Las Cruces, U.S.A. — Parents know that knowledge is power, and reading is the key to this power. However, many parents struggle to find ways to make their kids be avid readers. Children are more likely to read if parents let them decide what they read, however parents can give them directions and offer support, Scholastic suggests.

“… it’s your [the parents'] job–not the schools’–to find books to get your kids reading and to make sure they read them,” CNN suggests.

“Parents are powerful instruments when it comes to setting the tone for whether or not a child will be a reader, and certainly what their children read,” says L.A. Miller, the author of the new science-fiction and fantasy YA book series Quests of Shadowind, which includes “Sky Shifter,” “The Grounding Stone,” and “Veil.”

“Quests of Shadowind” is the story of a group of kids who are abducted to an alien world called Shadowind, which is inhabited by ghostly creatures, cyborg animals, and virtual humans–a land where anything is possible, including being downloaded into a cryptic, evil, role-playing game. In order to survive, the teens band together as they search for a way back home.

“Freedom of choice is key to getting them motivated and excited. Vampire sagas, comics, manga, books of sports statistics–terrific–as long as kids are reading,” says James Patterson, a father and a “New York Times” best-selling author. “Should they read on e-tablets? Sure, why not? How about rereading a book? Definitely. And don’t tell them a book is too hard or too easy.”

Learning to read does not always come naturally. This is a skill that must be taught, and it takes some work. Parents should show their children that reading can be fun and help to incorporate reading as part of the everyday activities the whole family enjoys.

“In many ways parents’ attitudes can inspire their children to love reading,” says L.A. Miller. “It’s important to create reading environments in and outside of the home, and to stick to it. I believe parents are good reading role models. If your child sees you and other family members reading, it’s more likely that he or she will pick up a book.”

The National Education Association offers some tips for choosing books for children:

• For beginning readers, select books that match their skill level.
• Find colorful books.
• Pick books based on the child’s interests (hobbies, nature, science).
• Let the child make his or her own choices.
• Support every book choice.
• Ask librarians and teachers for book suggestions.
• Encourage your child to try different kinds of books.

“Reading is one of the most important skills that parents can help to develop in their children,” says Mr. Miller. “It’s a fundamental skill that will help children to be as academically successful as possible.”

For more information, visit www.QuestsofShadowind.com.

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New York, U.S.A. — The following is being released by Rick Dalton, president and CEO, College For Every Student:

In July, more than 100 philanthropic leaders, many from America’s largest corporations, gathered in Orlando to talk about a movement that could revolutionize American education.

That effort, launched in 2009 by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, would ensure uniformity in what’s taught in every classroom and what’s expected of every student nationwide. The Common Core State Standards mean the same classroom goals for all students at each grade level instead of the current educational chaos — thousands of different goals and curricula for America’s students.

Without clear, consistent standards, America’s schools will remain adrift and many of its students lost at sea. Consider the example shared at the GE Foundation Business and Education Summit in Orlando. A few years back, a Kentucky school district had 167 different mathematics curricula being taught in its 152 schools. Instead of clear goals and consistent content, there was a mathematical free-for-all. That’s what’s been happening in too many of our country’s schools for far too long.

Some argue that the Common Core Standards would discourage teacher creativity and dumb down requirements. I disagree. Identifying a set of requirements that all students could count on attaining would instead strengthen accountability and provide a clear educational map for all students.

So far 46 states have signed on and standards have already been developed for language arts and mathematics. This is a propitious moment. The nation’s two largest school unions — the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association – as well as Republicans and Democrats at the national, state and local level have pledged their support for the Common Core.

Democracy is like herding cats. We need to act while the cats are all in the same room.

Consider the consequences of not acting and maintaining the status quo. Since 1980, the educational gap between low-income students and their higher income peers has grown wider every year, as measured by standardized test scores, high school graduation, college-going and college graduation rates. Continuing on this course is the equivalent of “national suicide” as David Brooks put it in a New York Times op-ed in early July.

The Common Core Standards would level the playing field and show that low-income children matter. Those Kentucky students — and children from thousands of other school systems nationwide — would all be taught the same content in algebra and calculus, and even better, they would built the foundation in earlier grades for algebra, considered a gateway to academic rigor and college success.

When we insist on the same educational attainment from kids who grow up in our poorest communities as their peers in suburbs like Greenwich, CT, Highland Park, TX and Winnetka, IL, we usher in the New American Dream.

Consider the impact of raising scores or increasing the proportion of U.S. citizens with college degrees.  AStanford University study projected that an average increase of five percent in PISA (International Student Assessment) scores would lead to a gain of nearly a trillion dollars annually in the U.S. economy.  Significant increases in college attainment would have similar economic impact.

“We have a once in a generation opportunity to get this right — to adopt the Common Core in all of America’s schools,” said Bob Corcoran, president and chairman of the GE Foundation, at the Orlandosummit.

Let’s not miss the moment. The Common Core has been adopted at the macro level by chief school officers, governors and other legislators.  Let’s turn our attention to teachers, parents and other community leaders and get the buy-in needed at the micro level.

We all can play a role in making this happen.  Here’s what you can do:

• Learn about the Common Core Standards.  Go online.  Follow what’s happening. http://www.corestandards.org/.
• Create some buzz in your community.  Tell your school board, teachers, and neighbors how the Common Core can help our children compete with their global peers.
• Ask your school leaders to offer a forum – online or in person—on the Common Core so that you and your community learn where your district is with the Common Core.

As the leader of a nonprofit that works with 20,000 low-income students in 24 states, almost every one of whom will go to college, I am committed to making sure that our children, their families and teachers are aware of the Common Core movement and the profound impact it can have on them, their schools and their communities.  This New American Dream requires the support of every one of us.

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Wisconsin has forced the debate nationally on teachers’ salaries as more and more states are cutting spending for education, claiming austerity measures.   Although there is no clear correlation that better paid teachers produce more educated students, there are certainly some valid reasons why teachers should be paid better in the United States.

According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), many people do not join the teaching profession because of its low starting salary, which trails the pay of educators around the world.  The average starting salary for a teacher is $32,642.  The maximum salary for teachers with master’s degree is $60,036.  Teachers have also been “losing ground” to other professions for years, EPI says. A 2008 report by the Economic Policy Institute argues that teachers with bachelor’s degrees earned about 12.2 percent less than their peers in 2006, while the gap between teachers and non-teachers with a master’s degree was 11.3 percent.

The National Education Association, the largest teacher’s union, believes that teachers should receive more compensation for receiving a master’s degree.  “People who improve their skills should get paid more,” says Bill Raabe of the NEA “Wouldn’t you want that adult work with your children to be the best that money can buy. It’s a no brainer.”

A few schools are fighting these trends by paying teachers six-figure salaries. A New York City charter school earned headlines in 2008 for its plans to pay teachers $125,000 in exchange for working longer hours and assuming additional duties. A voluntary program instituted in Washington, D.C., last year could raise total compensation for some teachers to $140,000.  Some teachers in Wisconsin and Illinois are also reportedly as handsomely compensated along with other states. According to the NEA, about 1 percent of teachers are paid that well.

Though teachers’ unions and their political allies argue that educators are underpaid, fiscal conservatives argue that given the amount of work they do and the hefty benefits they receive, that is not the case. Frederick Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, says he is not against paying well.  “I don’t think that all teachers should earn six figures,” Hess says in an interview. “The best teachers should earn six figures and the worst teachers should be fired.”

The states that teachers are the lowest paid are generally not known for high quality education.  The states with the lowest paid teachers are Kansas, Tennessee, New Mexico, North Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Utah, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Throwing more money at a broken education system may not solve the problem.  But, teachers in the United States are significantly underpaid, suggesting that the nation may not value education as it once did.  This will negatively impact future generations.

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