Articles

Parenting styles

Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education (PTAVE): plain talk about spanking

Dr. Jane Bluestein on Parenting - Topics relating to generic parenting topics such as parenting styles, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as resources on specific parenting issues such as skills development, increasing positivity, building financial literacy, and divorce.

Dr. Jane Bluestein on Kids' Behavior - Topics relating to your children’s behavior, including discipline, motivation, win-win authority relationships and power dynamics, building responsibility, recognition and reinforcement, rules and boundaries, follow-through, and intervening negative behavior.

Dr. Jane Bluestein on Culture and Safety - Topics relating to culture and community, including promoting social and emotional growth, cultural and social influences, health and safety issues, bullying and friendship, and building independence and problem solving skills.

Dr. Jane Bluestein on Self-care and Inspiration - Topics related to inspiration and self-care, including avoiding burnout, gratitude and optimism, overcoming obstacles, positive relationships, teacher appreciation, and taking care of yourself.

Learning Styles

Learning Styles Quiz

Dr. Jane Bluestein on How Kids Learn - Topics relating to learning, including your children’s learning styles, movement and learning, the body-brain connection, special needs, non-traditional learners, relationships with your children’s teachers, homework, and other school-related issues.

Books

Homework

Play

Styles 

 

Websites

National Parent Teacher’s Association 
    http://www.pta.org/

PTA resources 
    http://www.pta.org/topics.asp

State Laws on Family Engagement in Education
    http://www.pta.org/3717.asp

State PTA websites
http://www.pta.org/jp_find_your_pta.html

 

Parenting Tools

Relationships

  • Jane Bluestein - Ph.D. and author. Explains "Positive Learning Culture" and creating emotionally safe schools.
  • Dr. Dan Siegel
  • PBS Frontline video: Inside the Teenage Brain - a 6-part PBS science documentary. Dr. Charles Nelson, neuroscientist and child psychologist at the University of Minnesota says, "Teenagers have, particularly when they're first becoming teenagers, have every reason to believe and feel that no one understands them, that they, themselves, are sometimes surprised at what flies out of their mouths." (Ch.1 @ 6 min) "Many parents are thrown for a loop when their kids gets to be an adolescent in some respects. And what i think they need to do is recognize that this is just another phase of child development and even thought their children may be shouting more, talking back more, kicking, and throwing temper tantrums, it's just a temper tantrum in a 5-foot tall body instead of an 18-inch long body," he continues to say. (Ch.2 @ 9:05)
     

Vision Pathways

Catalyst! Vision and Learning - an educational tool used in classrooms, allowing teachers to intervene and assist students struggling to read and learn.

Auditory Pathways

Fast ForWord - a computer software program used by schools to address auditory processing problems.

Sleep

Sleep for Science - non-profit at Brown University. Research shows that school schedules should be adjusted to match adolescent sleep cycles.

Career/Tech Ed

Career technical education classes, when offered for credit, help retain students, result in a decreased dropout rate, and improve academic performance.

David Gergen interview

Hydration/Nutrition

Eat Right
My Pyramid
Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity - Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Movement

Brain Gym 

Accountability

Mismeasure of Man (book)
National Center for Education and Statistics 
US Department of Education's Accountability 

Incarceration

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

 

 

 

 

 

Functional Parenting

How to put research into practice is always a challenge. One remarkable source for thorough and effective practical applications of research in home and schools settings is the work of Dr. Jane Bluestein, Ph.D.

Dr. Jane Bluestein’s books, including Creating Emotionally Safe Schools and The Parent's Little Book of Lists; Do's and Dont's of Effective Parenting, as well as Parents, Teens and Boundaries; How to Draw the Line, plus Dr. Bluestein’s parent and educator training's all detail “concrete, practical ways to build healthy adult-child/youth relationships and to cultivate a child/youth’s responsibility, resiliency, self-management and success.”

5 characteristics of a good boundary - and why they are better than rules by Jane Bluestein, PhD

Resources:

Model parent participation preschools

Bullying / Meanness

Information About Bullying

  • Stomp Out Bullying
    • SITE - full of information about the different types of bullying. Provides resources on how you can get involved.
  • Bullying Frequently Asked Questions
    • These FAQ about bullying are extracted from key concepts presented in the California Department of Education's publication titled Bullying at School (PDF).
  • Stop Bullying: Recourse for Parents
    • VIDEO - Stephanie Papas, CA Dept of Education talks about what is being done on the education front to counter bullying and cyber bullying. She gives resources for parents & teachers on how to handle bullying.
  • What If Your Child is the Bully?
    • PDF - With tips on what to do if your child is the bully.   
  • Bullying and the Child With Special Needs
    • SITE - The publication, "Walk a Mile in Their Shoes," is provided by AbilityPath.org External link opens in new window or tab. an on-line hub and special needs community for parents and professionals. The document provides information for parents and educators on the issue of bullying of students with special needs.
  • Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying   
    • PDF - Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention fact sheet that discusses: what juvenile bullying is, a report on the long/short-term effects of bullying, and a discussion of the Bullying Prevention Program initiative.

Help Your Child Cope With Bullying / Get Involved

  • Heal Bullying
  • SITE/FREE RESOURCE - 6 free MP3s to help youth *increase confidence, *improve peer
    relationships, *behave responsibly with social media, *respond to bullying appropriately.
  • Stop Bullying.gov
    • Information for students and adults that defines bullying and provides advice on how to address the issue.
  • Suggestions for Parents When Dealing With Bullying (Diff translations available)   
    • SITE - provides useful suggestions for dealing with child or adult bullying. Organized by a Watch-dog Organization - Advocating for Bullied Children & Reporting on State Anti Bullying Laws.
  • Helping Kids Deal With Bullies
    • SITE - has lots of information about bullying and how to prevent it. It has information that is directed towards kids, and information directed towards parents.
  • 10 Things You Can Do to Help: Bully Flyer
    • List of 10 things parents, teachers and family can do to be aware of, prevent and cope with bullying
  • Parental Tip Sheet
    • Single page parental tip sheet for parents describing what bullying is and how to stop it.
  • Bullying and the Child with Special Needs   
    • SITE - The publication, "Walk a Mile in Their Shoes," is provided by AbilityPath.org. The document provides extensive information, statistics, studies and tools for parents and educators on the issue of bullying of students with special needs.
  • Stop Bullying Now: Advice for Parents & Guardians   
    • SITE - Provides suggestions for positive actions to protect your child and teen from mistreatment and trauma. Article also discusses actions to take if your child is doing mean things to others, or if your child is distressed by seeing mean behavior.

Information on Cyber-Bullying

  • What Is Cyberbullying
    • SITE - very useful site provides facts on cyberbullying, the effects of cyberbullying, the frequency of cyberbullying, how to prevent and report cyberbullying.
  • STOP Cyberbullying
    • SITE - easy to follow site that teaches what cyber-bullying is, why people do it, the laws surrounding it and ways to prevent it from happening.
  • Cyberbullying PSA
    • VIDEO - on cyber bullying with examples. Also includes some good statistics.
  • Cyber Bullying Research Center
    • RESEARCH SITE - Charts depicting data from studies about cyber bullying, taken in southern California.

Personal Bullying Stories

  • Bullied Celebrities
    • SITE - You're not alone, even celebrities like Jessica Alba, Christian Bale, Tom Cruise and Megan Fox were bullied. Read excerpts of their bullying stories.
  • Bullying Stories
    • SITE/BLOG - Good outlet to share your story. Site was started by a victim looking to express the bullying he experienced as a youth from his current adult perspective. Many personal stories along with other bullying resources and comments from the public.
  • Stop Bullying, Speak Up
    • VIDEO/SITE - Cartoon Network speaks up against bullying by providing video testimonials of victims of all ages sharing their stories of bullying, how its changed them and ways to help. Helpful question and answer section.
  • If You Really Knew Me
    • VIDEO/SITE - Great for kids to watch. This is an MTV series dedicated towards the personal stories of bullied students. Many episodes with loads of information.
  • Letters to a Bullied Girl
    • VIDEO - Inspiring story that introduces a book of letters, inspired by two sisters who wrote to a girl when they heard about how she was bullied.

Helpful Books

  • Bullying at School and Online (Free E-Book)
    • A free downloadable e-Book full of quick facts for parents and educators to reference.
  • Taking the Bully by the Horns
    • SITE/BOOK - Information, including a self-help book, that gives young people the skills they need to deal with bullies and maintain healthy self-esteem.
  • Bullying in North American Schools
    • BOOK - Bullying in North American Schools is an exciting compilation of research on bullying in school-aged youth by a representative group of researchers, including developmental, social, counseling, school, and clinical psychologists across North America.
  • Bullying in American Schools: Causes, Preventions, Interventions
    • BOOK - Chapter One defines bullying as a form of violence among children and discusses characteristics of bullies. Chapter Two identifies myths about bullies and presents research that dispels those myths. Chapter Three considers how serious violence begins with seemingly innocent put-downs and teasing. Chapter Four explores how bullying may indicate the beginning of a generally antisocial and rule-breaking behavior pattern that can extend into adulthood, and presents successful programs and interventions. Chapter Five presents useful solutions and strategies to stop bullying.

College Prep

Financial Aid Help

  • Simple Tuition Website
    • SITE - Simpletuition.com is a helpful website for students and parents that offers tips, advice, interactive tools and deals to ensure students plan better for the cost of college, pay less for college-related expenses, and are smarter about how they manage and pay back their student loans.
  • Financial Aid Process
    • VIDEO - Overview of the Financial Aid process created by the Federal Student Aid which is a department of the U.S Department of Education.
  • Glossary of Financial Aid Terms
    • SITE - With all the different types of loans, grants and scholarships available, it can be confusing what everything means.  This handy glossary clearly defines what the loans mean and how to figure out the terms of your loans.
  • How to Find Free Money For College
    • ARTICLE - Great article and video about finding creative ways to pay for college.  Also explains that students shouldn't be afraid of the "sticker shock" when they hear how much school will cost since often times students won't pay that much because of grants and scholarships. Very useful.

Scholarship / Grant Help

  • Grants and Scholarships
    • SITE - Grants and Scholarships are truly free money for students to use to pay for school.  This website covers all the basics of the types of grants and scholarships available and how to apply.
  • Fastweb.com
    • SITE - Official Student Aid website for California. Explains various types of Financial Aid and provides resources to find funding.
  • How to Get Into College
    • ARTICLE - A great article that covers strategies that students would not think of when applying to college. Including essay topics, personal information sharing, and more.
  • Scholarship Tracker
    • SITE - New Futuro offers a scholarship tracker to allow students to figure out what scholarships might be best suited for them.  The site does require registration or you can sign in using facebook. Website is very user friendly.
  • How to Apply for Scholarships
    • VIDEO - YouTube video with quick, to-the-point tips and ways to apply for scholarships.

College Prep Checklist

  • Federal Student Aid Checklist for High-schoolers
    • SITE - This website contains checklists for every level of education. The checklists are meant to be a guideline for parents and students to make getting into college as easy as possible.
  • College Prep Timeline
    • SITE - This easy to follow timeline shows students where they should be in their academic progress starting in 7th grade until 12th grade.  It even breaks it down month-to-month during the critical 12th grade section.

Free GMAT Resources

  • Free GMAT Sample Questions
    • SITE - Explains the GMAT and provides links with sample questions for GMAT.
  • GMAT YouTube Channel
    • VIDEO - This GMAT Prep Now program, features hundreds of videos.  The video module format is an easy to follow experience complete with learning guide.  The Guide contains hundreds of activities arranged in the order that best promotes understanding and retention.
  • University of San Diego GMAT Sample Classes
    • SITE - Schedule of free sample Test Preparation classes at University of San Diego.

Free LSAT Resources

  • Free Resources to Study & Prepare for LSAT
    • SITE - This website allows users to take a free mini-LSAT test, look at lessons and even participate in tutoring.
  • Free Sample LSAT Questions
    • SITE - Explains the LSAT and provides sample questions.
  • LSAT YouTube Channel
    • VIDEO - This youtube channel offers many logic questions, tips for preparing for the LSAT and other useful tidbits about successfully passing the LSAT.
  • LSAT Practice
    • SITE - Free LSAT practice questions. Offers study guides, memory tricks and practice questions.