My Kindergarten

Finally, a book that demystifies our daunting education system by giving parents the insights and strategies they need to build positive relationships with teachers and connect to their children’s learning in productive ways. Involved Parents = Better Students How do you ensure your child gets the best education possible when U.S. schools have become overburdened, test-driven institutions that rank only average worldwide? Decades of research confirm that when parents engage with their children’s learning, kids do better in school—and life. This straight-talking guide helps you: • understand the critical role you play in your child’s education, • connect with educators in respectful ways, • encourage a love of reading in your kids, • minimize homework meltdowns and disorganization, • support students who struggle academically, • help children navigate social situations and bullying, and • fuel your child’s mind and body for learning. Parent involvement looks different for every family and every child. Packed with real stories and tested strategies, The Parent Backpack demystifies our complex education system and gives you the insights you need to help your kids thrive.

How do we teach with rigor to our youngest learners? How do we implement standards that spell out quite clearly what students must know but do not give us either the methods or materials that help our students achieve such skills? This professional resource provides practical routines and developmentally appropriate activities that foster an environment where our youngest learners can thrive in mastering core kindergarten content along with the Common Core standards. The routines and activities in this book have been thoroughly classroom-tested and aligned with best practices. The authors show you how to create a magical kindergarten environment that creates a community of confident learners full of excitement and enthusiasm! By design, these books are not printable from a reading device. To request a PDF of the reproducible pages, please contact customer service at 1-888-262-6135.

The kindergarten, which offered an innovative approach to early childhood education, was invented in the German-speaking world and arrived in the United States along with German political exiles in the 1850s. In both the United States and Germany, activist women worked to develop and promote this new form of education. Over the course of three generations they created one of the most successful transnational women's movements of the nineteenth century. In this work, Ann Taylor Allen presents a transnational history of the kindergarten as it developed in both Germany and America between 1840 and 1919.

The Kindergarten Wars is the first narrative nonfiction book ever to take the reader inside all aspects of the private school application process. Eisenstock follows several families across the country from their first school tours until the moment they open their admissions letters. He interviews admissions directors, school heads, teachers, educational consultants, and kindergarten tutors, who coach both parents and kids. Did you know the most important line in your child's application is where you--the parent--went to college? Did you know that you can qualify for financial aid even if you make $192,000 a year? Eisenstock uncovers startling information, starting with how private school admissions directors decide who gets in. Does the child of a single woman of ethnic diversity on financial aid have a better chance of getting into an elite kindergarten than a child of a middle-class white couple? He will ask Ivy League students, their parents, and their admissions counselors the $500,000 question: Does where you go to kindergarten ultimately help you get into the most prestigious colleges? At its core, The Kindergarten Wars is a human drama. It's the story of a quest and the people who are vying for the prize--a space in private school kindergarten--at any cost. The book is honest, funny, suspenseful, and emotional.