"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Education Secretary Outlines Obama Education Agenda: In Appearance Before House Committee, Duncan Stresses Reform…

Word processing software eliminates the physical barrier that young children experience as they struggle to make letters, by hand as well as the psychological barriers some children perceive when they equate their poor handwriting with a lack of writing ability. (MT)

Children can be taught to write clearly and thoughtfully. Ways in which parents can encourage writing at home are suggested. (MT)

Offering information to help parents understand how writing is taught in classrooms that use the 6-Trait Model for writing assessment and writing instruction, this handbook describes the model and how parents can provide the kind of support at home that would make classroom instruction even more effective. Sections of the handbook are: "A…

Addressing parents, this pamphlet describes ways to help children learn to write well and thereby excel in school, enjoy self-expression, and become more self-reliant. Writing is discussed as a practical, job-related, stimulating, social, and therapeutic activity that receives inadequate attention in many schools. It is emphasized that writing is…

This set of 70 cards accompanied by instructions on using the cards) can be used by any teacher, tutor, parent, aide, or literacy volunteer, individually or in classes and small groups, to teach the spelling, writing, and reading of nearly all English words to virtually any child (age 5 and up) or adult. The cards can be used for initial or…

Arguing that parents can make a big difference, this six-panel leaflet presents simple and fun strategies parents can use to help their children learn to write well. The leaflet points out that children should have a good place to write, the proper materials, sufficient time, and response and praise from their parents. Strategies discussed in the…

Intended for parents, this book offers straightforward directions on how to guide children in constructing a composition. It also helps parents review and clarify compositions that their children have already written. The book gives a developmental perspective to children's performance and includes sample compositions from actual classroom writing…

Noting that educators need to capture the interest of primary students early on to make lifelong writers out of them, this paper discusses ways to encourage the writing process in the primary grades. The paper discusses the philosophy of the writing process, what experts say about writing, setting up the environment, writing with lower primary…

This brochure offers parents tips on helping their children connect writing with reading. It begins by noting that preschool children often want to scribble on paper, scribbles which sometimes represent a story. It suggests making space in the home for literacy, and encouraging early efforts. The brochure then offers four brief activities for…

Beginning with a simple test that parents can conduct at home, this book presents a comprehensive and holistic program that any parent or teacher can use to help dyslexic children improve their reading, writing, and spelling. After an introduction that answers parents' questions about dyslexia, chapters in the book are: (1) Is Dyslexia Real?; (2)…

Data on the writing achievement of 11th-grade students in 1990 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) may help answer the question of who is right: employers and educators who say students are poorly prepared in writing, or parents and students, who are more positive about the results of the writing preparation students receive…

This booklet answers parents' questions about the following: Kentucky's Writing Portfolio program, the process which leads to effective writing, and the parent's role in the development of children's writing skills. The first section discusses the stages of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) and how…

Stressing that reading aloud to children is the single most important way to help children get ready to read and write, this brochure offers ideas for encouraging preschoolers to experiment with writing, for motivating school-age children to write more, and for involving the whole family in writing at home. The brochure also suggests ways to…

Intended for parents and teachers who are interested in the approximate level at which their primary school-age children should be writing, this document describes the type of writing children at each age can produce and how they go about producing it. An introduction makes this point and offers a set of writing process terms to describe…