A recent NYTimes article tells a great story that is right up our alley at GCP. Chris Lewis is a 6'9" high school junior at Milton High School in Milton, Georgia. A power forward, he is one of the top basketball juniors in the nation. He has been recruited by colleges since he was in middle school, and as [...]
NYTimes columnist Charles Blow writes today of getting a call on Saturday that his son, a Yale junior, had been held at gunpoint that evening after leaving the library. By the Yale Campus Police. Apparently they were responding to a burglary call on campus and determined that he fit the description of the alleged burglar. According to Blow, a [...]
We at GCP have been thinking a lot about the impact of technology on child rearing. Tablets, phones and computer screens can enhance children's development, increase their school readiness, and introduce them to ideas and places to which they might not otherwise have any access. But they also can be distracting, overwhelming, and can interfere with or even impair [...]
How many of us have told our sons to "study smarter, not harder?" Sounds good, but how do you actually do that? In the recently published book, "How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where and Why It Happens", New York Times science reporter Benedict Carey looks at the science of learning to try to answer this question. [...]
Greetings GCP'ers! Hope you enjoyed your summer break (we certainly did) and are settling back into your fall parenting routine. We at GCP have been spending a good bit of our break focusing on ways to improve this site and create a stronger and more interactive GCP parenting community. Stay tuned, upgrades coming soon. So much to focus on [...]
As many of you regular GCP readers may know, for the past 5 year Chicago's Urban Prep Academy has been sending 100 percent of its high school graduates off to college. (See "Good News on the College Admissions Front", April 16, 2014.) Recently Urban Prep Academy celebrated another milestone, as the first class of those high school graduates graduated [...]
Remember "Reading Rainbow"? That delightful children's series which encouraged reading, hosted by LeVar Burton and aired on PBS from 1983-2009? Burton has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise one million dollars to create an online version to expand the program's reach. When Reading Rainbow went off the air in 2009 Burton bought the rights to the show and [...]
Although Teacher Appreciation Week (May 5-9) has come and gone, it is not too late to show your appreciation for special teachers in your son's life. In fact, the end of the school year is a great time to thank teachers for the hard work they have put in all year on your son's behalf. Looking for cute year [...]
Common Sense Media has recently issued a report on children, teens and reading. While the report found here has some good news about children and reading, some of its findings relating to boys of color are particularly troubling. First, the good news: Reading is still a big part of many children's lives. Young children read or are read to [...]
As finals and other year end tests approach, pass on to your sons these tips for effective studying: Find a Good Study Spot: Identify a place in your home which will be the designated study spot for tests and quizzes. Make sure it is free from clutter and distraction, and is away from noise and activity. Review the Main [...]