Win-Win-Win

It is that time of year again. It's Back to School time. 

It's time to buy your kids really hip new clothes, shiny new notebooks, brand new sneakers, and enroll them in at least 5 after-school enrichment programs. Am I right?

Maybe not. School is all about helping parents educate their children. Once these children begin school, they become students. Students have one primary task: getting an education. Parents have a very important task too: making sure that their children are getting this education. 

In this symbiotic relationship, schools help parents and parents help students, thus helping schools.That is how it is supposed to work anyway. Dr. Soo Kim Abboud and Jane Kim, sisters and co-authors of the book Top of the Class: How Asian Parents Raise High Achievers- and How You Can Too, state the following:

Non-Asian children often equate the final ring of the school bell with freedom from learning and education. Therein lies the difference between many Asian children and their peers. Many non-Asian children view their roles in the classroom and at home very differently. Unfortunately, many children are not taught that the role of student is one to be assumed during and after school hours...

Asian parents do several things that allow their children to embrace the role of student:

• They manage their children's time outside of school.
• They assume the role of educator after school hours.
• They teach their children that being a student is both fun and rewarding (with the help of their children's educators).
• They have a genuine respect for educators. (1)

If this is what Asian-American parents are doing, they are doing something right. In June, the Center on Education Policy found that as a group, Asian-American students were the highest performing "racial/ethnic sub-group" in both math and reading in the 4th and 8th grades.(2)

Managing your child's time outside of school,
becoming involved in your child's education at home and at school, respecting your child's teachers and school and emphasizing the importance of your child's role as student will benefit you, your child, and your child's school. In fact, it's a win-win-win.

Click here to read the article: How do Asian Students Get to the Top of the Class?

1. Abboud, S.K., Kim, J. How do asian students get to the top of the class? Found on 20 August 2010 at http://www.greatschools.org/parenting/teaching-values/parenting-students-to-the-top.gs?content=481&page=all
2. New study finds asian american students gnerally outperform other racial/ethnic subgroups in state math and reading tests. Center on Education Policy. Found on 20 August 2010 at http://www.scribd.com/doc/35220889/Asian-American-Academic-Achievement-June-2010-CEP