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...

Spring Fever 2012-05-04 Author: Jennifer Van Buren  With so much emphasis on STARR tests (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness), it’s no wonder students and teachers want to check out when the tests are over. Parents may also become lax on the...

Head of the class 2012-04-02 Author: Jennifer Van Buren  Why do we need grammar anyway? The purpose of language is to communicate. Without proper grammar, writing can send a message that is unclear or incorrect. Some adults look at the language of the “Twitter...

  Meet Me in the Middle 2012-03-03 Author: Jennifer VanBuren  Spring is here and that means…time to make choices for the coming fall! You might think it’s too early to be thinking September (or August, really), but fifth graders across the state are already...