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Author Archive

Metacognitive strategies

Metacognitive Strategies for Student Success

Metacognitive strategies, when employed in the classroom and with homework, help students think about their own thinking. This type of self-assessment helps young people gain greater awareness of their life experiences and achieve at higher levels. What is Metacognition? Metacognition is an aspect of introspection and self-awareness that enables individuals […]

Self-Awareness
Back-to-school articles

Best Back-to-School Articles for Parents: 2022

Children are headed back-to-school this year for the third time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most experts agree that in-person learning is more advantageous than online learning for children, especially with the right procedures in place to mitigate the risks of COVID. With fears and potential adaptations still […]

Compass-Inspired

Family Engagement: A Two-Way Partnership

I’ve been an advocate for family engagement in education for many years. But throughout those years, one of the most challenging tasks has been to define this two-way partnership. What is it that parents and teachers need to understand about working together? And why is this partnering so important to […]

Compass-Inspired
Caring children

New Strategies to Grow Caring Children & Compassionate Citizens

Do you describe your sons, daughters, or students as caring children? In today’s divided political climate, does it matter if children and teens find meaningful ways to connect with and care about others who are different from themselves? The importance of educating and raising caring children was brought to national […]

Empathy
Tackling poverty through service-learning

Service-Learning Fosters Lifelong Development

When I was a teenager, we didn’t have a term for service-learning. There were opportunities to volunteer in our communities but not many people thought about the lifelong value of such experiences. As I reflect on my early volunteer experiences, I know for certain that my life was changed as […]

Empathy

Building Resilience in Your K-12 Classroom

Over 100 years ago, the great African American educator Booker T. Washington spoke about building resilience: “I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles overcome while trying to succeed.” Research has since established […]

Resilience
positive youth development

Positive Youth Development: Research, Principles, and Practices

Positive youth development is the practice of nurturing core internal strengths and abilities in children and teens. It is about providing opportunities for youth to believe in themselves and their abilities to influence their lives and the world around them.  As families, schools, and communities, we share one goal.  We want […]

Compass-Inspired
How to limit screen time

How to Limit Screen Time in a Family-Healthy Way

If you are wondering how to limit screen time for kids, it is likely your family is experiencing points of disagreement about technology use.  You are not alone. How to limit screen time is a big topic of conversation in today’s households, particularly during the pandemic when online education hours have […]

Self-Awareness
Character traits for kids

Character Traits for Kids and How Families Nurture Them

Parents and families play key roles in developing character traits for kids. Parents who create positive home learning environments also understand that fostering character traits for kids is as important as academics and homework. They know that family values get passed from one generation to the next.  But how to instill values […]

Self-Awareness
Curiosity is a Core Predictor of Academic Performance

Curiosity is a Core Predictor of Academic Performance

Curiosity and learning are intricately connected. According to research, the three pillars of academic performance are intelligence, effort, and intellectual curiosity. Did you know that curiosity and effort rival the influence of intelligence on student success? Like the Mars rover Curiosity is designed to explore the details of the Gale […]

Curiosity
Student Success Develops from Inside Out

Student Success Develops From Inside Out

Student success is a deceptive term in today’s educational environment. It is also a concept being challenged by parents and teachers who want more focus on whole child development and wellbeing. Teachers who foster student achievement not only understand how to teach curriculum, but they also understand that student success […]

Compass-Inspired