The Educated Child: A Parents Guide From Preschool Through Eighth Grade

Product Description

The Educated Child defines a good education and offers parents a plan of action for ensuring that their children achieve it.

The Educated Child defines a good education and offers parents a plan of action for ensuring that their children achieve it. Combining the goals that William Bennett enumerated as Secretary of Education, key excerpts from E. D. Hirsch’s Core Knowledge Sequence, and the latest research, it sets forth clear curricula and specific objectives for children from kindergarten through the eighth grade, including:

-What children should be studying and the kind of work they should be doing

-Important facts to learn and essential reading lists

-When children should master specific math skills, spelling and grammar basics, and scientific facts

-Test preparation, homework, and other areas that require parental involvement

The Educated Child also examines timely issues such as school choice, sex education, character education, and the phonics/whole language debate. Perhaps most important, it encourages parents to become advocates for their children by learning what to look for in a good school, how to talk to educators, and how, when necessary, to push for needed changes. For parents concerned about their children’s current education and future lives, it is the ultimate handbook.

Review

Tony Lang
The Cincinnati Enquirer A common sense-loaded gem that defines a good education and tells parents how to make sure their children get one.

Publishers Weekly An impassioned and straight-shooting reference that will inspire both parents and educators.

About the Author

William J. Bennett served as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George H. W. Bush and as Secretary of Education and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities under President Reagan. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from Williams College, a doctorate in political philosophy from the University of Texas, and a law degree from Harvard. He is the author of such bestselling books as 
The Educated Child, 
The Death of Outrage, 
The Book of Virtues, and the two-volume series 
America: The Last Best Hope. Dr. Bennett is the former host of the nationally syndicated radio show 
Bill Bennett’s Morning in America and the current host of the popular podcast, 
The Bill Bennett Show. He is also the Washington Fellow of the Claremont Institute and a regular contributor to CNN. He, his wife, Elayne, and their two sons, John and Joseph, live in Maryland.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

The purpose of this book is to help you secure a good education for your child from early childhood through the eighth grade. As far as learning goes, these years are far and away the most important. They are the time when children acquire the bricks and mortar of a solid education — the knowledge, skills, habits, and ideals that will serve as the foundation of learning and character throughout their lives. If that edifice is solid by the end of eighth grade, then a student’s future is bright indeed. If poorly constructed, the outlook is much dimmer.

Our aim is three-fold. First, we hope to remind parents of their own responsibilities in educating their children. There are few secrets to raising good students. What needs to be done is mostly a matter of common sense. But there is much you can do, and a few things that you must do, to see that your child learns well.

Second, this book will help you determine whether your school is doing a good job. Many parents assume that their children’s schools maintain high expectations and offer a quality education. They naturally want to believe that the academic program is strong. Our message to you is: “Trust but verify.” The reality is that too many American schools are
not doing right by their pupils. In the coming chapters, you’ll find some tools you can use to figure out whether your child is truly getting a