I’m always fascinated to hear the stories of ultra-competitive preschool and grammar school admissions in New York City’s private schools. Parents jockey for a spot on a waiting list while pregnant, pay consultants to prepare their preschooler for the interview, pay untold amounts of tuition, and act as if getting into the right school is a matter of life or death.
While a quality school is important, it’s not the number one factor in determining your child’s probability of academic success. In a recent study of 10,000 U.S. teenagers, researchers found that the home environment was three times more important than the school when it comes to 18-year-olds’ test results. Three times. The message? Schools matter, but parents matter far more.
So how do we create the kind of home environment that enables our kids to reach their potential academically? Read How to Equip Your Kids for School Success to learn what matters most. While some of the things parents need to do are more long-range and cumulative, there are lots of things you can start doing today to help your child shine in the classroom, like our 9 Ways to Help Your Child Do Better in School.
Take our 30-Day Back to School Challenge—little ideas with BIG results!
