Boys will be boys? 2013-04-30 Author: Jennifer VanBuren Pink or blue booties? Princesses or Power Rangers? Glitter glue or mud pies? While every child is an individual, gender trends remain. Should these differences affect the number on a child’s report card?...

Safe schools 2013-03-26 Author: Jennifer VanBuren  This pledge, while written for elementary students, seems like a great idea for people of all ages: “I promise to do my best to treat everyone fairly. I promise to do my best to be kind to everyone - even if they...

Get on board 2013-02-26 Author: Jennifer VanBuren School board meetings are usually flooded with public input when discussing the budget, program cuts or boundary issues. However, if you have other concerns not settled at the school level, you may find presenting your...

The ABCs of AYP 2013-02-01 Author: Jennifer VanBuren  In August, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced that 44 percent of Texas campuses and 28 percent of Texas districts failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards in 2012. The previous year, 50...

Schoolhouse social 2013-01-02 Author: Jennifer Van Buren From a quick peek over a child’s shoulder or a scroll across her Facebook page, most parents are, and should be, vigilant when it comes to monitoring their child’s Internet activity. This is especially true when...

Tracing your past 2012-11-26 Author: Jennifer Van Buren  First you hear, “Class, open your history books to page 160,” then comes the more subtle sound of minds disconnecting. There are people who consider sitting down with a history book a hobby: Civil War...

Roll call part II 2012-10-29 Author: Jennifer Van Buren Respect me for who I am, require me to do my best and give me the help I need to achieve it.” In a series of interviews, high school students, regardless of background or environment, all responded with this same...

Roll call! 2012-09-28 Author: Jennifer VanBuren  Raising your hand and saying, “Here!” is as big a part of school history as the little red schoolhouse. But do you know why schools make such a fuss over attendance? What’s the big deal if I take my son out of...

Welcome back to school! 2012-08-28 Author: Jennifer VanBuren 7:00 a.m. Susie tells her mother that today is her turn for show-and-tell. Excited to tell everyone about the cool shell she found on summer break, she pleads, “Mommy, please come see me! Right after lunch!”...

Academic competition 2012-07-29 Author: Jennifer Van Buren Has “No Child Left Behind” led to “No Child Running Ahead Either?” Some believe it has. “No Child Left Behind” was put into place in order to account for children who meet a minimum proficiency, but are there...

Ready? Set. Go! 2012-07-09 Author: Jennifer VanBure  In Texas, a child who turns five by September 1st may enroll in kindergarten. How can parents know if their child is ready? There is no exact science to this determination, especially when skills seem to appear...

Summer Book Time! 2012-05-31 Author: Jennifer Van BurenLike this article? Link to it here. Summer is finally here! No more pencils, no more books…wait a second, what do you mean no more books? Summertime is the ideal time to read! Here are some ways to make summer...