Looking for Some Good Advice? Books on Your Kids' Education

What Your 1st Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade Education
edited by E. D. Hirsch Jr. (Delta Trade Paperbacks)

Worried that your first-grader is missing some of the basics? This book provides geography, history, math, and science lessons that you and your kids can do at home. This book may not be warm and fuzzy, but it is a thorough approach to traditional, academic subjects.

Getting the Best Education for Your Child: A Parent's Checklist
by James Keogh (Fawcett Books)

Author James Keogh would bet that your school suffers from the "Potato Chip Syndrome." When you buy a bag of chips, there is always a lot more air than chips. Well, claims Keogh, many schools promise 180 days of school, but in fact deliver less and less productive classroom time for your kids.

A former New Jersey school-board member, Keogh's goal is to help parents identify and correct problems like the Potato Chip Syndrome. His writing style is straightforward and jargon-free, with lots of factual case studies to illustrate his points.

School Is Not a Four-Letter Word: How to Help Your Child Make the Grade
by Louanne Johnson (Hyperion Press)

You may have heard of Louanne Johnson: she inspired the Michelle Pfeiffer character in the movie Dangerous Minds.

Johnson believes that no child needs to fail at school. She argues that most problems in the classroom can be solved by the right combination of understanding, attentiveness, and discipline. Johnson says that parents and teachers must believe that education is important, review homework assignments, enforce rules, and reward good work.

Johnson mixes psychology, educational theory, and parenting skills in a no-nonsense style. The result is engrossing and realistic.

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