Inside every student is a graduate A Boost can make the

difference between dropping out or graduating.

“My mom is definitely the person that motivates me the most to stay in school.”

Why should I be Involved in my kids’ schooling?

You probably requested this brochure because you are concerned about your children graduating and feel at a loss about what you can do. Maybe you don’t think you’re “qualified” to help with high school; or maybe, you have a difficult relationship with your children. No matter — your involvement can make more of a difference than you can imagine.

There are a lot of ways that you can help your kids. The more you get involved in your children’s education, the better they do in every way. Students whose parents are involved get better grades and test scores. They show better behavior and attitude. They’re more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, and grow up to be more successful. Your involvement helps all this to happen. It does not matter what your education is your children can be high school graduates even if you are not.

What matters is whether an adult is involved in their lives, providing them with support and encouragement. Best of all, getting more involved is easy. If you’re a parent, it can be as simple as making sure that they wake up on time for school every single day. That’s how you show your children that their education is important to you, too.

High school dropouts are twice as likely as high school graduates to fall into poverty. (Bridgeland, DiIulio, Morison, 2006)

High school graduates, on the average, earn $9,245 more per year than High school dropouts.

(Doland, 2001)

Why do kids skip school and drop out? Dropping out is a process. It is not just a decision that happens overnight. Students who are at risk of dropping out show signs of pulling back from school long before they actually drop out—they miss classes, skip school, do not complete homework, get low grades, and engage in disruptive behavior. In addition, students who are at risk for dropping out often seem less interested in school and have low expectations for their own success.

“My brother plays a big role in my life... He wouldn’t be happy at all if I were to drop out of school.”

What warning signs should I look for? There are specific factors to watch for in students who are likely to drop out of schoolThey don’t like school. They think their parents don’t care if they go to school. They believe their parents are too controlling and they want to rebel. They have trouble with school work or feel like they are not as smart as the other students. They fear for their safety at school or are being bullied or teased by other students. They have problems with drugs or alcohol or mental illness. They are regularly absent from school.There are problems in their home, including physical or verbal abuse.They feel like they don’t fit in or have friends at school.

Students give reasons for not attending schoolThey think classes are boring, irrelevant, and a waste of time. They can miss class days and still receive credit. They don’t have good relationships with teachers. They don’t have good relationships with other students. They were suspended too often. They don’t feel safe at school. They can’t keep up with school work or are failing. They can’t balance work and going to school at the same time.

Okay, but how do I become more involved?

Keep in touch with the school The first step in helping your children is staying up to date about how they are performing at school.

Don’t wait for the school to tell you how your kids are doing. Instead, get to know the people involved in your children’s education and speak with them often. Talk often with teachers. It can make a real impact on how your kids are doing in class and shows you’re interested. Attend parent-teacher conferences at school. Learn the names of your children’s teachers, principals, and counselors. Talk with them during the year about how your children are doing. Teachers welcome and need your feedback in order to help your children do their best.

To find other ideas on how to get involved with your kids’ school, call National PTA at 800-307-4782 or visit www.pta.org.

For more information about how to help your children, call the U.S. Department of Education at 800-USA-LEARN (800-872-5327)

or visit http://www.ed.gov/parents.

(se habla Español). TTY: 800-437-0833.

High school dropouts are 3.5 times more likely than high school graduates to be arrested in their lifetime. (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2003a)

Talk to your Children Frequent and open family discussions are also important in helping your children do better, so keep the lines of communication open. Teach your kids about the importance of honesty, hard work, respect, and responsibility.

Listen. Letting your children talk about what’s bothering them will help them to resolve their problems, without violence. Teach your kids good values so they can learn to make good decisions. Make sure your children feel comfortable talking to you about sex, drugs, and alcohol—you may find it hard, but it may just save their lives. Every day, ask them a few questions about school, their school work, and their outside activities. Get to know their friends and who they hang out with. Keep them involved in family activities.

“My teachers believe in me, and they push me in school.”

Monitor out-of-school activities

Use community resources to keep your children safe and busy outside of school. Youth organizations, religious groups, arts and cultural institutions,

libraries, school clubs, colleges and universities, and after school programs all provide safe activities.

To help find your child a mentor, call Big Brothers Big sisters at 888-412-BIGS.

You can help your child find local volunteering opportunities at 800-WE-PREVENT.

Research shows that kids who consume alcohol have more problems at school than kids who don’t drink.

For information on underage drinking prevention, call 800-729-6686 or visit www.stopalcoholabuse.gov.

Monitor their use of the Internet.

For tips to make sure your kids are safe while they’re surfing the Web, call 800-THE-LOST.

Keeping an eye on what your kids do after school can help reduce dangerous behavior such as sexual activity, drinking, and drug use. Research shows that kids who drink alcohol have more problems at school than kids who don’t drink. Know your children’s plans, where they go, who they are with, and what they do. If you work outside the home, set a time to speak with them on the phone every afternoon. Establish a family action plan that they can use if they should ever find themselves in a compromising or potentially dangerous situation.

In today’s workplace, only 40% of adults who dropped out of high school are employed, whereas 60% of adult high school graduates and 80% of adult college graduates are employed. (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2003a)

Set daily homework timesSupport their efforts to learn. Be available for questions and spend time discussing what was learned. You don’t have to know all the answers — simply showing that you are interested will make a difference.

Set high, but realistic, standards for your children’s school work.

Set a regular time for homework each day.

Provide a quiet, well-lit place at home where they can study. If that isn’t possible, encourage and enable your children to study at the library.

Don’t let kids be distracted by phone calls, radio, video games, the Internet, or television when they’re supposed to be doing their homework.

To find information about family learning in your area, call the

national Center for Family Literacy at 877-FAMLIT-1.

One high school student drops out every 9 seconds.

(Reimer, Smink, 2005)

Establish family routines. Families that have routines create more stable home environments.

Routines make life predictable and help kids feel secure.

Set routine times for homework, chores, meals, and sleep.

Discuss daily events at mealtime, and remember to ask your children questions about their day.

“I dropped out of school. No one cared about me... so I don’t care.”

Praise your children Children are usually more successful in school when parents give them positive feedback, show interest and concern, and reward success.

Encourage your children to work hard to achieve their goals.

Get involved with your kids. Ask questions and listen to their ideas and problems.

For additional information about how you can get involved call 800-790-DADS.

Write a positive note to your child.

Male and female students with low academic achievement are twice as likely to become parents by their senior year of high school compared to students with high academic achievement.

Make sure your kids know that reading is important. Reading is the key to success in school and in life. Children who have things to read at home learn to read better and understand more of what they read. Keep books, magazines, and newspapers in your home.

Go to the library to borrow materials for your children to read and to find information to help with their school projects, interests, and hobbies.

Ask your children questions about what they are reading and what they have learned.

Read to your children.

Use community resources. Take advantage of free or low-cost opportunities for your children and your family to participate in activities together. After school and summer learning programs, recreation centers, sports teams, community service activities, and religious youth groups all provide positive social and learning experiences for children and their families. Reinforce learning by going to libraries, museums, free concerts, cultural fairs, sporting events, and malls.

Other family-oriented community resources may include health care services, housing assistance, adult education and family literacy, employment counseling, and arts and culture activities.

P.O. Box 42510 Cincinnati, OH 45242