college preparation expert and author. Purchase copies of Dr. Jones’ books “Seven Secrets of How to Study, Ultimate Scholarship Guide or Parents ultimate Education Guide at http://www.DrStephenJones.net or email your school workshop/consulting questions too Learn@DrStephenJones.net

10 Things High School Students Must do During Freshman Year of College

For many high school seniors the final year can be a stressful time. High school students often struggle to manage their time. College will be an awakening for some high school students in terms of time spent studying. The best thing that a high school student can do is develop an academic study plan and follow it. Their freshman year will require 20-30 hours of studying each week. Here are ten tips to for freshman year of college:

1. Get a time management daily planner and increase your study time in your daily schedule. Study at least 4 hours each day.

2. Don’t procrastinate and study for examinations at the last minute. (Study 5 days before each examination)

3. Purchase books for all classes and begin reading them right away. If time allows read each chapter twice. Follow your syllabus and stay ahead.

4. Meet every professor in their office throughout the semester. Go to their office with prepared questions.

5. Get tutoring where appropriate

6. Get involved in study groups where students are earning A+ grades.

7. Focus on maintaining a positive attitude by reading motivational books or listening to recordings.

8. Organize and review your notes daily.

9. Ask your instructor questions right after class.

10. Go to the library to study and avoid friends who area distraction.

Get ready for college while you are in high school. Attend your colleges’ summer program before you attend. College will be the stepping stone to your future.

Dr. Stephen Jones is a college coaching and study skills expert. You can get a copy of his book the “Seven Secrets of How to Study” at http://www.DrStephenJones.net or to obtain college coaching for your son or daughter call 610-842-3843.

Parent Involvement the Primary Key to Student Success

 School districts all over the country are suffering from a lack of parent participation. Could you imagine a day when fifty percent more parents show up for a parent’s night?  Parent involvement can change an entire school system. I challenge parents who are reading this article to use their social networks to encourage friends of your family to show up at Parent’s Night.  If more parents showed up it would let other parents know what resources are needed and they could play a major role in helping schools to become better.  Gone are the days when a mother stayed at home to raise children and participate in school activities.  When a child’s parent is involved in their school it sends a message that they care. If a parent is working they can send a relative or a grandparent. Something needs to be done to make parent involvement in K12 schools a high priority on their list of daily activities. Each parent should want to witness their student’s academic success. Their student’s achievements will draw them into the school and encourage them to participate.

What the educators are saying about parent involvement is true. Parents who read to their children early develop children who enjoy reading.  Children are like sponges absorbing new knowledge at a tremendous rate. 

 Parents are great role models for their children’s love for learning.  If the majority of the parent’s time is spent in front of the television or laptop computer then it becomes their child’s main source of information and learning too.  In other words parents who demonstrate a joy of reading instill it in their children. A student’s enthusiasm for learning should begin in the home then spreads to a child’s in school instruction. Here are a few tips:

1. Parent Involvement – Make out a schedule of dates when you or a relative will show up for school meetings during the academic year. There are plenty or resources that are only announced during a parent’s night.  Also you are getting an opportunity to meet your student’s instructor to find out how they run their class.  You will also uncover ways that you can get involved with at least one activity for the year.

2. Encourage them to set goals for themselves – Children need to know that there is no limits to wait they can accomplish.  Encourage your child and stay involved in school activities.

3. Failure is success – Help your child to understand that there is a lot that they can learn from each failure.  Let them know that they will know to try something different the next time that they are pursuing a grade. The student may also need a tutor to help them to learn a particular subject.

4. Surround your child with positive role models – Get them involved in activities that promote leadership and determination.  An optimistic child can learn that they should never give up.

5.  Expose your child to the world -  Children need to know that there is more to the world than their immediate neighborhood.  There are a lot of positive things that they can learn from others.

6. Physical fitness and good health leads to optimism – A child who is physically healthy will have more energy and enthusiasm for life. A child who is eating write, physically fit and gets sufficient rest will be a very productive child.

7. Get a Tutor – If your student needs help with their academic achievement level talk to their teacher about tutoring. The teacher may provide it or have a tutoring recommendation.  If you ask you will find out that other parents are getting help for their children.

Some governors are saying we need more standardized tests to resolve the student achievement gap.  Testing is not the answer. Parent involvement is an alternative that costs fewer dollars to implement.  The resources that are allocated for testing could be spent to increase the number of parent leaders who are in the schools.  Some schools are finding ways to get parent’s involved in the daily activities of their schools.  Parents who are involved can learn about instruction methods that other parents can use in the home.  They are the catalyst to get parents who are not involved to volunteer for special projects.

Parents sometimes reflect on the bad experiences that they had when they were in K12 schools.  Student achievement can be raised when parents know that their active participation will make a difference in their child’s learning capacity.  Some parents are looking at their child’s achievement level to see if there are any differences.  They need to know more about the benefits of looking at the value of education from a different perspective.  Some parents do not know what a good education looks like.  School administrators and teachers must continually advocate for increased communication with parents.

Parents need more information about how K12 education is changing.  Most parents are not aware of the financial challenges that school systems are facing.  Many schools are underfunded when compared to school districts within their own states.  Parents can play a role in encouraging their local legislators to get involved in changing their states school funding formula.  Parents should invite the legislators to visit schools and to witness so that they can witness the challenges that they are facing.  It is easy to create a policy that under fund schools when you make assumptions that money is getting wasted.  Parents need to partner with schools in order to help with specific resources that their child’s school requires.

The United States is steadily slipping in terms of its edge in graduating students from high schools, trade schools, and colleges.  Starting a national campaign to help parents to understand their role in student achievement is a solution whose time has come.  New and innovative organizations are needed.  These organizations must take into account the changing trends in family structures.  Parents are looking for solutions to the achievement gap.  The solution lays in a combination of community and K12 schools working toward alternative education activities which are easily implemented in the home.

Some parents are raising the bar on their expectations for their student.  They are often interested in identifying resources that will prepare their child for college.  They participate in after school and weekend programs right along with their child.  They sign up because of their belief that their program will serve as a link between high school and post secondary education. Today is the day to get involved and make a difference in your local school. Parents are the key to a successful school and their child’s future career opportunities.

Dr Stephen Jones is and education advocate and an author of the Parent’s Ultimate Education Guide. Get your copy http://www.DrStephenJones.net .

How to Find Money and Resources for Your School

One of the biggest challenges facing schools today is how to maintain an effective level of resources for teachers and students. This is the time to get creative and think of alternative ways to obtain resources. Often people and companies just need to know your needs and they will get involved. It’s important to have a mindset that the resources are available so that you will be an active participant in the effort to locate resources. If everyone in the school gets creative, you can identify resources all throughout the school year. Here are twelve things you can do to find money and resources. 1. Contact new companies that are coming into your town. They want to find a way to get connected to the community. 2. Get students who have graduated from your school and are working to purchase specific items. 3. Get time on a radio program to talk about your needs 4. Have a carnival involving the students and parents 5. Create a list and get sororities and fraternities to have a campaign to get supplies for your school 6. Organize a school wide car wash on a specific Saturday 7. Offer a certain item (i.e shirt, cup) at a school sports event and let the participants know that it is a fund raiser 8. Purchase the chronicle of Philanthropy. It list foundations and corporations who have given to school. 9. Don’t limit your search for funding to local corporations. Go after funds from large corporations 10. Write a proposal and a separate executive summary for funding that you can send out at any time. 11. Join a crowd funding network (i.e. IndIegogo.com) that allows people from all walks of life to contribute to your needs 12. Use the internet to conduct your search for “free school resources.” The important aspect of getting these resources is active participation. You may have an alumni or PTA that will help you with your efforts. Ask others in your school to help to create a list of contacts who are ready to help your school. You will be surprised at who is really interested in helping schools to succeed. Know is the time to get started. To contact Dr. Stephen Jones visit http://www.studyskills2u.com or call 610-842-3843

How to Motivate Students: Strategies that Work

Increasingly parents who send their children to school and those who home school are asking the same question. How can I motivate my child to learn when 21st century technology is influencing their every thought? It seems that children are learning how to multi-task but it is affecting their ability to focus. The very electronics that were purchased to entertain in the home have become the center of their attention. There are cell phones, flat screen televisions in every room, hundreds of cable stations, wireless laptops and IPods. Students say that they cannot live with out there technology devices.

What’s a parent to do? Did you know that each of these items can become another method to increase learning and communication? There are things that you can do to use these items as learning tools. Why not send your son/daughter a text message of the day. Getting the question right helps them to accumulate points toward some reward. Students can download MP# recordings from informative internet radio programs, record notes on a digital recorder and purchase math software for their computer. Some schools are using scientific calculators to teach math.

Innovation in the home learning environment involves making the student a part of the learning process. We do this when children are in elementary school. Parents and teachers constantly think of creative was get children charged up about learning. Somehow we’re convinced that creative learning is for children and not middle and high school students. It’s time to ask the children how they can use the technology to learn. They probably have ideas that they have not considered because they are so focused on communicating with other teens.

Parents and teachers can be a catalyst that demonstrates how learning occurs through daily experiences. Why not visit a local business to find out how they use technology to make their company function. Go to an entertainment company and discover how the use sound affects and technology to change the visible images that people see during a performance.

Did you know that an IPod can be used as a learning tool? Students can down load information from math and science websites. If they are studying volcanoes they can go the websites and get a recording that they can listen to any where at home and while they travel. Learning should occur inside and outside of the classroom. Ask your student what they are listening to every week. There is always an opportunity to reinforce the information that they are learning. Students need to know that you are interested in how they are learning. A few words of encouragement can go a long way.

It’s a whole new world that students are exploring. Parents and teachers must take time to raise their awareness of the technology trends that dominate their student’s lives. For example online tutoring is a growing resource for many families. Schools are loading teacher information on secure school websites. Students can review their teacher’s notes online. It is another innovative way to help your student to learn from a different perspective.

Today learning at all levels must be an adventure that captures the student’s attention and perceptions. Seizing the opportunity to explore how to integrate technology into learning is essential. There’s a wealth of experiences that can make any school assignment a source of academic growth.

Middle School Students Caught in the Middle

It’s amazing how easy it is to forget about the middle school years. Do you remember your crazy middle school years? Middle school students are often caught in the middle while we focus on preparing high school students for college. There needs to be national attention focused on the middle school years to prepare them for the career challenges that face this country. I have noticed that even those who write books focus their efforts on elementary and high school students and leave middle school students out. If you ever attend a national book fair there are limited creative efforts to excite middle school students to read. Any parent who is raising a middle school student can tell you that they are in a different transition in their lives. Communicating with middle school students can be challenging if you are unwilling to admit that you are not perfect. Middle school students need parents and teachers who will let them know that they care.

There should be a national effort to help middle school students to explore all types of careers. The rapid changes technology careers that are happening around the world are still far away from the minds of middle school students in this country. Now is the time to make them a part of the green revolution in solar and wind energy. It would be great to see how these students could envision their future with solar powered cars and wind technology that reduces the cost of energy in each home. Some of the most innovative students are wasting away in middle school because they continue to be taught by traditional methods. Maybe every middle school class should be full of green experiments that allow the students to find themselves and to make a mark on society using their creative ideas.

So who should care about middle school students? Everyone should care including parents, corporations, our government, teachers and counselors. We all have an investment in making middle school more interesting. Students should have laptop computers and graphing calculators as a standard resource for learning. We need to demonstrate how we value the learning capacity of every student by giving them innovative projects. Why not let the middle school students create a city wide effort to save their city money. You would then witness how much creativity and influence they can have when they think about the future of their own city. We need to spend more time helping middle school students to believe that they are part of the solution.

There are thousands of middle schools teachers who need help too. The complexity of the 21st century middle school student can be challenging. Students who would rather text message than talk to each other makes for a different world. Middle school students are multi-tasking just like high school students. They are talking on their cell phone, sending messages on their computer, talking to their friends and doing homework at the same time. It has made middle school and interesting place to try to keep students focused on learning. Middle school students have become accustomed to a fast paced day. It’s time to fill their lives with experiences that makes middle school a place to run too not from. Let’s take the middle school years as a tremendous opportunity to help students to encounter a whole new journey to their future.

For twenty-six years, Dr. Jones has delivered presentations on numerous topics including how to study, leadership, effective communication, and innovative management practices. He is the author of three books one is titled “Seven Secrets of How to Study” the second is the “Parent’s Ultimate Education Guide” and the third is the “Ultimate Scholarship Guide.” The book provides an easy understanding of the seven pillars that are essential to learning success in K12 schools and college. His URL is http://www.sevenbooks.net

Athletes Drop Out Rate a Crisis in the Making

According to Dr. Stephen Jones each year more than 50 percent of African American students drop out of high school and college. This has a significant impact on athletes who play sports. The drop out rate is greatly affected by poor college preparation and study skills. The lack of academic preparation is evident in middle school and high school. Too often athletes are accepted to college without the preparation they need to graduate. The student athletes’ athletic prowess is valued more than their intellectual abilities. Some athletes are also blindsided when they uncover the huge academic deficits when they start college classes. This crisis will continue because of the abundance of athletes who can replace the athlete who is in academic difficulty.

This problem must be attacked head on. Athletes deserve to be prepared to succeed at all levels. The NCAA requires colleges to have an academic support center. Unfortunately often the academic gap is too large even for the tutors that are assigned to students. Although these students have graduated from high school these students arrive to college academically three and four years behind their peers. Middle schools and high school students must get academically caught up prior to enrolling in the college. Many of these students are coming from schools that are not making Adequate Yearly Progress according to the standards set by No Child Left Behind. There are some very basic elements of the education process that are critical for students to succeed in college and they include the ability to read and compute.

This crisis is not one that we can ignore. Too many extremely bright African Americans are ending up in prison. This includes former college athletes who do not have a degree. Every so many weeks it seems that there is an article about some athlete who is escorted into a court room and sent to jail. This is especially detrimental when they leave a stable wife and children to make it by themselves. This foretells a disastrous educational outcome for their children who cannot afford to attend the better schools.

Some organizations and colleges are tracking the exceptional student athlete as early as ten and twelve year old. Yet attention and devotion to ensuring that they maintain high levels of academic performance is given little attention. It seems that there is a viscous cycle of poor study skills and academic preparation that’s repeated in inner city communities throughout the country. A fundamental academic requirement must be established for athletes early in their K 12 experience. Colleges and school districts must make a greater commitment to these students. There must be a break in the pattern of the deepening despair that has become a viscous cycle for so many athletes who do not graduate. Too many families can point to athletes in their family who have never competed a high school diploma or college degree.

Dr. Stephen Jones is a nationally recognized author who has written the “Seven Secrets of How to Study and the “Parent’s Ultimate Education Guide.” You can contact him at 610-842-3843 and at stephenjoness@rcn.com or visit http://sevenbooks.net.