My top 10 list for students to raise their academic performance is:
(1) Take challenging courses.
(2) Always go to class, and go on time with completed assignments.
(3) Actively listen and participate in class discussions.
(4) Take notes in class and go over them each night.
(5) Complete homework assignments each night.
(6) Don't wait until the last minute to begin long-range assignments. Instead, break them down into their main parts and prepare a schedule for completing each part.
(7) Limit time spent watching TV, socializing on the phone or playing games.
(8) Get a good night's sleep and be ready for school the next day.
(9) Don't use alcohol or drugs.
(10) Have both short- and long-range goals and keep expectations high for achieving those goals.
If these 10 steps are posted on every family's refrigerator and made a part of the lives of each middle or high school student, I believe we will see significant improvements
in academic performance. Meanwhile, the Fairfax County School Board will do its best to address whatever contribution discrimination or a lack of remedial programs have
made to the problem of high percentages of minority students failing to earn even a "C" average.
-- Robert E. Frye is vice chairman of the Fairfax County School Board.