Dr. Liane Brouillette Presents New Book "Help Your Child to Thrive: Making the Best of a Struggling Public Education System"

The National Writing for Children Center is a showcase of children’s book authors and illustrators. The NWFCC highlights Liane Brouillette starting in May, 2015.

Jensen Beach, FL, May 16, 2015 --(PR.com)-- The Author:

Liane Brouillette is an Associate Professor of Educational Policy at the University of California, Irvine. She also serves as Director of the UCI Center for Learning in the Arts, Sciences, and Sustainability. Her research focuses on school reform as well as the relationship between schools and the families they serve.

Before becoming a professor, Dr. Brouillette taught at the K-12 level both in the United States and in Europe.

The Book:

From first-day jitters in kindergarten to the excitement of high school graduation, parents do what they can to help their child succeed. Yet
it can be difficult for families to know where their help is most needed. This book explains that, since social-emotional development tends to get little attention in school, families must be prepared to take up the slack. Parents are encouraged to focus on helping their child to build a strong foundation in six key areas:

* Developing confidence
* Building human connections and a feeling of belonging * Learning from consequences
* Nurturing emotional intelligence
* Acquiring a sense of agency
* Making wise decisions

From the inside flap:

There are inherent contradictions built into public schools. The large number of students to be served forces school districts to adopt a bureaucratic structure. Taxpayers want assurances that their money will be well spent, so school districts are organized to produce predictable results. However, predictable behavior is not natural to inquiring young minds. Children are born with widely varying talents and develop at differing rates.

Given these contradictions, how are public schools to live up to the expectations spelled out in state curriculum guidelines that specify what
each child is expected to know and be able to do at the end of each school year? The short answer is that contemporary public schools focus on making sure that all students achieve minimum levels of proficiency, as measured by standardized test scores. Issues like motivation, social skills, and ethics are given only incidental attention.

When families are not prepared to step in and provide the social-emotional guidance that schools do not, students' development may be impeded, resulting in diminished resilience and ability to cope with stress. This book describes how public schools have changed in recent decades and provides parents with guidelines for helping their child to thrive.
Contact
National Writing for Children Center
Suzanne Lieurance
816-217-0187
writingforchildrencenter.com
ContactContact
Categories