• Keep the lines of communication open.  Perhaps now more than ever, it's important to ask about school daily.  Your child now has more teachers, more challenging assignments, and all the challenges of being a teenager to deal with.
  
  
• Have high expectations.  Having high expectations of teenagers is more important AND more challenging than when they're younger.

Deciding Moments

There are two critical "Deciding Moments" parents need to be aware of and act on.  They are:

1. Choosing the right school.  "Challenge Level Classes" are offered at all of the secondary schools, but the type of classes and program offerings vary from school-to-school.  What's more, so do graduation requirements.  Parents need to do their homework when it comes to choosing the right school for their children.  (See the Saint Paul Public School's site for Choosing a School.)
   
   Knowing Your Child is Critical to Choosing the Right Schools.  Finding the "best fit" is the most important piece of choosing the right school.  That means starting with knowing your child's strengths, weakness, interests and passions.  Perhaps the most important thing parents of teenagers can do is help their child "hook up" with the programs closest to their hearts.
   
   Resources
   
   —Planning for High School - designed for students, but helpful for parents.
   —Career and Technical Education Programs
   —Model Programs - in the high schools
   —Admission Possible - Helping promising, low-income students obtain admission to college.
   
   In addition to the challenge courses offered in the schools, there's "Post Secondary Options" (a program that allows kids who qualify to take college classes), the "Saint Paul Connections" program (that offers enrichment classes outside of school hours; link failing 03/2006 but the program does exist), and other community service or business partnerships your child may be interested in.  Many of these are school-based so the only way to find out about them is from the school.
   
   
2. Selecting the right classes.  Teenagers are still kids and its up to parents to make sure they sign up for the classes that best fit their needs.  How class registration is handled varies from school-to-school, but in every school your child is assigned to a guidance counselor.  As soon as you know what school your child will be attending, call his or her guidance counselor to find out:
   
   > When students register for classes
   > How parents are involved in signing up for classes

These deciding moments are critical to making sure your child takes challenging classes.

Other Things You Can Do

• Stay on top of the schedule.  Know when schedules are handed out.  Go to conferences.  And call the guidance counselor immediately if your child says anything about a schedule change that's news to you. Because sometimes schedules change, you need to be vigilant in making sure your child stays on track.  What's more, you can't always count on your teenager to tell you when changes occur!
  
  
• Focus on the core.  It's more important for kids to take challenging classes in the four core courses—English, math, science and social studies—than any other.  Don't overburden your child, but do push for high expectations at the core by having them take at least one course in each of these core content areas each semester, no matter what the school requires.
  
  
• Stay on top of graduation requirements.  Once your child enters high school, his or her graduation requirements are "set" so long as they stay in the same school.  If your child fails a required class, it's ultimately up to you to make sure they make up the requirement.  Get a copy of the school's graduation requirements and keep it in a file with your child's report cards.  Use the report cards to "check off" the requirements over time.
  
  
• Talk to Your Child's Teachers.  Conferences are key, but they really aren't enough. If you think your child isn't being challenged, talk to the teacher which, quite frankly, isn't easy to do.

Strategies for Contacting Teachers

1. Calling the school and leaving a message is the most obvious and least likely to work.
2. Emailing can be the most effective way to "make contact," but doesn't support a true conversation if you have concerns.
3. Making an appointment can be really productive, IF your work schedule allows you to go to the school during the day.

Resources

• Saint Paul Schools - The site for school phone numbers.  Sometimes a staff directory is posted at the school Web site.
• Online Staff Directory - A GREAT tool for connecting by email if you're looking for a specific teacher or staff member.
• By guess and by golly.  The email address format for Saint Paul Public Schools staff is firstname.lastname@spps.org.  If can't find an email address or get through to the school office, try this as a shot in the dark.

Next Steps

If you try, and try, and try to connect with the teacher without results, then it's time to contact the Assistant Principal (often assigned alphabetically by last name).  Calling the school office is pretty much the only way to find out who this is if you don't already know.