18 Questions to Ponder on Your Child's Studies

 Are you as involved in your child's education as you can be?  Parental involvement is a critical part of a child's school success, and self-assessment can help parents discover areas where they can improve.  What grade would you earn?  Take this quiz to find out.  (Place a check by each "yes" answer.)

Connect with School

• Do you attend every parent-teacher conference and almost all school programs?
• Do you read the school's newsletter and memos regularly?
• Do you contact teachers if there is a problem and give positive feedback to teachers when things are going well?

Nurture Mind and Body

• Do you help with homework if your child asks and limit outside activities if they conflict with schoolwork?
• Does your child have a regular time and place to do homework each day?
• Do you limit television and video games to one or, at the most, two hours a day?
• Do you read to your child at least 15 minutes a day?
• Does your child see you read on your own each day?
• Does your child get at least eight hours of sleep a night?
• Does your child get at least one hour of exercise/physical activity every day?

Be a Role Model

• Do you encourage good sportsmanship at school athletic events?
• Do you encourage your child to do volunteer work at least once a month?
• Do you volunteer with your youngster?

Set Boundaries

• Do you set fair and clear limits for your child and enforce them reasonably?
• Do you work with the school to resolve discipline problems?

Show you Care

• Do you take time for your child each day and listen to his or her problems?
• Do you ask questions each evening about what your child is learning in school?
• Do you look for ways to enrich your child's learning (such as visiting museums with him or her, and attend cultural events together)? 

Scoring:  Count the number of checks

16-18 = A:  You're a valuable partner in your child's education.

13-15 = B:  You are doing many things right, but there is room for improvement.

12 and below = C:  It's not too late to raise your parenting grade.  The most valuable thing you can do is talk with your children about school and what they've learned each day.  This sends the message that school is important to you and should be important to them as well.  Also, ask your child's teacher or school counselor for more specific ways to become involved.