"Our children ... deserve an education worthy of this great nation. Together we will make sure that every child learns and no child is left behind."
President George W. Bush

At the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a promise to raise standards for all children and to help all children meet those standards. In support of this goal, President George W. Bush is committed to promoting the very best teaching methods. Well-trained teachers and instruction that is based on research can bring the best teaching approaches to all children and help to ensure that no child is left behind.

The law recognizes that parents are their children's first and most important teachers, and, for children to be successful in school, parents and families need to be actively involved in their children's learning. They need to become involved early and stay involved throughout the school year.

In support of President Bush's commitment to giving parents and teachers tools to help children succeed, the U.S. Department of Education has developed a number of publications featuring the latest research and most effective practices in subjects such as reading, homework, and staying drug free. This catalog provides brief descriptions of each volume, as well as information on how to obtain these publications in hard copy or online. Each is provided at no cost. This catalog will be updated as new publications become available. In the meantime, readers are invited to check out the various titles listed here.

The research-based, yet easy-to-understand information in these publications can help families and educators make good decisions about children's learning. Well-informed parents and teachers are essential to an America where every child will be educated and no child left behind.

"There is no more powerful advocate for children than a parent armed with information and options."
Rod Paige
U.S. Secretary of Education

For Parents

No Child Left Behind: A Parents Guide summarizes the No Child Left Behind Act. It answers common questions about the law, explains what the law does for parents, and tells where to find additional resources.

Questions Parents Ask About Schools provides answers to commonly asked questions on topics such as Getting Ready for School, Monitoring School Work, Helping with Reading, and Working with Schools and Teachers.

Helping Your Child Become a Reader: Other than helping your children to grow up healthy and happy, the most important thing that you can do for them is to help them develop their reading skills. This booklet offers pointers on how to build the language skills of young children, and includes a list of typical language accomplishments for different age groups, suggestions for books, and resources for children with reading problems or learning disabilities.

Helping Your Child With Homework: Homework can help children to develop positive study skills and habits, improve their thinking and memory abilities, and encourage them to use time well, learn independently, and take responsibility for their work. This booklet helps parents of elementary and junior high school students understand why homework is important and makes suggestions for helping children complete assignments successfully.

Helping Your Preschool Child: How well children will learn and develop and how well they will do in school depends on a number of things, including their health and physical well-being, social and emotional preparation, and language skills and general knowledge of the world. This booklet highlights techniques parents can use to encourage their children to develop the skills necessary for success in school and life by focusing on activities that make learning fun.

Helping Your Child Succeed in School: Every child has the power to succeed in school and in life and every parent, family member and caregiver can help. This booklet provides parents with information, tools and activities they can use in the home to help their child develop the skills critical to academic success.

Helping Your Child Through Early Adolescence: Learning as much as you can about the world of early adolescents is an important step towards helping your child through the fascinating, confusing and wonderful years from ages 10 through 14. Based on the latest research in adolescent development and learning, this booklet addresses questions, provides suggestions and tackles issues that parents of young teens generally find most challenging.

Helping Your Child Become a Responsible Citizen: Just as children must be taught to read and write, solve math problems, and understand science concepts and events in history, so must they be guided in developing the qualities of character that are valued by their families and by the communities in which they live. This booklet provides information about the values and skills that make up character and good citizenship and what you can do to help your child develop strong character. It suggests activities that you and your school-aged children can do to put those values to work in your daily lives and tips for working with teachers and schools to ensure that you act together to promote the basic values that you want your child to learn and use.

Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics: Our increasingly technological world demands strong skills in mathematics, not only in the workforce but also in everyday life, and these demands will only increase over the lifetimes of our children. The major portion of this booklet is made up of fun activities that parents can use with children from preschool age through grade 5 to strengthen their math skills and build strong positive attitudes toward math.

Helping Your Child Learn Science Every day is filled with opportunities to learn science—without expensive chemistry sets or books. Parents don't need degrees in chemistry or physics to help their children learn science. All that is needed is a willingness to observe and learn with them, and, above all, to make an effort and take the time to nurture their natural curiosity. This booklet provides parents of children ages 3 through 10 with information, tools and activities they can use in the home and community to help their child develop an interest in the sciences and learn about the world around them.

Reading Tips for Parents: Addresses topics such as: How Can I Help My Child Be Ready to Read and Ready to Learn? Includes How Do I Know a Good Early Reading Program When I See One? Simple Strategies for Creating Strong Readers; and The Five Essential Components of Reading.

Homework Tips for Parents: Homework has been a part of students' lives since the beginning of formal schooling in the United States. However, the practice has sometimes been accepted and other times rejected, both by educators and parents. This has happened because homework can have both positive and negative effects on children's learning and attitudes toward school. Contains tips for reading and math homework.

Tips for Parents on Keeping Children Drug Free: Ideas for helping elementary, middle, and high school students to remain drug-free.

Healthy Start, Grow Smart Series (2002): This series was an initiative of Laura Bush as the First Lady of Texas and sponsored by the Texas Department of Health. Individual booklets for each month of the first year of life provide easy-to-understand information on getting baby off to a good start in life and learning. President Bush and Mrs. Bush have asked that this series of booklets be revised and distributed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A Child Becomes a Reader: Proven Ideas for Parents from Research—Birth to Preschool

Available only online

When does a child learn to read? Many people might say in kindergarten or first grade. But researchers have told us that children can begin to learn reading and writing at home, long before they go to school. This booklet offers advice for parents of children from birth to preschool on how to support reading development at home, and how to recognize preschool and day care activities that start children on the road to becoming readers.

A Child Becomes a Reader: Proven Ideas for Parents from Research—Kindergarten through Grade Three

Available only online

The road to becoming a reader begins the day a child is born and continues through the end of third grade. At that point, a child must read with ease and understanding to take advantage of the learning opportunities in fourth grade and beyond. This booklet offers advice for parents of children from grades K-3 on how to support reading development at home, and how to recognize effective instruction in their children's classrooms.

Put Reading First: Helping Your Child Learn to Read: This brochure, designed for parents of young children, describes the kinds of early literacy activities that should take place at school and at home to help children learn to read successfully. It is based on the findings of the National Reading Panel.

Ten Facts Every Parent Should Know About the No Child Left Behind Act: Quick facts for parents explaining how the historic No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 can help their children. (In English and Spanish.)

"Teachers are the heroes of the classroom ... on the front line day after day, week after week, dedicated to meeting the needs of each child in their classroom."
Rod Paige
U.S. Secretary of Education

For Teachers

A Toolkit for Teachers: Provides valuable information about the No Child Left Behind Act and how it supports teachers. Includes an overview of the law's "highly qualified teacher" provisions, frequently asked questions, resources, publications, and more.

Teaching Our Youngest—A Guide for Preschool Teachers & Child Care & Family Providers: This booklet draws from scientifically based research about what you can do to help children to develop their language abilities, increase their knowledge, become familiar with books and other printed materials, learn letters and sounds, recognize numbers, and learn to count. Many examples of strategies you can use for teaching these skills are included here. Also included are examples of ways to create an environment in your preschool classrooms that will nurture children's natural curiosity and their zest for learning.

Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read: This booklet summarizes for teachers what researchers have discovered about how to teach children to read successfully. It describes the findings of the National Reading Panel Report and provides analysis and discussion in five areas of reading instruction: phonemic awareness; phonics; fluency; vocabulary; and text comprehension. Each section suggests implications for classroom instruction as well as other information.

Tips for Reading Tutors: Reading is the basis for learning and school success. While reading is learned primarily in the classroom, many students need extra time and help. Research shows that tutoring is a great way for individuals and groups outside school to support learning. Effective tutoring requires appropriate training and careful planning. This brochure presents some basic tips for reading tutors.

Ready to Read, Ready to Learn: First Lady Laura Bush's Education Initiatives. Includes Bringing What Works to Parents; The Tools to Teach What Works; Recruiting the Best and Brightest; Strong Teachers, Strong Families, Strong Students.

"Teachers deserve all the knowledge and support we can give them. And children deserve the quality education that comes from excellent teachers. This is their birthright."
Laura Bush

Ordering Information

You can order any of these materials by contacting EDPubs, the Department of Education's publications distribution center. Most are available in English and Spanish.

Online—http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
Email—edpubs@inet.ed.gov
Telephone—1-877-4-ED-PUBS
FAX—1-301-470-1244
TTY/TDD—1-877-576-7734
Mail—ED Pubs, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, Md. 20794-1398