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Acknowledgments | |
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Before You Begin | |
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Introduction | |
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You Are Your Child's Most Important Teacher | |
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Lessons That Good Schools Teach | |
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Will Your School Educate Your Child Well? | |
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Our Schools and Our Culture | |
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Ten Principles for Parents of Educated Children | |
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The Preschool Years | |
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Fostering a Love of Learning | |
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Your Love, Protection, and Care | |
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Your Time | |
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A Positive Learning Environment | |
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An Attitude That Values Learning | |
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Early Moral Training | |
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How Young Children Learn | |
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Getting Ready for School | |
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Kindergarten Readiness List | |
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Getting Ready to Read | |
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Making Your House a Book House | |
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Choosing Books for Children | |
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Thirty Great Books Every Preschooler Should Meet | |
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Setting a Good Reading Example | |
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Reading to Your Child | |
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Reading Rules of Thumb | |
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Checking Out the Library | |
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Getting Ready to Write | |
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Learning to Speak and Listen Well | |
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Getting Ready for Arithmetic | |
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Preschool Science | |
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Building Motor Skills | |
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Resources to Help Your Preschooler Learn | |
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Character Education in the Early Years | |
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Forming Character for School Success | |
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Discipline in the Preschool Years | |
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Social Skills | |
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Helping Your Child Learn Self-Reliance | |
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Day Care and Preschool | |
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Day Care | |
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A Word About Day Care Licensing | |
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Preschool | |
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Is Preschool Necessary? | |
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Looking for a Good Preschool | |
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Staying Involved | |
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The Core Curriculum | |
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The Importance of a Solid Core Curriculum | |
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Checking on Your School's Standards of Learning | |
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How to Use This Book to Examine Your School's Curriculum | |
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Ten Signs of a Good School | |
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The Core Knowledge Sequence | |
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English | |
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What Good Schools Teach--and Why | |
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Reading | |
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Writing | |
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Speaking | |
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How Do You Recognize "Great" Literature? | |
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How Are Schools Doing? | |
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The English Curriculum | |
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The Primary Grades | |
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Kindergarten | |
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First Grade | |
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Second Grade | |
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Third Grade | |
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Good Books for the Primary Grades | |
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How Well Read Is Your Primary Grade Child? | |
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Questions to Ask the Teacher | |
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What If My Child Has a Reading Problem? | |
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The Intermediate Grades | |
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Fourth Grade | |
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Fifth Grade | |
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Sixth Grade | |
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Good Books for the Intermediate Grades | |
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How Well Read Is Your Intermediate Grade Child? | |
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Wellsprings of Western Literature | |
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Questions to Ask the Teacher | |
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Junior High | |
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Seventh Grade | |
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Eighth Grade | |
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Good Books for Junior High | |
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How Well Read Is Your Junior High Schooler? | |
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Memorizing Poems and Prose | |
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Questions to Ask the Teacher | |
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Issues in Language Arts Education | |
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Phonics Versus Whole Language | |
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When Should Students Start to Read? | |
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Should Schools Group Children by Reading Ability? | |
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When Should Children Learn to Write? | |
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What If the Teacher Does Not Correct Spelling? | |
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How Important Is Penmanship? | |
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What Is the Place of Western Literature in the English Classroom? | |
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Why Are Children's Classics Being Slighted? | |
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Is My Child Really Learning to Understand Literature? | |
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Should Children Study Much Grammar? | |
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Should Schools Be Sticklers About Proper English? | |
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Warning Signs of a Weak Language Arts Program | |
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Teaching Reading, Writing, and Literature at Home | |
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Helping Your Child Learn to Read | |
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Help with Phonics | |
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Building Reading Comprehension | |
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Resources That Help Your Child Learn to Read | |
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Helping Your Child Learn to Write | |
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Gauging Your Child's Interest and Progress | |
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History and Geography | |
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What Good Schools Teach--and Why | |
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The Intellectual Function of History | |
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The Civic Function of History | |
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The Moral Function of History | |
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History Lessons That Good Schools Teach | |
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The Place of Geography in the Curriculum | |
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What About Economics? | |
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How Are Schools Doing? | |
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The History and Geography Curriculum | |
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The Primary Grades | |
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Kindergarten | |
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First Grade | |
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Second Grade | |
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Third Grade | |
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Is Your School Teaching Historical Literacy? | |
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Questions to Ask the Teacher | |
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The Intermediate Grades | |
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Fourth Grade | |
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How Are American Fourth Graders Doing? | |
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Fifth Grade | |
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Does My Child Know the Map? | |
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Sixth Grade | |
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Is My Child Geographically Literate? | |
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Is Your School Teaching Basic Economics? | |
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Questions to Ask the Teacher | |
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Junior High | |
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Seventh Grade | |
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Eighth Grade | |
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How Are American Eighth Graders Doing? | |
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Is Your School Teaching Literacy in American History? | |
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Is Your School Teaching Literacy in World History? | |
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Is Your Child Learning How American Democracy Works? | |
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Questions to Ask the Teacher | |
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Issues in the Teaching of History | |
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What Happened to the Story in History? | |
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"Expanding Environments" | |
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What Is "Social Studies"? | |
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How Important Are Facts in History? | |
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Dates Your Child Should Learn | |
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What Is the Place of Multiculturalism in History Class? | |
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How Much Western Civilization? | |
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Is It America the Beautiful--or the Bad? | |
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Warning Signs of a Weak History and Geography Program | |
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Teaching History and Geography at Home | |
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Teaching History at Home | |
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Resources That Help Your Child Learn History | |
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Teaching Geography at Home | |
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Resources That Help Your Child Learn Geography | |
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Teaching Civics at Home | |
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Teaching Basic Economics at Home | |
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Art and Music | |
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What Good Schools Teach--and Why | |
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How Are Schools Doing? | |
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The Art and Music Curriculum | |
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The Primary Grades | |
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Kindergarten | |
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First Grade | |
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Second Grade | |
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Third Grade | |
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The Intermediate Grades | |
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Fourth Grade | |
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Fifth Grade | |
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Sixth Grade | |
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Junior High | |
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Seventh Grade | |
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Eighth Grade | |
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How Strong Is the Fine Arts Program at Your School? | |
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Teaching About Art and Music at Home | |
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Resources That Help Your Child Learn About Art and Music | |
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Mathematics | |
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What Good Schools Teach--and Why | |
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How Are Schools Doing? | |
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The Mathematics Curriculum | |
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The Primary Grades | |
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Kindergarten | |
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First Grade | |
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Second Grade | |
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Third Grade | |
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Does Your Child Know Basic Math Facts? | |
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Questions to Ask the Teacher | |
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What If My Child Is Falling Behind? | |
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The Intermediate Grades | |
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Fourth Grade | |
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How Are American Fourth Graders Doing? | |
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Fifth Grade | |
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Sixth Grade | |
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Does Your Child Know Basic Math Facts? | |
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Why Does My Child Keep Counting on Her Fingers? | |
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Questions to Ask the Teacher | |
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Junior High | |
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Seventh Grade | |
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Eighth Grade | |
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Does Your Child Know Basic Math Facts? | |
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How Are American Eighth Graders Doing? | |
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Questions to Ask the Teacher | |
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Issues in the Teaching of Mathematics | |
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What Is "New" New Math? | |
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Is Memorization Outdated? | |
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How Important Is Practice? | |
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What Is the Role of Calculators in Math Class? | |
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What Is "Discovery Learning" in Math? | |
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What Is "Real World" Math? | |
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How Important Is Getting Exact Answers in Math? | |
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Does the Teacher Know Enough Math? | |
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Warning Signs of a Weak Mathematics Program | |
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Teaching Mathematics at Home | |
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Math Homework Counts | |
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Memorizing Math Facts | |
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Resources That Help Your Child Learn Math | |
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Math Activities Around the House | |
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Science | |
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What Good Schools Teach--and Why | |
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The Value of a Solid Grounding in Science | |
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How Are Schools Doing? | |
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The Science Curriculum | |
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The Primary Grades | |
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Kindergarten | |
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First Grade | |
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Second Grade | |
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Third Grade | |
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Is Your School Teaching Science Literacy? | |
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Questions to Ask the Teacher | |
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The Intermediate Grades | |
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Fourth Grade | |
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How Are American Fourth Graders Doing? | |
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Fifth Grade | |
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Sixth Grade | |
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Is Your School Teaching Science Literacy? | |
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Questions to Ask the Teacher | |
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Junior High | |
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Seventh Grade | |
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Eighth Grade | |
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Is Your School Teaching Science Literacy? | |
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How Are American Eighth Graders Doing? | |
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Questions to Ask the Teacher | |
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Issues in Science Education | |
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Is Your School Teaching Enough Science? | |
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Is the Curriculum Challenging? | |
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Does the Teacher Know Enough Science? | |
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What Is the Best Way to Test Students in Science? | |
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Should Schools Teach Evolution? | |
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Are Science Lessons Getting Too Green? | |
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Warning Signs of a Weak Science Program | |
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Teaching Science at Home | |
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Teaching Your Child to Think Like a Scientist | |
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Science at Home and Beyond | |
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Resources That Help Your Child Learn Science | |
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Making It Work | |
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Helping Your Child Succeed in School | |
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Teaching Your Child Good Study Habits | |
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Teaching Your Child to Study Actively | |
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Helping Your Child with Homework | |
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Warning Signs of a Weak Homework Regimen | |
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Tests and Testing | |
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Types of Tests | |
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What Are the "Standards" in Standardized Tests? | |
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Preparing for Tests | |
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Test-Taking Tips | |
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The Anti-Test Bias | |
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"Authentic Assessment" | |
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Warning Signs of Weak Testing Methods | |
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Grades and Report Cards | |
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Grade Inflation | |
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Grade Aversion | |
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Warning Signs of Weak Grading | |
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What If My Child Isn't Promoted? | |
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Warning Signs of Academic Trouble Ahead | |
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Getting Involved at School | |
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Great Ways to Get Involved | |
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Volunteering at School | |
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Signs of Schools That Welcome Parents | |
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Good Teacher Relations | |
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The Parent-Teacher Conference | |
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Working Out Problems with the Teacher | |
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Your Principal and Your School | |
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Getting to Know the Principal | |
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Grading Your Involvement | |
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Special Needs and Special Gifts | |
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Children with Disabilities | |
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What Is "Special Education"? | |
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Identification and Evaluation | |
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Learning Disabilities | |
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ADD and Ritalin | |
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Developing a Plan | |
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Deciding on the Placement | |
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Looking Out for Your Child | |
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Where to Get Help and Information | |
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Gifted Children | |
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Options for Gifted Students | |
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Being an Advocate for Your Gifted Child | |
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Where to Get Help and Information | |
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School Problems | |
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Low Standards and Expectations | |
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A Fifth Grader Asks Her Own Questions | |
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Are Your Child's Textbooks Challenging? | |
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How to Gauge Your School's Expectations | |
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Warning Signs of Low Expectations | |
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Fighting Low Expectations | |
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More About Home Schooling | |
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More About Charter Schools | |
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Bad Teaching | |
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Warning Signs of Bad Teaching | |
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Poor Discipline | |
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What Good Schools Do | |
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What Parents Can Do | |
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Warning Signs of Discipline Trouble at School | |
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Along with Academics | |
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Character Education | |
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How Schools Teach Good Character | |
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Signs of Good Character Education | |
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Does Your School Live by a Character Code? | |
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Teaching Character at Home | |
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Character-Building Books | |
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Where to Get Help and Information | |
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Character and Faith | |
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Health and Physical Education | |
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What Good Schools Teach | |
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Keeping an Eye on the Health Program | |
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Physical Fitness and Health at Home | |
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Extracurricular Activities | |
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Summer Learning and Fun | |
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Temptations and Troubles | |
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Drugs and Alcohol | |
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What Parents Can Do | |
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Signs of Drug Use | |
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Teaching Your Child to Say No | |
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Supervising Older Kids | |
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What Good Schools Do | |
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Questions to Ask About Drugs and Your School | |
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Where to Get Help and Information | |
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Sex and Sex Education | |
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Principles to Look for in Sex Education | |
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What Parents Can Do | |
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Where to Get Help and Information | |
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Television and Your Child's Education | |
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Establishing Good TV Habits | |
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Internet Safety Rules | |
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Current Issues in Education | |
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Outcomes-Based Education | |
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Education Standards | |
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Skills Versus Knowledge | |
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Multiculturalism | |
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Discovery Learning | |
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Teachers as Facilitators | |
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Developmentalism | |
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Multiple Intelligences | |
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Cooperative Learning | |
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Self-Esteem | |
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Choice Among Schools | |
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Public Versus Private Schools | |
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Public Charter Schools | |
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Home Schooling | |
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For-Profit Schools | |
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Religion and Schools | |
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Social Promotion | |
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Tracking | |
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Class Size | |
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Spending on Schools | |
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School Uniforms | |
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Year-Round Schooling | |
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Computers in the Classroom | |
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Teacher Training and Certification | |
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Teachers Unions | |
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Bilingual Education | |
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Parents and Education Reform | |
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The Education Establishment: The Blob | |
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Special Interest Groups | |
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The Anti-Blob | |
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Ways to Bring About Change | |
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Tips and Warnings | |
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Good Books About Education Reform | |
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Good Web Sites for Parent-Reformers | |
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Notes | |
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Index | |