Some students breeze through school. They find classes interesting, challenging and stimulating. They like to read independently and are often found scouring the shelves of libraries for new and exciting things to learn. They come home from school each day and sit down to do their homework without being asked. If they come across a word they don't understand, they find a dictionary and look up the word. If your child is one of these students, count your lucky stars because you are very lucky indeed! For a lot of parents, helping their children succeed in school can be a challenge. Many parents report that their child does one or more of the following:

• Has difficulty getting homework done without being asked several times
  
• Loses assignments between home and school
  
• Postpones schoolwork until the last minute
  
• Prefers to skip rather than attend classes
  
• Has behavior and social problems in school

Many of the problems that kids experience at school are related to their behavior rather than their academic abilities. For example, many children who do poorly in a course often don't do homework, prepare for tests or attend class regularly. They may be disruptive or inattentive in class, thereby missing much of the information that the other students are learning. More often than not, the most academically successful students are also the ones who behave well in class. Students who have positive social skills have a better chance of doing well academically.

There are several things parents can do at home to improve their children's school behavior and academic performance. Over the next few months, we will explore different strategies you can use to help your child be as successful as possible during the school year.

Burke, Ray and Herron, Ron. Common Sense Parenting.