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 sixteen 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) and Choice programs during the […]
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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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