The Educated Child A Parents Guide From Preschool Through Eighth Grade

by Bennett, William J.; Finn, Jr., Chester E.; Cribb, Jr., John T. E.

• ISBN13: 9780684872728
• ISBN10: 0684872722
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-06
• Publisher: Free Press

Summary

The Educated Childdefines a good education and offers parents a plan of action for ensuring that their children achieve it. Combining the goals that William Bennett enumerated as Secretary of Education, key excerpts from E. D. Hirsch's Core Knowledge Sequence, and the latest research, it sets forth clear curricula and specific objectives for children from kindergarten through the eighth grade, including: What children should be studying and the kind of work they should be doing Important facts to learn and essential reading lists When children should master specific math skills, spelling and grammar basics, and scientific facts Test preparation, homework, and other areas that require parental involvementThe Educated Childalso examines timely issues such as school choice, sex education, character education, and the phonics/whole language debate. Perhaps most important, it encourages parents to become advocates for their children by learning what to look for in a good school, how to talk to educators, and how, when necessary, to push for needed changes. For parents concerned about their children's current education and future lives, it is the ultimate handbook.

Author Biography

William J. Bennett served as Secretary of Education and is the author of several national bestsellers, including The Book of Virtues and The Moral Compass. He is a fellow at the Heritage Foundation and codirector of Empower America.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xix
Before You Begin	1	(5)
Introduction	6	(1)
You Are Your Child's Most Important Teacher	7	(3)
Lessons That Good Schools Teach	10	(2)
Will Your School Educate Your Child Well?	12	(3)
Our Schools and Our Culture	15	(3)
Ten Principles for Parents of Educated Children	18	(3)
PART I: THE PRESCHOOL YEARS	21	(70)
Fostering a Love of Learning	24	(12)
Your Love, Protection, and Care	24	(1)
Your Time	25	(2)
A Positive Learning Environment	27	(1)
An Attitude That Values Learning	28	(2)
Early Moral Training	30	(1)
How Young Children Learn	31	(5)
Getting Ready for School	36	(31)
Kindergarten Readiness List	37	(4)
Getting Ready to Read	41	(4)
Making Your House a Book House	41	(1)
Choosing Books for Children	42	(1)
Thirty Great Books Every Preschooler Should Meet	43	(1)
Setting a Good Reading Example	44	(1)
Reading to Your Child	45	(7)
Reading Rules of Thumb	47	(3)
Checking Out the Library	50	(2)
Getting Ready to Write	52	(3)
Learning to Speak and Listen Well	55	(3)
Getting Ready for Arithmetic	58	(2)
Preschool Science	60	(3)
Building Motor Skills	63	(2)
Resources to Help Your Preschooler Learn	65	(2)
Character Education in the Early Years	67	(13)
Forming Character for School Success	71	(3)
Discipline in the Preschool Years	74	(1)
Social Skills	75	(3)
Helping Your Child Learn Self-Reliance	78	(2)
Day Care and Preschool	80	(11)
Day Care	80	(3)
A Word About Day Care Licensing	83	(1)
Preschool	83	(8)
Is Preschool Necessary?	84	(1)
Looking for a Good Preschool	85	(4)
Staying Involved	89	(2)
PART II: THE CORE CURRICULUM	91	(314)
The Importance of a Solid Core Curriculum	92	(2)
Checking on Your School's Standards of Learning	94	(1)
How to Use This Book to Examine Your School's Curriculum	95	(4)
Ten Signs of a Good School	99	(1)
The Core Knowledge Sequence	100	(1)
English	101	(86)
What Good Schools Teach---and Why	101	(9)
Reading	101	(4)
Writing	105	(2)
Speaking	107	(1)
How Do You Recognize ``Great'' Literature?	108	(1)
How Are Schools Doing?	109	(1)
The English Curriculum	110	(39)
The Primary Grades	111	(2)
Kindergarten	113	(2)
First Grade	115	(2)
Second Grade	117	(2)
Third Grade	119	(3)
Good Books for the Primary Grades	122	(1)
How Well Read Is Your Primary Grade Child?	123	(1)
Questions to Ask the Teacher	124	(1)
What If My Child Has a Reading Problem?	125	(1)
The Intermediate Grades	126	(3)
Fourth Grade	129	(2)
Fifth Grade	131	(2)
Sixth Grade	133	(2)
Good Books for the Intermediate Grades	135	(1)
How Well Read Is Your Intermediate Grade Child?	136	(1)
Wellsprings of Western Literature	137	(1)
Questions to Ask the Teacher	138	(1)
Junior High	139	(1)
Seventh Grade	140	(3)
Eighth Grade	143	(2)
Good Books for Junior High	145	(1)
How Well Read Is Your Junior High Schooler?	146	(1)
Memorizing Poems and Prose	147	(1)
Questions to Ask the Teacher	148	(1)
Issues in Language Arts Education	149	(20)
Phonics Versus Whole Language	149	(3)
When Should Students Start to Read?	152	(1)
Should Schools Group Children by Reading Ability?	153	(2)
When Should Children Learn to Write?	155	(1)
What If the Teacher Does Not Correct Spelling?	156	(3)
How Important Is Penmanship?	159	(1)
What Is the Place of Western Literature in the English Classroom?	160	(2)
Why Are Children's Classics Being Slighted?	162	(2)
Is My Child Really Learning to Understand Literature?	164	(1)
Should Children Study Much Grammar?	165	(2)
Should Schools Be Sticklers About Proper English?	167	(2)
Warning Signs of a Weak Language Arts Program	169	(1)
Teaching Reading, Writing, and Literature at Home	169	(18)
Helping Your Child Learn to Read	171	(2)
Help with Phonics	173	(4)
Building Reading Comprehension	177	(1)
Resources That Help Your Child Learn to Read	178	(1)
Helping Your Child Learn to Write	179	(6)
Gauging Your Child's Interest and Progress	185	(2)
History and Geography	187	(75)
What Good Schools Teach---and Why	188	(13)
The Intellectual Function of History	188	(2)
The Civic Function of History	190	(2)
The Moral Function of History	192	(1)
History Lessons That Good Schools Teach	193	(2)
The Place of Geography in the Curriculum	195	(3)
What About Economics?	198	(1)
How Are Schools Doing?	199	(2)
The History and Geography Curriculum	201	(11)
The Primary Grades	202	(1)
Kindergarten	203	(2)
First Grade	205	(2)
Second Grade	207	(2)
Third Grade	209	(2)
Is Your School Teaching Historical Literacy?	211	(1)
Questions to Ask the Teacher	212	(1)
The Intermediate Grades	212	(23)
Fourth Grade	214	(2)
How Are American Fourth Graders Doing?	216	(1)
Fifth Grade	217	(3)
Does My Child Know the Map?	220	(1)
Sixth Grade	221	(2)
Is My Child Geographically Literate?	223	(1)
Is Your School Teaching Basic Economics?	224	(1)
Questions to Ask the Teacher	225	(1)
Junior High	225	(1)
Seventh Grade	226	(2)
Eighth Grade	228	(3)
How Are American Eighth Graders Doing?	231	(1)
Is Your School Teaching Literacy in American History?	232	(1)
Is Your School Teaching Literacy in World History?	233	(1)
Is Your Child Learning How American Democracy Works?	234	(1)
Questions to Ask the Teacher	235	(1)
Issues in the Teaching of History	235	(15)
What Happened to the Story in History?	236	(2)
``Expanding Environments''	238	(1)
What Is ``Social Studies''?	239	(2)
How Important Are Facts in History?	241	(1)
Dates Your Child Should Learn	242	(1)
What Is the Place of Multiculturalism in History Class?	243	(2)
How Much Western Civilization?	245	(2)
Is It America the Beautiful---or the Bad?	247	(2)
Warning Signs of a Weak History and Geography Program	249	(1)
Teaching History and Geography at Home	250	(12)
Teaching History at Home	250	(4)
Resources That Help Your Child Learn History	254	(1)
Teaching Geography at Home	255	(2)
Resources That Help Your Child Learn Geography	257	(1)
Teaching Civics at Home	258	(1)
Teaching Basic Economics at Home	259	(3)
Art and Music	262	(15)
What Good Schools Teach---and Why	263	(2)
How Are Schools Doing?	265	(1)
The Art and Music Curriculum	265	(4)
The Primary Grades	266	(1)
Kindergarten	266	(1)
First Grade	267	(1)
Second Grade	268	(1)
Third Grade	268	(1)
The Intermediate Grades	269	(3)
Fourth Grade	270	(1)
Fifth Grade	270	(1)
Sixth Grade	271	(1)
Junior High	272	(2)
Seventh Grade	272	(1)
Eighth Grade	273	(1)
How Strong Is the Fine Arts Program at Your School?	273	(1)
Teaching About Art and Music at Home	274	(3)
Resources That Help Your Child Learn About Art and Music	276	(1)
Mathematics	277	(68)
What Good Schools Teach---and Why	277	(7)
How Are Schools Doing?	283	(1)
The Mathematics Curriculum	284	(35)
The Primary Grades	286	(1)
Kindergarten	287	(2)
First Grade	289	(2)
Second Grade	291	(2)
Third Grade	293	(2)
Does Your Child Know Basic Math Facts?	295	(1)
Questions to Ask the Teacher	296	(1)
What If My Child Is Falling Behind?	297	(1)
The Intermediate Grades	298	(2)
Fourth Grade	300	(2)
How Are American Fourth Graders Doing?	302	(1)
Fifth Grade	303	(2)
Sixth Grade	305	(3)
Does Your Child Know Basic Math Facts?	308	(2)
Why Does My Child Keep Counting on Her Fingers?	310	(1)
Questions to Ask the Teacher	311	(1)
Junior High	311	(1)
Seventh Grade	312	(2)
Eighth Grade	314	(3)
Does Your Child Know Basic Math Facts?	317	(1)
How Are American Eighth Graders Doing?	317	(1)
Questions to Ask the Teacher	318	(1)
Issues in the Teaching of Mathematics	319	(14)
What Is ``New'' New Math?	319	(3)
Is Memorization Outdated?	322	(2)
How Important Is Practice?	324	(2)
What Is the Role of Calculators in Math Class?	326	(1)
What Is ``Discovery Learning'' in Math?	327	(2)
What Is ``Real World'' Math?	329	(1)
How Important Is Getting Exact Answers in Math?	330	(1)
Does the Teacher Know Enough Math?	331	(2)
Warning Signs of a Weak Mathematics Program	333	(1)
Teaching Mathematics at Home	333	(12)
Math Homework Counts	334	(4)
Memorizing Math Facts	338	(2)
Resources That Help Your Child Learn Math	340	(1)
Math Activities Around the House	340	(5)
Science	345	(60)
What Good Schools Teach---and Why	345	(8)
The Value of a Solid Grounding in Science	350	(2)
How Are Schools Doing?	352	(1)
The Science Curriculum	353	(32)
The Primary Grades	355	(2)
Kindergarten	357	(1)
First Grade	358	(2)
Second Grade	360	(2)
Third Grade	362	(2)
Is Your School Teaching Science Literacy?	364	(2)
Questions to Ask the Teacher	366	(1)
The Intermediate Grades	366	(1)
Fourth Grade	367	(3)
How Are American Fourth Graders Doing?	370	(1)
Fifth Grade	370	(3)
Sixth Grade	373	(2)
Is Your School Teaching Science Literacy?	375	(2)
Questions to Ask the Teacher	377	(1)
Junior High	377	(1)
Seventh Grade	378	(2)
Eighth Grade	380	(2)
Is Your School Teaching Science Literacy?	382	(2)
How Are American Eighth Graders Doing?	384	(1)
Questions to Ask the Teacher	384	(1)
Issues in Science Education	385	(9)
Is Your School Teaching Enough Science?	385	(1)
Is the Curriculum Challenging?	386	(2)
Does the Teacher Know Enough Science?	388	(1)
What Is the Best Way to Test Students in Science?	389	(1)
Should School Teach Evolution?	390	(2)
Are Science Lessons Getting Too Green?	392	(1)
Warning Signs of a Weak Science Program	393	(1)
Teaching Science at Home	394	(11)
Teaching Your Child to Think Like a Scientist	395	(4)
Science at Home and Beyond	399	(3)
Resources That Help Your Child Learn Science	402	(3)
PART III: MAKING IT WORK	405	(241)
Helping Your Child Succeed in School	409	(56)
Teaching Your Child Good Study Habits	410	(6)
Teaching Your Child to Study Actively	415	(1)
Helping Your Child with Homework	416	(7)
Warning Signs of a Weak Homework Regimen	423	(1)
Tests and Testing	423	(12)
Types of Tests	424	(1)
What Are the ``Standards'' in Standardized Tests?	425	(2)
Preparing for Tests	427	(3)
Test-Taking Tips	430	(1)
The Anti-Test Bias	431	(2)
``Authentic Assessment''	433	(2)
Warning Signs of Weak Testing Methods	435	(1)
Grades and Report Cards	435	(7)
Grade Inflation	437	(2)
Grade Aversion	439	(3)
Warning Signs of Weak Grading	442	(1)
What If My Child Isn't Promoted?	442	(3)
Warning Signs of Academic Trouble Ahead	445	(1)
Getting Involved at School	445	(10)
Great Ways to Get Involved	450	(4)
Volunteering at School	454	(1)
Signs of Schools That Welcome Parents	454	(1)
Good Teacher Relations	455	(10)
The Parent-Teacher Conference	459	(1)
Working Out Problems with the Teacher	460	(1)
Your Principal and Your School	461	(2)
Getting to Know the Principal	463	(1)
Grading Your Involvement	464	(1)
Special Needs and Special Gifts	465	(27)
Children with Disabilities	466	(17)
What Is ``Special Education''?	467	(1)
Identification and Evaluation	468	(3)
Learning Disabilities	471	(1)
ADD and Ritalin	472	(2)
Developing a Plan	474	(2)
Deciding on the Placement	476	(2)
Looking Out for Your Child	478	(2)
Where to Get Help and Information	480	(3)
Gifted Children	483	(9)
Options for Gifted Students	485	(3)
Being an Advocate for Your Gifted Child	488	(2)
Where to Get Help and Information	490	(2)
School Problems	492	(30)
Low Standards and Expectations	492	(13)
A Fifth Grader Asks Her Own Questions	495	(1)
Are Your Child's Textbooks Challenging?	496	(1)
How to Guage Your School's Expectations	497	(3)
Warning Signs of Low Expectations	500	(1)
Fighting Low Expectations	501	(2)
More About Home Schooling	503	(1)
More About Charter Schools	504	(1)
Bad Teaching	505	(7)
Warning Signs of Bad Teaching	507	(5)
Poor Discipline	512	(10)
What Good Schools Do	513	(4)
What Parents Can Do	517	(3)
Warning Signs of Discipline Trouble at School	520	(2)
Along with Academics	522	(31)
Character Education	523	(17)
How Schools Teach Good Character	527	(2)
Signs of Good Character Education	529	(2)
Does Your School Live by a Character Code?	531	(1)
Teaching Character at Home	532	(5)
Character-Building Books	537	(1)
Where to Get Help and Information	538	(1)
Character and Faith	539	(1)
Health and Physical Education	540	(6)
What Good Schools Teach	543	(1)
Keeping an Eye on the Health Program	544	(1)
Physical Fitness and Health at Home	545	(1)
Extracurricular Activities	546	(7)
Summer Learning and Fun	551	(2)
Temptations and Troubles	553	(31)
Drugs and Alcohol	554	(13)
What Parents Can Do	556	(4)
Signs of Drug Use	560	(1)
Teaching Your Child to Say No	561	(1)
Supervising Older Kids	562	(1)
What Good Schools Do	562	(3)
Questions to Ask About Drugs and Your School	565	(1)
Where to Get Help and Information	566	(1)
Sex and Sex Education	567	(9)
Principles to Look for in Sex Education	571	(1)
What Parents Can Do	572	(3)
Where to Get Help and Information	575	(1)
Television and Your Child's Education	576	(8)
Establishing Good TV Habits	579	(3)
Internet Safety Rules	582	(2)
Current Issues in Education	584	(42)
Outcomes-Based Education	585	(1)
Education Standards	586	(2)
Skills Versus Knowledge	588	(2)
Multiculturalism	590	(2)
Discovery Learning	592	(1)
Teachers as Facilitators	593	(2)
Developmentalism	595	(2)
Multiple Intelligences	597	(1)
Cooperative Learning	598	(2)
Self-Esteem	600	(1)
Choice Among Schools	601	(2)
Public Versus Private Schools	603	(1)
Public Charter Schools	604	(1)
Home Schooling	605	(1)
For-Profit Schools	606	(1)
Religion and Schools	607	(3)
Social Promotion	610	(2)
Tracking	612	(1)
Class Size	613	(2)
Spending on Schools	615	(1)
School Uniforms	616	(1)
Year-Round Schooling	617	(2)
Computers in the Classroom	619	(1)
Teacher Training and Certification	620	(3)
Teachers Unions	623	(1)
Bilingual Education	624	(2)
Parents and Education Reform	626	(20)
The Education Establishment: The Blob	627	(6)
Special Interest Groups	631	(1)
The Anti-Blob	632	(1)
Ways to Bring About Change	633	(13)
Tips and Warnings	639	(3)
Good Books About Education Reform	642	(1)
Good Web Sites for Parent-Reformers	643	(3)
Notes	646	(5)
Index	651

Excerpts

Introduction

The purpose of this book is to help you secure a good education for your child from early childhood through the eighth grade. As far as learning goes, these years are far and away the most important. They are the time when children acquire the bricks and mortar of a solid education -- the knowledge, skills, habits, and ideals that will serve as the foundation of learning and character throughout their lives. If that edifice is solid by the end of eighth grade, then a student's future is bright indeed. If poorly constructed, the outlook is much dimmer.

Our aim is three-fold. First, we hope to remind parents of their own responsibilities in educating their children. There are few secrets to raising good students. What needs to be done is mostly a matter of common sense. But there is much you can do, and a few things that you must do, to see that your child learns well.

Second, this book will help you determine whether your school is doing a good job. Many parents assume that their children's schools maintain high expectations and offer a quality education. They naturally want to believe that the academic program is strong. Our message to you is: "Trust but verify." The reality is that too many American schools arenotdoing right by their pupils. In the coming chapters, you'll find some tools you can use to figure out whether your child is truly getting a good education, and some suggestions about how to correct problems at school.

Third, this book paints a fairly detailed picture of what a well-educated child knows and can do. For much of American history, there existed the idea of a "good education." It meant possessing certain knowledge and skills, and behaving in a certain way. Today, regrettably, such a vision is missing from many schools. They are reluctant to specify the lessons that all children should learn. This is a shame, because some thingsaremore important to know than others.

This book helps you know what to look for in a good education. It reminds you of what to stand for as a parent, and what you should not stand for. It draws on common sense, the experience of many teachers and parents, the wisdom of the ages, and much of the best available research. We can all use allies in our efforts to raise children. Think of this book as an ally to help you keep yourself, your child, and your school on track.

You Are Your Child's Most Important Teacher

There is an old saying that a parent's heart is the child's schoolroom. Your dreams, your efforts, your examples and loving exhortations -- these set the boundaries of your child's education. The seminal lessons taught in the home stay with children as they make their way through school and life, shaping their interests, ideals, and enthusiasm for learning. Parents are children's first and most important teachers. Raising your child is your number one job. Seeing that he gets a good education is, in many respects, the crux of that task.

The pressures of time, work, and competing interests tempt us to hand more and more of our educational responsibilities to others. Parents often get a subtle, alluring, but deeply damaging message from today's culture: your role is not quite so important after all. You can delegate. You can outsource. Children will suffer no harm -- in fact, they may reap some benefits -- when they get more of their care and guidance from others. Specialists and experts can fill in for you, pay attention for you, make decisions for you, give guidance where you cannot. Let others take charge of education: curriculum directors, counselors, child care professionals, even children themselves. It is a seductive siren song. It gives the green light for surrendering part of a sacred duty.

You must resist these temptations. For good or ill, you are always your child's most influential teacher. Even when he reaches school age, you are still the dean-at-home, the chief academic officer. The more involved you are, the better your child's chances of getting a good education. If you begin to remove yourself from the learning process, those chances start to plummet. If you turn over your most important responsibilities to others, you may doom his school career. That amounts to educational abandonment, a pernicious form of child neglect. You need to be in charge of your child's education. So take charge.

Several critical elements can come only from you. First among these is your love. The psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner says that the one indispensable condition for a child's successful upbringing is that at least one adult must have a deep and irrational attachment to him. In other words, someone must be absolutely crazy about that child. Children are put on this earth to be loved. They need unconditional devotion (not unconditional approval). When they grow up knowing that an adult is always there as guardian angel and guide, they thrive. When they sense that such devotion is missing, things can begin to go terribly wrong with their educations and their lives.

Your attitude about education is another key predictor of academic success. Your child looks to you for cues about what is important in life. He is always watching for your approval or disapproval, for your interest or indifference. If you care, he cares. If he sees that you value learning, he will probably do the same. If he observes you putting education second or third, he may not take his schoolwork seriously. Consistent reinforcement means everything. The messages you send determine in no small way how well your child reads, writes, and thinks. Every morning, you must send him off to school with a good night's sleep, a decent breakfast, and a positive attitude toward learning.

Instilling the highest ideals is crucial: Belief in the value of hard work. A strong sense of responsibility. A willingness to keep trying until success finally comes. Respect for legitimate authority. Such traits are the engines that power learning at school, in college, and in life. Academic success depends on them. Transmission of these virtues is more than just part of the territory of parenthood. It is a fundamental obligation.

Your expectations are all important. Children strive to clear the bars that their parents set. So long as those standards are fair and reasonable, they help kids flourish. Parents' expectations determine whether children finish homework on time and study for tests. They separate good students from bad. They help set the course of life. It is said that Abraham Lincoln's mother told him over and over again what kind of good, hardworking man she hoped he would become. Many years later Lincoln observed, "All that I am, and all that I hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." Setting standards for children is not placing a burden on them. It is an expression of love and confidence.

Good students usually come from homes where moms and dads have tried to create a rich learning environment. They've stimulated their children's curiosity by showing them that the world is a fascinating place and helping them explore it. This does not require you to spend lots of money or have a degree in education. It mostly consists of seeing that your child grows up with interesting things to do. It means reading aloud to him, and listening to him read aloud. It means playing games, asking and answering questions, explaining things as best you can. It means exposing him to varied experiences and visiting places together -- taking walks in the woods, working in the garden, occasionally going to a museum or monument. Such activities turn children into curious students.

Education success comes from putting enough time into the right work. What one spends time on is what one ends up knowing. If your child spends endless hours playing video games, he will know all the ins and outs of video games. If he spends time on math and science, then that's what he will know. Academic achievement also hinges, to no small degree, on the timeyoudevote to education. If you spend time helping your loved one learn to read, master those multiplication tables, and listen carefully when others are talking, his chances of doing well in school are much better.

Know what your child is doing -- where he is, who his friends are, what books he reads, what movies he sees. Keep track of schoolwork -- what he is learning, whether he's finishing his assignments, if he's prepared for that upcoming test. The parents of good students keep an eye on what the school teaches. They have a sense of the expectations it maintains, the discipline it requires. Your child's education demands your vigilance. You must stay alert. No one else will do it for you. When a parent's attention wanders, a child may quickly veer off the learning track. It may be harder than you think to get him back on.

You teach by example. Aesop tells a wonderful fable about a crab and his son scurrying over the sand. The father chastised his child: "Stop walking sideways! It's much more becoming to stroll straightforward." The young crab replied: "I will, father dear, just as soon as I see how. Show me the straight way, and I'll walk in it behind you." There is nothing like the quiet power of intellectual example and moral example. Parents teach in everything they do. More often than not, your child will walk it the way you walk it.

For most moms and dads, faith is a crucial part of education. Believing that children are moral and spiritual beings, they want their loved ones to be educated in a way that reflects those beliefs. Public schools, by law, cannot be of help in the inculcation of faith. But there are other institutions -- churches, synagogues, mosques, and of course religious schools -- that can be critical teachers. Bear in mind that religious training can help young people become better students, and there is ample evidence that faith safeguards children from threats that wreck educations at an early age, such as drugs, alcohol, and sexual experimentation.

The rules you maintain lie at the foundations of a good education -- rules such as "All schoolwork must be finished before you talk to your friends on the phone," and "Always speak politely to teachers." Without clear direction from parents, most students do not know how to conduct themselves.

Rules about television areespeciallycritical to academic success. In this country, television has become an enemy of education. In many homes, it is a constant interference with learning. Television is not only a distraction and sometimes a cesspool, but watching it also means your child is losing the opportunity to do something more valuable. Almost anything else -- reading, exercising, playing a game, talking with parents, even sleeping -- is a better use of your child's time. The research is clear: excessive television hurts a youngster's school achievement. A TV set on all the time is a sign of parental indifference. Yes, there is some good TV, but if you care about education, your youngster cannot sit slack-jawed hour after hour in front of the tube.

These, then, are the fundamentals. Your love. Your attitude about education. Your efforts to stimulate your child's curiosity. Your ideals, rules, and expectations. The time and attention you pay, and the examples you set. These themes are at the core of this book. They are necessary ingredients on your end. They do not guarantee academic achievement, but they make it much more likely. They put your child's education in the hands best able to direct it: yours.

Lessons That Good Schools Teach

Parents often attach the most importance to higher education, yet elementary school has a far greater impact. Except for family and church, no institution is so influential. We ask elementary schools to help shape our students' first and lasting ideas about themselves, their country, and the world. We expect them to teach basic knowledge and nourish the appetite for learning. In the K-8 years, children gain -- or fail to gain -- skills they will need throughout their educations and careers. They develop habits and values they will carry the rest of their days. Elementary school is an invitation and encouragement to a fulfilled life. In educational significance, its mission dwarfs all others.

The authors have visited hundreds of schools across the country. We have learned that good elementary schools share a certain character or ethos. They teach certain lessons and uphold certain ideals. It takes no expertise to recognize whether a school is doing right by its students. You can begin to get a good sense of it just by spending a little time in its classrooms and corridors.

Good schools attend to the basic subjects: English, history, geography, math, science, art, and music. They focus on these academic fundamentals. They don't clutter the curriculum with so many other topics that the basics get pushed aside. Students know that learning this core curriculum is serious business.

Good elementary schools concentrate on essential skills. Perhaps most of all, that means teaching students how to comprehend the written word. Reading is the heart and soul of elementary education. If a child goes on to high school unable to read fluently, his chances for academic success are in great peril. Other vital skills also need to be mastered before eighth grade. We expect elementary schools to teach children to speak and write well; to add, subtract, multiply, divide, and measure things; to think logically and clearly; to ask good questions, analyze problems, and search for correct answers.

Knowledge is just as important as skills. Good elementary schools recognize that there are some facts and ideas that all American students should know. For example, they teach students what a right triangle is, what happened in 1776, where the earth is in our solar system, what a Trojan horse is. Good schools spell out for parents the fundamental knowledge they intend to transmit. Teaching it is serious work, not a chance by-product of learning skills.

Elementary schools hold the responsibility of transmitting to each new generation what may be called our "common culture," the things that bind Americans together as one people. In its highest form, this common culture is the sum of our intellectual inheritance, our legacy from all the ages that have gone before us. It is the knowledge, ideas, and aspirations that shape our understanding of who we are as a people. Our common culture is found in documents such as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence; in principles such as the belief that all men are created equal; and in events from our past, such as the landings of theMayflowerat Plymouth and theEagleon the moon. It lies in great stories and poems, such as Charles Dickens'sA Christmas Caroland Emma Lazarus's "The New Colossus." Americans of all backgrounds want schools to acquaint children with our common legacy. As the journalist Walter Lippmann once observed, no culture can survive that is ignorant of its own traditions.

Teaching cultural literacy is part of the effort of raising good citizens. This task, too, belongs in considerable part to the elementary school: to help lay the groundwork for young people's eventual entry into the democratic community of responsible adults. Teachers acquaint pupils with their rights as well as their duties to their fellow citizens and their country. Teddy Roosevelt once said that "the first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight." Good schools teach such civic virtues. They help children learn to live up to their obligations, not to shrink from toil, and to give others the respect they are due. They teach them to recognize America's faults, but also to offer this country the great honor it deserves. They help children become, in Madison's words, "loving critics."

In that vein, good elementary schools help parents develop character in children. They never lose sight of the fact that the formation of intellect and character go hand in hand. In training young hearts and minds toward the good, they make conscious efforts to inculcate virtues such as self-discipline, diligence, perseverance, and honesty. Teachers cultivate these traits largely through the formation of habits: getting to class on time, being thorough about assignments, saying "Yes, Ma'am" and "Yes, Sir" to teachers, cleaning up after oneself. They offer lessons that appeal to children's moral imaginations. They help students come to know virtue.

These are lessons that good elementary schools must teach. Our system of education is like a pyramid. Success at each level -- high school, college, and beyond -- depends on earlier preparation. Mediocrity at any stage will diminish possibilities for the next. A cracked foundation threatens the whole.

Will Your School Educate Your Child Well?

It is well documented that many U.S. schools are not meeting today's challenges. Surveys and test scores are disheartening. The National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that fewer than one third of fourth graders are "proficient" readers. Nearly 40 percent read below the "basic" level, which means they can barely read at all. In math, nearly 40 percent of eighth graders score below basic. Americans are now sadly accustomed to newspaper reports that fewer than one in five American children knows the purpose of the Declaration of Independence, or that one third of high school seniors can't identify the countries we fought during World War II.

Employers complain that many job applicants lack the basic reading and math skills they need to perform the jobs they are seeking. They say that many students come out of school with poor work habits, including disorganization, irresponsibility, and an inability to get to work on time. College officials voice similar concerns. Nationwide, about three in ten first-time college freshmen now have to take remedial courses in reading, writing, or mathematics. As Steven Sample, president of the University of Southern California, has observed, "A country that has the best universities in the world has among the worst elementary and secondary schools."

There are some bright spots in the academic record, particularly in the lower grades. In international math and science tests, for example, American fourth graders fare well compared with students in other nations. By the eighth grade, however, their performance is middling. By twelfth grade, they occupy the international cellar. In math and science, American seniors are amongthe worst in the industrialized world.

Clearly something is going wrong, particularly in the middle and high school grades. Unlike students in other countries, our kids seem to do worse the longer they stay in school. By the end of eighth grade, many are ill-prepared for the kind of high school education we want them to have.

The U.S. has been "reforming" its schools for the better part of two decades. We've tried a hundred different programs and a thousand gimmicks. We've poured in countless billions of dollars. Yet it's clearer than ever that none of these nostrums has worked -- and some have made matters worse. It is deeply disturbing that in the most prosperous country in the world, our education system is failing so many of our children.

Low academic standards afflict many schools. Textbooks, tests, and assignments are watered down. "We're just demanding less and less, all the time," says a veteran North Carolina teacher. "I'm teaching lessons in the eighth grade that I used to teach in the sixth." Students learn to get by with less than their best. "No one corrects bad spelling or punctuation -- and we're talking about third grade," says one worried mom. "Everyone gets a gold star." Some schools seem to have forgotten that there is a difference between making a lesson interesting and making it easy. "My seventh grader spent the last two weeks of social studies class cutting pictures out of magazines," another parent reports. "What is he learning? He's getting real handy with the scissors."

Some schools do not focus enough on basic subjects. Judging by their students' assignments, learning to cherish the rain forests, recognize ethnic foods, and feel good about oneself have become more important than mastering the three Rs. It's not that matters like respecting the environment are not important. They are. But too often they are used as an excuse not to tackle the tough academic fundamentals. Remember, education is largely time on task. We learn what we do. If a child does not work many math problems, we ought not be surprised that he doesn't know much math.

In many places, educators no longer take responsibility for stating which facts and lessons are most important to know. They no longer say: "Here is what we will teach your child before he leaves us. This is what a good education looks like." Instead, they talk about teaching students to "learn how to learn," and remain vague about exactlywhatthey should learn. Some schools look largely to children's preferences, instincts, and feelings as teaching guides. For example, in one school saluted for its progressive attitude, the principal proudly announced that he uses "the smile gauge" -- if students are smiling, they are doing their jobs. This is a questionable approach to teaching and learning, to say the least.

The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge once invited a friend with such notions of education to view his garden. "But it is covered with weeds," his friend said in surprise. Coleridge explained that he was letting the garden make up its own mind about what to produce. "The weeds, you see, have taken the liberty to grow," the poet explained, "and I thought it unfair of me to prejudice the soil towards roses and strawberries." If schools do not spell out what a student should learn, you can count on his education being choked with weeds.

In some schools you find an unruly atmosphere. Kids act up, use foul language, talk rudely to teachers -- and get away with it. The adults in charge are unwilling to tell them to sit down, be quiet, and get down to work. In some places, we've forgotten that self-discipline is not the enemy of learning -- or of happiness. It is, rather, a necessary condition. We act as if young people cannot develop the self-control to pay attention, do what the teacher says, and stick with assignments until they get them right. We've given up the notion of insisting on studious, respectful children.

Many schools no longer possess a moral center. Their teachers have been discouraged from taking up character training in a direct fashion. They are reluctant to "impose their values" on students. Their overriding concern is to demonstrate how tolerant they are of others' behavior and choices. Saying to children "What you are doing is bad and wrong" might trample their rights, inflict feelings of shame, or damage their self-esteem. Meanwhile, more and more young Americans graduate with a shaky sense of right and wrong.

Let us be clear. The United States is blessed with a number of excellent elementary schools. Many, however, are mediocre, and there are some that we would not wish on any child. Here is the bottom line: you cannot automatically assume that your school is doing a good job teaching your child -- even if it assures you that it is. You must pay attention and look to see exactly what sort of education your child is getting.

Our Schools and Our Culture

It would be easy to point fingers at the schools and say, "There lie all our problems." There is no doubt that the school system is the source of many of its own shortcomings. But the truth is that U.S. schools are filled with dedicated teachers and principals who want more than anything else for American schoolchildren to succeed. These people are on the front lines. They see firsthand what's right and what's wrong in our classrooms. They are heartbroken that so many of their schools get mediocre results.

Talk to these women and men, and you begin to sense deeper problems at play, problems larger than the schools themselves. The disturbing news is that many teachers feel as though they are working with little help from parents. They express dissatisfaction, worry, even bitterness over their circumstances. They are convinced that many schools struggle partly because parents are not holding up their end of the bargain. These educators are right.

According to the research organization Public Agenda, more than four out of five public school teachers say many parents fail to set limits and create structure at home, fail to control how much time their kids spend with TV, computers, and video games, and refuse to hold their kids accountable for their behavior or academic performance. Too many moms and dads are failing to get their children interested in learning. They are not making sure that assignments get done. They are not teaching the self-discipline, perseverance, and respect that enable students to succeed.

This lack of supervision yields real classroom consequences. Nearly seven in ten teachers say they face a serious problem because so many students try to get by doing as little work as possible. More than half say they have serious problems with students failing to do homework. And more than four teachers in ten point to kids who are disruptive in class. "Very few students bring good habits to class," says an Indiana teacher. A Nebraska teacher agrees: "Parents are not sending them to school prepared. Simple things like basic manners, but lots of parents don't do this anymore -- 'please, thank you, close your mouth when you chew.' The parent hasn't taught the child: 'Get your things together the night before, leave them in front of the door.'...Today's kids need more than what they're getting."

To be sure, many youngsters still come from homes where the message from parents is: "We care about what you are doing, we want to be involved, and we're with you every step of the way." But in other homes the signal to the school is: "Here are our children. They're in your hands now. Let us know how it turns out." As Diane Ravitch of New York University observes, too many mothers and fathers have the attitude that school is like a car wash where you drop the child off at one end and pick him up at the other. They do not realize that, to get a good student, you have to be involved in the washing.

More and more, America has asked schools to fill in the gaps and pick up the slack where families leave off. We've tried to turn schools into the first line of defense against problems far beyond their competence to handle successfully. Teachers today tell us that much of their time is spent "raising children" -- teaching them the basics of hygiene, manners, and rudimentary respect for the rights and property of others. They counsel children of divorce, teach kids the facts of life, and train them in "conflict resolution." Meanwhile, we also expect them to make sure students learn to read, write, multiply, and divide. More than four out of five teachers say that many parents expect the school to do their job for them. Half of parents surveyed say schools should be able to do a good job with students whose moms and dads pay little attention to discipline and supervising behavior!1

Such expectations are unreasonable. We should not ask schools to take on basic socializationandbasic academics. There simply is not enough time. Even with perfect school attendance, American children spend less than 10 percent of their time from birth to age eighteen in school. There is no way that 10 percent can overcome what is happening -- or not happening -- in the other 90 percent. When schools stray too far from teaching basics like English, science, and history, they take time away from what they can do best.

We can't expect teachers to produce good students if we don't send them the right sort of raw material -- youngsters who are well behaved and eager to learn. If parents don't spend enough time with their kids, don't try to get them interested in reading, don't pay attention to homework, and don't see that children are prepared for tests, the school's job is next to impossible. When students come to class with a cavalier attitude about education, poor work habits, little self-control, and no respect for authority, a good education is already out of reach.

If we've learned anything in the last three decades, it is this: schools cannot take the place of moms and dads. When parents are distracted from their most important responsibilities, it is exceedingly difficult for teachers to fill the breach.

In the end, it is hard to escape the conclusion that what we see in our classrooms is a reflection of the larger culture, and that the mediocrity of our schools is part of a general lowering of standards. We have teachers who shy away from teaching right and wrong because they've been made to feel that the greatest sin is to be "judgmental." We have administrators who fear strict discipline because they don't want to get sued by parents. We have kids coming to class who've spent thousands of hours in the company of TV shows, movies, video games, and music which celebrate trash: profanity, violence, promiscuity, foul language, and rebellious attitudes. We have parents who rarely complain when their kids get lots of As in "fun" courses but turn plaintive when teachers try to give more homework or raise standards. If this is the world in which our schools have to operate, no wonder the education system has problems.

We repeat: many schools do a fine job. Likewise, millions of devoted parents want to do everything in their power to see that their children get good educations. Still, when we look at the cultural and educational landscape that our children are growing up in, like many Americans we find that things are not as they should be. This country is able to offer most of its young people a great deal materially, but is not necessarily giving them some of the things they need most. We are tolerating mediocrity on the hard, important lessons and trying to compensate with a kind of material lavishness that cannot plug the gap. We are doing well in many ways, but not nearly as well as we might in others. For all of this nation's greatness, it is not giving many students an education worthy of our ideals.

The good news is that it does not have to be this way. You can make a difference -- all the difference -- if you take certain steps and keep your eyes on certain goals. Education is not an enigmatic enterprise. There is no mystery about what makes good students and good schools. We spell out the basics in this book, together with steps you can take at home with your child, ways to see if your school is doing a good job, and strategies to adopt when things go wrong. James Madison said that "a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." If you arm yourself with a little knowledge about what works in education, and take some of the actions described in these pages, the power is yours to help your loved one learn to his potential.

Please remember that, so long as you remain at the center of the education process, good things are likely to happen. Countless American parents prove it every school year, including those newly arrived on our shores. There will be bumps in the road, but your child is growing up in an amazing country and in an astonishing time. Despite our problems, the opportunities for education are more than plentif

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Excerpted from The Educated Child: A Parents Guide from Preschool Through Eighth Grade by William J. Bennett, Chester E. Finn, John T. E. Cribb
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.