My 4th grader is in her first year of a program for gifted children. It is a competitive program, at a school outside our district, and acceptance was based on advanced language, reading, writing, and "liberal arts" ability. I thought my daughter's gifts -- all of which match the description above -- would be nurtured here. But I have been dismayed to realize that all her teacher cares about is that her desk is messy and her handwriting isn't neat enough. My child has sensory issues that do in fact make it harder for her to keep her things organized. But how can I talk to the teacher about focusing more on her gifts -- which is supposed to be the mission of this program? (Sorry, this is long.) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 10, 2009 - 38 answers

What would be the best place and type of school to give my children a really great and meaningful education. [more inside]
posted by fcain on Sep 29, 2009 - 10 answers

What would it take to set up a scholarship prize fund for a particular school in a developing country? [more inside]
posted by jonesor on Sep 28, 2009 - 5 answers

I've taken responsibility for a very small children's library and I'd love your ideas for making it awesome. [more inside]
posted by serazin on Sep 3, 2009 - 14 answers

What are the trends around the world underlying the most successful (I guess I am talking financially mostly) high schools around the world these days? What are the marketing buzzwords driving the race for students? My old high school is in trouble and I'd like to help if I can. [more inside]
posted by zaebiz on Aug 17, 2009 - 7 answers

Board-games for a small family with a girl, from ages 0-14 (where she stops talking to us and accuses us of ruining her life forever) [more inside]
posted by Slap*Happy on Jul 9, 2009 - 45 answers

How are American parenting practices unique? [more inside]
posted by Fairchild on Jun 18, 2009 - 30 answers

What are the best kid games that are educational? [more inside]
posted by lynnie-the-pooh on Apr 6, 2009 - 13 answers

Las Cuentas de Benjamin 2... I am looking for a first grade spanish language math workbook called Las Cuentas de Benjamin 2, or something like it. [more inside]
posted by alcahofa on Mar 2, 2009 - 0 answers

Learn-at-home systems for languages: are they worth it? Could working with one help facilitate encouraging bilingual learning in a child? [more inside]
posted by nanojath on Dec 31, 2008 - 9 answers

Thanks to a love affair with Dora the Explorer, my six-year-old daughter is fascinated by Spanish. She's too old for Dora now and has moved onto Strawberry Shortcake, but not a day goes by without her demanding to know how to say various things in Spanish. My husband and I are happy to help with this, and will look up translations on our phones, but her questions are rapidly surpassing my intro-level Spanish skills. I'd like to find some child-oriented websites that will help her learn Spanish. [more inside]
posted by meghanmiller on Dec 9, 2008 - 11 answers

Can anyone recommend baby videos for nine-month olds (and up)? [more inside]
posted by zarq on Nov 17, 2008 - 26 answers

Can anyone suggest inspirational readings for 8th graders? [more inside]
posted by kaozity on Oct 6, 2008 - 15 answers

What should I look for in the IEP and what should I ask the child study team during the IEP meeting? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 5, 2008 - 15 answers

I need some project ideas for me to work on with a nine year old Spanish boy. [more inside]
posted by letsgomendel on May 31, 2008 - 1 answer

On a recent trip to Kenya, we visited a school who is in need of simple French language instruction booklets for elementary-age children. [more inside]
posted by vanoakenfold on May 23, 2008 - 3 answers

If I were a private tutor for children, what laws would pertain to me? What credentials would I need? [more inside]
posted by cloudgazer on Jan 18, 2008 - 4 answers

I'm looking for Web sites that use interactive maps to display social phenomena, such as Oakland CrimeSpotting. They don't need to be that sophisticated. I'm especially interested in maps related to poverty and education.
posted by desjardins on Nov 12, 2007 - 10 answers

How do you explain God, death, and infinity to a 5-year old? Please recommend a book or online resource for explaining philosophy, existentialism, and other abstract concepts to a young child not yet capable of abstract cognitions. [more inside]
posted by jujube on Sep 13, 2007 - 45 answers

Books/wares to help kids think like mathematicians? [more inside]
posted by O Blitiri on Jun 27, 2007 - 22 answers

My wife and I are Buddhist. We have a four year old daughter who we would like to see get a great education. In our area/county, some of the better (academics, arts, and athletics) schools are Catholic schools. Would it be a good idea to send my daughter to a Catholic school? [more inside]
posted by jasonspaceman on Feb 3, 2007 - 68 answers

I am looking for well regarded books/scholarly papers about writing. Most specifically in the areas of Nonfiction (the essay style of article writing) and Children's Fiction (for a young adult audience). Any tips? Go as far and broad as you can. I'll be off to the British library tomorrow, so the sky is the limit. [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Jan 9, 2007 - 6 answers

Books for parents. Which one is your bible? [more inside]
posted by mitocan on Dec 14, 2006 - 16 answers

A question about differentiation/grouping for teachers, administrators and parents in current education programs. [more inside]
posted by repoman on Aug 23, 2006 - 5 answers

Why do children in the United States perform so poorly in math? [more inside]
posted by LoriFLA on Jul 15, 2006 - 78 answers

When it came time for me to think about where my life was going, my parents let me know a couple things: - they made enough money that the Canadian government wouldn't let them off the hook for helping to pay for my education, so student loans were reduced. - they weren't going to/weren't able to help me with paying for my education anyway. Consequently I never went to college or university. I've managed all right without any training or degrees, though not as well as I likely would have. I suspect I will never have time/opportunity/money to fix this. My daughter will be born in late June. What can I do now (in Canada) to make sure she has better opportunities than I did?
posted by Kickstart70 on Apr 20, 2006 - 23 answers

Is there any good site that allows you to review public schools in a given neighborhood, namely Brooklyn?
posted by adampsyche on Mar 30, 2006 - 6 answers

Where to educate my children in Saigon /HCMC? [more inside]
posted by priorpark17 on Mar 6, 2006 - 6 answers

Hi, does anyone have any good recommendations for great web sites for 2 to 4 year olds? [more inside]
posted by itchy on Mar 2, 2006 - 15 answers

So I'm in China teaching English to a batch of little Asianlings, and both I and the kids despise the English-language music they're forced to learn. "Apple apple I love you"??? We can do better, folks. I've tracked down the original "Bananaphone" by Raffi and had amazing success with it, but I need more kooky, interesting, easy-to-understand music for kids. Ideas?
posted by saysthis on Dec 30, 2005 - 18 answers

I am trying to find a good science magazine for my 10-year old son. Any suggestions? I used to love Scientific American, but that is probably too stiff and technical, while some of the other things I've seen are too fluffy. Any non-science magazine ideas welcomed too, for him or for my 4-year old.
posted by Clyde Mnestra on Nov 27, 2005 - 25 answers

My wife and I have been looking for a daycare centre for our one year old daughter, as my wife is returning to work shortly. French daycare w/ english speaking parents question follows... [more inside]
posted by jikel_morten on Oct 7, 2005 - 15 answers

We're thinking of moving to a somewhat remote (and beautiful) area. We may not be able to afford a house in the "rich" town with the "good" schools. We might have to settle for a house in the affordable/poor town next door with the mediocre schools. How much will this choice of grade school and/or high school affect my kids for college, life, etc.? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 21, 2005 - 28 answers

What are some good websites that review children's literature? Bonus if the focus is on preschool or early elementary.
posted by dagnyscott on Jan 20, 2005 - 6 answers

If I wanted my baby to learn a second language from a family member who speaks it natively, how many hours per week minimum would they need to spend together? I know the more the better, but I am trying to figure out if four or five hours a week will do the trick if we are extremely consistent and do this for many years.
posted by limitedpie on Jan 20, 2005 - 12 answers

Ecological/environmental group games for kids ages 6-9, that work from personal experience? (More on the inside) [more inside]
posted by nelleish on Jun 29, 2004 - 1 answer

PublicSchoolFilter! My son is entering the local public school system in the fall (1st grade). He's currently in a Montessori kindergarten, and is reading, writing, doing addition and subtraction. The question is, should we push for gifted and talented designation for him? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Irontom on Feb 9, 2004 - 49 answers

Raising a bilingual child. I'd be grateful to hear advice, experiences or recommended resources for raising a child in a dual-language home. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Ljubljana on Feb 2, 2004 - 16 answers