prek12
The Final Countdown Reflections seniors, teachers, faculty on the end of the school year
The school year is wrapping up and seniors are preparing for graduation. They are reflecting on their experience and taking in sage advice from their peers, teachers, coaches and members of the Loyola Academy community. Brimming with excitement during her final weeks of high school, …
Proactive, musical kids support Down syndrome research
In America, around one in 800 babies are born with Down syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality caused by a cell division that results in an additional 21st chromosome. The majority of people living with Down syndrome have cognitive delays ranging from mild to severe. Down Syndrome …
Transitioning from high school to college (North Shore)
The school year is wrapping up; high school seniors are enjoying their last few weeks as the big fish in a small pond. They’ll be moving on to bigger and better waters — college. The time in between — summer — will be one of …
Study abroad enrichment trips for high school students
Study abroad enrichment trips for high school students
Study abroad expeditions are some of the most exciting summer opportunities. For 46 years, Summer Discovery (www.summerdiscovery.com) and Discovery Internships (www.discoveryinternships.com) have offered pre-college enrichment and summer internship programs for high school students in the U.S., England, Italy, Spain and China. In a supervised setting …
Women in science seek to bridge gender gap
When the high school class of 2014 graduates from college in five years, more than 8 million jobs will be available in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). For students today, STEM is their future. Innovations driven by STEM are shaping today’s …
Volunteerism develops culture of empathy, sincerity
Parents have a tough gig. They are responsible for providing all of the basic needs for their children — a warm and safe home, nourishing sustenance, affection — and they are tasked with the amazing job of shaping their children into happy, healthy and upstanding …
Chicago’s neighborhoods burst with cultural prowess
Approximately 2.8 million people live in Chicago. A host of cultures bring life to the city with various celebrations, festivals and parades as well as sundry restaurants, markets, small businesses and museums. The enriching diversity of an urban population provides an excellent opportunity for children …
The 529 college savings plan: a holiday gift that keeps giving
The holiday season is here, and with it comes the quest for the perfect gift. While a trendy toy or must-have gadget might prove popular today, perhaps no gift is more universal and enduring than the gift of education. Shoppers can give that gift by …
Deciding between trade schools or traditional colleges
Today’s high school students face mounting pressure with respect to their futures. Even high school graduates who do not immediately go to college after graduating face difficult decisions about their futures. For many facing such a decision, the process often involves finding the right college. …
Plan ahead for taking ACT or SAT
College admissions tests — the ACT and SAT — are a huge part of the college application process. High school counselors typically provide students with the lowdown on when to take these all-important tests. The following is a brief guide to how to register for …
The Parent Connection: What you can do to improve your child's education
A new study of the American family's passion points from Just Kids, Inc. reveals that most families (45 percent) agree schools and education are their top priority. Yet, parent involvement in their children's education is at an all-time low. "Of all the choices we as …
Smarty pants: Social, emotional and cerebral education for gifted children
Schools that are designed specifically with the gifted child in mind focus on helping the complete child. Academic achievements are important; however, intellectual abilities are not the only predicting factor for life success. Social and emotional development — work behavior, imagination, personal drive, compassion and …
Status update: Parents keeping tabs on school happenings via social media
Social media has changed the way people communicate. Whether through tweets or status updates, information shared through social media avenues is often instantaneous and can reach a large number of people, which is why many parents have turned to social media to learn about events at school.
Three simple steps to help parents with homework
Although they are routinely the first people students ask for homework help, many parents confess they are flummoxed by algebra equations and can’t tell a preposition from a participle. Whether they earned straight As when they were students or not, lack of practice means parents may no longer recall the lessons of their youth.
‘Pioneer Schools’ give a peek at what CPS’s longer school day will look like
On Monday, when the bell rings in Chicago’s year-round public schools to launch the new year, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan for a longer day becomes a reality. The Sun-Times looked at 13 participating elementary schools to get an idea of what the typical school can expect.
Scholarship program helps foster youth succeed
Washington, D.C. — As college costs increase and student loan debt soars, one organization’s unique program helps some of the nation’s most vulnerable young people — those aging out of the foster care system — to attend school without accruing a mountain of debt. The …
Back-to-school organizing tips for students
The start of a new school year is like a fresh box of crayons: full of possibilities. Ginny Bean, mother of three and publisher of Ginny’s catalog, suggests families take advantage of this clean slate by establishing some new organizing routines. Think ahead. Mornings are …
Texting, tweeting lingo creeping into schoolwork
Students are finding it harder to separate proper English from text and tweet language in school.
School lunch fuels success for spring sports
Springtime packs a punch for students. Between tests, papers, school trips, extracurricular performances and jobs, finding the energy for spring's after-school sports is often a challenge. Time and energy are at a premium. Eating well can help ease the crush. While breakfast is often tapped …
Molding academic success, social responsibility, starts early
Developing a good student, and a socially responsible individual, is a process that begins early. For some northwest Indiana educators that means as young as age 1. It also means providing structure and getting parents and grandparents involved in the process.
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, oh my! Talking to your child about social networking
In the olden days, children and teens communicated with friends primarily by talking on the telephone, writing a note or speaking face-to-face. My, how things have changed. Today, students can send text messages on their cell phones and communicate online with their BFF (best friends …
How to help kids find the right extracurricular activity
Today’s kids are busier than ever before. Be it the increasingly competitive nature of scholastic life or the increase of two-income households where kids need something to do other than come directly home after school, children today are much busier than their school-aged counterparts of …
TV show sparks renewed interest in show choir
Students who love to sing and perform are discovering the benefits of choir and chorus programs at school after a popular television show has proven inspirational. Viewers really haven’t been treated to a show about performing students since Fame aired for five seasons, beginning in …
Healthy, quick breakfasts for busy school mornings
Breakfast has long been referred to as the most important meal of the day. It is beneficial for students heading off to school to enjoy a meal before they catch the bus. Studies have found that children who eat a healthy breakfast have higher energy …
Pros and cons to learning in a digital age
The world has quickly become digital, and the younger generations are leading the pack with technology that just may make some other items obsolete. As pre-teens and teenagers routinely turn to digital devices for entertainment and schoolwork, the face of education may change as well. …
Key high school lesson: Learn to balance activities
When he attended Oak Park River Forest High School, Michael Jacobs planned his time around college applications, studying for one of his AP level courses, serving his school community through the J. Kyle Braid Leadership Program and playing a couple hours of competitive tennis. When …