Research shows that teens’ brains are still developing—and they

continue to develop until they reach adulthood. During adolescence, your teen’s brain is learning to think critically, plan ahead, solve problems and control impulses. But while your teen is able to process more com-plicated, abstract information, he needs to practice putting these new skills to work and develop processes for learning new information. Help your teen reinforce what he is learning in school by offering these hints:• Color code materials to keep

organized. For example, your teen might write down his assignments in blue pen, new information in red and details concerning a

long-term project in green. His brain will categorize the informa-tion it sees in different colors as it processes what steps to take next.

• Use graphic organizers to visual-ize new information. Seeing facts written out may help your teen recall them later.

• Use process charts to outline the steps of long-term projects. It will help your teen keep track of important steps and due dates.

• Rely on routines. Consistent expec-tations and routines, from both you and your teen’s teachers, will help him remember processes and rules for completing homework, test-taking strategies and more.

Source: P. Lorain, “Brain Development in Young Adolescents,” National Education Association, www.nea.org/tools/16653.htm.

Reinforce study skills to help your teen’s developing brain

Copyright © 2013, The Parent Institute® www.parent-institute.com Practical ideas for parents to help their children

Responsibility leads to greater school success

When your teen takes on respon-sibility, she’s also learning essential life skills, building

her sense of confidence and taking ownership of tasks. Teens who are responsible at home are also more likely to be responsible at school. And taking responsibility for schoolwork is a key for aca-demic success. To build responsibility:• Involveyourteen.Get her

input on what tasks she is able to handle. Ask for her opinion on family matters.

• Definetasksclearly. Write commitments down and post them in a visible spot in your home. Make sure your teen understands what a “finished” chore looks like. Be sure to establish con-sequences for unfinished chores.

• Providepositivefeedback.Praise your teen when she completes a task.

• Beconsistent. If laundry needs to be done every Saturday, don’t let your teen wait until Tuesday to do it.

still make the di�erence!

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April 2013Vol. 20, No. 8

Burlington Institute of Technology

Every year, over one million teens drop out of school. That’s more than 7,000 students each school day. While it used

to be possible to earn a decent living without a high school diploma, today’s economy requires higher skills. So why do teens drop out of school? And what can parents do if they suspect their teen is on that path? Here are some facts:• Studentsdropout for many

reasons. But poor reading skills are among the leading factors. It makes sense—students who are struggling to read can’t under-stand the content in their classes. If your teen has trouble reading, don’t ignore the problem. Talk with the school. And encourage her to read when she’s not in school.

2 • High School • Parents still make the difference! • April 2013

Copyright © 2013, The Parent Institute® www.parent-institute.com

Take action now to make sure your teen stays in high school

Research shows family time is a priority for academic success

Before you know it, the last day of school will arrive. If you want your teen engaged in produc-tive activity this summer,

now’s the time to start planning. Answer yes or no to the questions below to see if you are helping your teen get ready for the summer:___1.Haveyouchecked with your teen’s teachers to be sure he will be passing all his courses? Otherwise, his summer could be filled with taking a make-up class.___2.Haveyoucheckedout the options for summer classes to help your teen pursue an interest or complete a required class? ___3.Haveyouencouragedyour teen to start his summer job search if he is planning to get a job?___4.Haveyoudiscussed places your teen can volunteer?___5.Areyouthinkingof ways your teen can earn money if a job is hard to find?

How well are you doing? Each yes means you’re preparing for a productive summer. For no answers, try those ideas.

Research shows that teens who spend time with their parents do better in school. Make spending time together a

family priority and plan fun activities with your teen. You can: • Spendtime with your teen’s

friends—and their parents. This way, your teen is still able to hang out with his friends, just like he wants. And you’re able to connect with their parents, which will help you understand their family’s val-ues. Stress how important school is to your family.

• Giveyourteenachoiceof things to do with the family. If he would rather take a walk with

you instead of helping you at the grocery store, that’s okay! Give him flexibility in deciding how he wants to spend together time. You’ll still be enjoying each other’s company in the end.

• Eattogetherasafamily.Strive to enjoy at least one meal as a fam-ily each day. Use this time to talk about everyone’s day and to stay informed about each other’s lives. Discuss events around your com-munity and in your teen’s school.

• Spendsometime with your teen every day. Tell him how happy you are when he hangs out with you.

Source: B.H. Frazier and B.B. Tyler, “Spend Time With Your Teens,” University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service, http://extension.umd.edu/publications/pdfs/l270.pdf.

Practical Ideas for Parents to Help Their Children. ISSN: 1523-2395

For subscription information call or write: The Parent Institute®, 1-800-756-5525,

P.O. Box 7474, Fairfax Station, VA 22039-7474. Fax: 1-800-216-3667.

Or visit: www.parent-institute.com.

Published monthly September through May by The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc., an

independent, private agency. Equal opportunity employer.

Copyright © 2013 NIS, Inc.

Publisher: John H. Wherry, Ed.D. Editor: Rebecca Miyares.

Writers: Kris Amundson & Stacey Marin. Illustrator: Joe Mignella.

still make the di�erence!

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• Theyget“lost” in the ninth grade. Nearly one-third of all dropouts fail the ninth grade. Many never recover. If your teen is in ninth grade, pay close attention to her attendance and grades.

• Theydon’tfeelconnected to the school. Teens need a reason to come to school, and a love of algebra might not be enough. So encourage your teen to join a club or a sport. Talk with a teacher after class. Any connection will help teens stay in school.

Source: “Why Students Drop Out: Statistics,” Dropout Prevention, http://tinyurl.com/9zbn2ga.

Are you helping your teen prepare for the summer?

“Educationisthekindlingofaflame,notthefillingofavessel.”

—Socrates

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Research shows that teens who possess self-confidence tend to be more motivated to step out of their comfort

zones, set goals and take the neces-sary steps to reach them than those who are less confident. To build your teen’s confidence—and motivate her to succeed:• Acknowledgeeveryeffort.

Congratulate your teen when she takes a risk. This builds her sense of competence, and it will encourage her to continue to work toward achieving goals.

• Celebratesmallsuccesses.One expert says, “If it’s worth learning, it’s worth celebrating.” When you

Q: Mysonhasstartedbehavingin a way that is completely disrespectful.IfItellhimtodosomething,herollshiseyesandignoresme.IfItrytostartacon-versation,hesighsandignoresme.Iseehisfriendsusingthissamebehavior.IsuspectthatIam not the only target—that he is also acting this way at school. HowcanImakemyteenrespectme?

A: In the short run, you prob-ably can’t. However, you can require him to behave as though he respects you and his teach-ers. The longer he acts that way, the more likely he will be to feel respect. First, of course, you need to let him know that, while it is acceptable for him to disagree with you, it is unacceptable for him to behave in a way that is disrespectful. Then define exactly what you mean: rolling his eyes, using a disrespectful tone of voice, ignoring a parent. Tell him you are prepared to call him out on this behavior every time you see it. Also let him know that there will be conse-quences. Tell him you will not give him a warning—that this is his warning. (Otherwise, he will learn he can be disrespectful once and get away with it.) So when he rolls his eyes, stay calm. Then give him the conse-quence. It will be tough the first few times. But eventually, he’ll learn to control how he responds to you. That means you will see more respectful behavior and so will his teachers.

—Kris Amundson, The Parent Institute

After-school jobs provide countless benefits for teens. They teach responsibility and money management

skills (not to mention that they look great on a college application). But before you give your teen the go-ahead to start applying for jobs, be sure to have an agreement that school is her number one priority. To help your teen decide if she can handle an after-school job right now:• Discussvariousoptionsfor after-

school jobs and the amount of time per week each takes. Mowing lawns on the weekends does not require the same amount of time as working at a local restaurant. What would best fit into your teen’s schedule?

• Talkaboutothercommitmentsthat your teen has. How much

time does she need to commit to homework every night? Does she play any sports or help watch younger siblings after school? Adding an after-school job can help your teen learn valuable time management skills—as long as it doesn’t overload her schedule.

• Remindhertotaketimefor herself. Being a teen is stressful! Between school, friends and other commitments, teens have a lot on their plates. Your teen should make sure she will still have time for herself if she adds a job to her schedule.

While after-school jobs build impor-tant life skills, like self-confidence and reliability, remind your teen that her full-time job is being a successful student.

Source: “Teenagers and After-School Jobs,” Yale Medical Group, www.yalemedicalgroup.org/stw/Page.asp?PageID=STW046066.

April 2013 • High School • Parents still make the difference! • 3

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After-school jobs benefit teens when schoolwork comes first

Building confidence motivates students to succeed in school

celebrate your teen’s successes, you are promoting positive asso-ciations with learning. Give your teen an extra pat on the back for the effort she put into completing a tough project.

• Lookatthebigpicture. Remind your teen of the long-term ben-efits of achieving in school. A good grade on an essay will help her do well in that class, which increases her ability to do well in college. She’s also improving her writing and research skills, abilities that will help her throughout the rest of her academic life.

Source: B. DePorter, “Lighting the Fire of Motivation in Your Teen,” education.com, www.education.com/reference/article/lighting-fire-motivation-your-teen.

Questions & Answers

The average teen sends between 60 and 100 text messages a day. In addition to that, teens spend time each day

on Twitter, Facebook and other social media websites and smart phone apps. Teens need help in setting limits on all that technology. Here are some ideas:• Encourageyourteento spend

one week writing down the amount of time he spends each day texting and using social media. Challenge him to reduce that time the following week.

• Involveyourteenin setting the limit. Teens are always more

likely to follow rules they have helped set up. If your phone plan limits texting, be sure your teen knows what will happen if he goes over that limit.

• Establish“NoTech”zonesand times. The dinner table should be a place where everyone (you, too) leaves cell phones and com-puters behind.

• Createatechcurfew.Teens should have at least 30 minutes of “unplugged” time to wind down before they go to sleep each night.

• Don’tusetechtimeas a reward or punishment. It’ll make it seem even more important to your teen.

4 • High School • Parents still make the difference! • April 2013

Today, more than 75 percent of teens have smart phones. They use them to send text messages to friends.

They play games. Sometimes, they even use them to call people! There are many free apps that can turn your teen’s smart phone into a learning aid. Your teen can use his cell phone to: • Prepareforcollegetesting.

There are many free apps that help teens master the challenging vocabulary for college tests. Downloading one of these apps will allow your teen to study new words on the go.

• Studyaforeignlanguage.Many free apps will help students in their foreign language course. Some apps focus on vocabulary. Others will help students learn those challenging verb tenses. He should ask his teacher to recommend the best one for the language he is learning.

• Replaceagraphingcalculator.In upper-level math classes, students often use these calcula-tors to solve problems. There are free apps that will also do the job. Now he will be able to solve equations on his cell phone.

• ReadShakespeare. Instead of lugging around the huge volume of Shakespeare’s works, your teen can download whatever he’s studying to his smart phone. Look for an app that includes a glossary.

Source: L. Selby, “10 Terrific Apps to Help Out High School Students,” NBC News.com, http://tinyurl.com/c82kv8c.

Turn your teen’s smart phone into a learning aid

Teaching parents about new technology builds teens’ skills

It’s important to help your teen set limits on technology

You aren’t completely in the dark about technology. You email

from your phone. You know how to watch a YouTube video. But the chances are that your teen still knows a lot more. So if you’re puzzled by the latest tech craze (what is a Tweet, anyway?) ask the real expert. Your teen will not only have the answer, she can probably teach you something! The benefits of this role reversal are many. First, your teen will get a chance to be the expert. If she isn’t sure of all the details about a par-ticular tech application, she’ll have to learn it so she can teach you. And she’ll get a chance to take on the role of teacher.

Copyright © 2013, The Parent Institute® www.parent-institute.com

It Matters: Technology

But you’ll benefit, too. You’ll interact with your teen in a differ-ent way. And, of course, you’ll learn how to use the technology!

Source: L. Sutton, “Technology’s Role for Teens and How Teens Can Teach Adults,” Family Online Safety Institute, http://tinyurl.com/cqkfdu9.