Articles
Summer Learning
May 19, 2021
The bad news (aka the most unsurprising news ever): a global pandemic will cause school-related shortfalls. The good news: there’s enough time this summer to take […]
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May 19, 2021
In some ways, high school will be as new to rising sophomores as it will be to incoming freshmen when school resumes for the 2021-22 school […]
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July 28, 2020
Over the past fifteen years, we’ve learned through our one-to-one work with students that setting up a solid foundation in seventh grade leads to big gains […]
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Executive Functioning
September 17, 2020
Now that we’re well into this school year unlike any other, we’re getting a feel for the obstacles students are running into with remote learning. What’s […]
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January 25, 2018
In a year full of uncertainties, there’s something we know for sure. With planning and effort now and during the coming months, your eighth grader can […]
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January 11, 2018
If first semester felt a little all over the place, you are not alone! Taking some time now to reflect on the past few months and […]
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Learning, Mindset, and Confidence
October 21, 2020
As parents and educators ourselves, we know day-to-day life with kids is chaotic right now. Is today a Zoom day? Will school be in-person next week […]
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October 8, 2019
As soon as we wrote our blog post that included excellent advice from freshmen and sophomores for eighth graders, we knew we had to interview older […]
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April 5, 2019
No doubt about it: starting high school can be scary! Wouldn’t it be nice if someone who’s made the leap could give you a heads up […]
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Test Prep
May 11, 2021
In April, CPS announced major changes to the admissions process for students who will apply to Selective Enrollment High Schools (SEHS) during the 2021-2022 school year. […]
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February 18, 2019
If you’re a high school freshman or first-semester sophomore (or the parent of one!), and you’re starting to panic about the ACT (or SAT), we have […]
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September 17, 2018
In 2018, ACT offered the test in July for the first time. While it’s not the best fit for every student*, many can benefit from this […]
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Math
January 19, 2015
We work with many students who’ve struggled in math, sometimes for years. During a first session, many say they’re fuzzy on a certain concept, that they […]
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July 29, 2011
In previous posts, Sara introduced the concept of surface structure & deep structure when it comes to problem solving. She then went on to describe the ways the surface […]
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July 15, 2011
In her previous post, Sara described the difference between surface and deep structure in math word problems. Here, she talks about how students transfer prior knowledge […]
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Reading and Writing
July 16, 2012
A common concern we hear from parents is that their child doesn’t read enough. Some children dislike reading because they find it tough; others find it […]
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Applying to College
January 29, 2021
If you’re the parent of a junior who will apply to college later this year, your head is probably full of questions about what the admissions […]
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June 17, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered day-to-day life for all of us. It will continue to impact students in the coming weeks, months, and even years. If […]
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October 9, 2013
Did you know that there are eight different ways for students to apply to college? No wonder the application process seems complicated for so many high school […]
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