Question: What do you think about accelerating my daughter, who is in kindergarten, to first grade, as she's doing work well past what is expected of her in kindergarten? The only negative as I see it is she's physically smaller than average. The school suggested moving her.

Answer: You are not the first parent to face this issue. It's best to make this decision with the help of school personnel and even psychologists. Plus, it's very smart to learn as much as you can about acceleration. Two really good websites with solid information are the National Association of Gifted Children (nagc.org) and the Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration (accelerationinstitute.org).

You need to realize that skipping a grade is not the only form of acceleration offered by schools, especially for older children. Another popular alternative is advancing a child for a single subject.

What works for one child may not work for others. In general, skipping a grade should create a better match between children and the level of instruction they are receiving. Compared to peers who have not been accelerated, those who have been skipped are usually more advanced academically and often have improved socialization skills. On the other hand, not all gifted children should be skipped, especially those who are not socially and emotionally ready or academically advanced across subjects.

It is good that you are being proactive. As a parent, you need to look out for your child, because educators don't always focus on the needs of the gifted. Also, students who are accelerated do have the advantage of getting through school faster and are able to obtain more advanced degrees.

Paying for Grades: Does It Work?

Question: We now pay our smart middle-schoolers $10 for every A and $5 for every B. They used to get mostly B's; now they usually get straight A's. Is there anything wrong with this?      

Answer: As you know, there are pros and cons on the issue of paying for grades; however, in your household it is working, and everyone is getting the results that they are looking for, so it is a win-win situation.

If children buy into getting better grades because they want a reward (money, TV time, a cell phone), one positive outcome is increasing their skill in one or more subjects. This can lead to a feeling of accomplishment and create a genuine desire to do well in school and an appreciation of learning.

Rewarding children for grades can backfire if they already have a desire to learn. They may begin to think that they are working harder primarily to get a reward rather than to do well in school. However, if children have little or no desire to succeed in school, rewards may get them on the path to doing so.

One caution: If parents expect that rewards will lead to improved grades, they must offer rewards for grades the children can reasonably be expected to achieve. A child with good basic math skills could be offered rewards for A and B grades. However, the child with weak math skills should not be expected to get more than C or possibly B grades.

Raising Funds for Schools

Question: I'm the chair of our school's spring fundraiser. It is usually a silent auction that raises about $5,000. With the sad state of the economy, I think that this could be harder to do. Would you continue with the auction or try something else?

Answer: Since the auction has become a tradition, it makes sense to continue it unless you are hearing a lot of protests against this type of fundraiser. It would be a good idea to make sure that there are auction items at a variety of price levels. It's also very important to solicit items that people will truly want to own. Families who don't feel that they can bid can contribute to the auction by soliciting items or helping to run it. They can even offer special meals or services. The more participation you have fromschool families, the better the chance of success.

You should make it very clear in auction fliers what the money will be used for. State that it will be for extra materials for teachers, the music program, field trips, science equipment and so on. Then, you might describe how auction funds have been used in the past and what they accomplished.

You may be able to increase attendance at the auction by inviting all family members to attend. Having many items for children can increase family interest. Also consider having the auction during a weekend afternoon so families won't need to hire babysitters. You can even gain additional revenue from selling refreshments; some of these can be donated. And some schools gain additional money by charging an admission fee.

If there is a widespread objection to the silent auction, consider a different option. Some possibilities are: a carnival, play or musical, book sale or big garage sale. You can use a search engine to find many more choices.