| DALLAS - August 22, 2002 - After a summer away from classwork and homework, it's sometimes difficult, and can be a slow process, for students to get back into learning mode as a new school year begins. In a survey of more than 2,300 teachers conducted by Texas Instruments, the leader in educational handheld technology, teachers suggested ways that parents can prepare children for this back-to-school transition. Most felt that structured study time during summer months helped ensure student's academic success, and that being involved and aware was a critical component of a child's education.
"Be informed," many educators advised. "Check homework," "make sure their child's friends have the same academic standards," "emphasize the value of education," and "encourage reading," were other recommendations.
Suggestions also highlighted the importance of helping children maintain healthy habits. "Establish a healthy schedule," and "encourage proper nutrition and rest," were popular answers, as was "have a positive attitude about school and make education a family priority."
Teachers also suggest setting limits in a variety of areas such as: "limit hours for jobs," "limit tv and video games," and "limit extracurricular activities."
"Teachers are the experts when it comes to preparing children to go back to school and excel in the classroom, " said Tom Ferrio, vice president of Texas Instruments Educational & Productivity Solutions business. "Their recommendations here are valuable throughout the school year, not only at the beginning."
TI also used the survey as an opportunity to identify how familiar teachers think parents are with technology used in the classroom. According to results, teachers responded that 52 percent of their students' parents are moderately familiar with the technology used in the classroom, while 41 percent stated that their students' parents are not at all familiar. Only three percent surveyed felt their students' parents were very familiar with the technology used in the classroom.
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