II. What Parents Should Know From Kindergarten to College

III. Proven Programs for Student Success

SCHOOL CONCERNS FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS

I. TEEN SUICIDE: WHO'S AT RISK

Warning signs include depression, mood swings, changes in appetite and weight, and a loss of interest in activities. King says parents and friends should also be on the lookout for verbal warning signs: "They may say something like, 'I've had enough.' or 'It doesn't matter anyway, I'm not going to be around much longer.'"

If a parent notices a drastic change when their child is visiting from college, King says parents must take action. "Talk with the child. Try to find out what's going on. Remember, you can get counseling for your child at home or at school. Virtually all universities have onsite clinics and counselors to help students, but many students don't even know about those services. Parents should look into resources at the child's university and tap into them." King adds that if your child doesn't want to talk about what's bothering him or her, you might be able to find out something from a friend. "Often, a peer can not only give good information, but they may also be able to get the student to go and get help."
Contact: Keith King

B. REACHING OUT TO TROUBLED STUDENTS
Rob Hayden, coordinator of outreach and consultation services, UC Psychological Services Center, says there are varying forms of depression ranging from chronic, mild forms to severe depressions occurring during a single episode. "The most important thing that parents need to do with their child is to help break through the isolation that's almost universal with depression. When the cycle of depression begins, people will want to withdraw from activities and friends, which can deepen the depression and cause them to isolate even more. Parents need to create an environment for open communication. They should not demand the child 'open up,' nor should they try to solve or fix the problem, which can be very tempting when a parent sees his or her child is suffering."
Contact: Rob Hayden

C. A MODEL PREVENTION PROGRAM Rob Hayden says an outreach program developed by the University of Cincinnati Psychological Services Center is drawing national attention. Coordinators look for classes of 80 or more students and work with the class instructor. Experts make a 10-minute presentation, informing students about warning signs and what they should do if a friend appears suicidal. Coordinators will then leave students with a bookmark which lists the warning signs of depression and sucide as well as the phone numbers of Psychological Services and other community agencies. "We do as many as 80 presentations in a year and reach between 7,000 to 10,000 students per quarter," says Hayden.
Contact: Rob Hayden

II. WHAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW FROM KINDERGARTEN TO COLLEGE

B. LEAVING THE NEST
Another tough adjustment between the college student and the parent is the student's new independence. "One of the big issues that I feel students don't understand is that during the previous 12 years, the parent had a relationship with the child's teachers and could find out how the child was doing in school. That's not the case in college. The parent has to rely on the child to find out how their son or daughter is doing in school," explains Lori Beth Derenski, program coordinator for UC Honors Program and the mother of a college student. "I try to stress to students that they need to talk with their parents and tell them how they're doing. Their parents' emotions are ranging from devastation to dancing on tables. Some parents have turned their child's old bedroom into a walk-in closet and others are still wearing black and reaching for Kleenex, and have turned their child's room into a shrine. I tell students their parents are the biggest fans they have. They love you more than anyone. Keep the lines of communication open."
Contact: Lori Beth Derenski

C. THE PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE
On the elementary and secondary level, teachers may request a meeting with the parent when a child is running into trouble at school. A natural reaction is to feel defensive, but Ron Sterling, UC associate professor of teacher education, has some suggestions which can make your parent-teacher conference more successful. "Parents need to realize the first thing the teacher is going to do is to try to be positive, because that's what they're trained to do. The parents should build on those positives with the teacher. Work with the teacher as you build on the student's strengths and once you get into the weaknesses, look into how to peak the child's interests. Get into the reality of the situation: 'My child is not doing well, what do you think is the reason for that and as a parent, what can I do at home? Is there any time I can come into the classroom and observe? Can you recommend any books I should read with my child?"

Sterling adds parents need to ask for specifics. For instance, if the teacher says the child is misbehaving, the child's not paying attention, the child is belligerent or disrespectful, ask for specific examples of that behavior. "The parent needs to know where we're coming from and as a teacher, we need to have specific examples. Don't try to deal in generalities. If you don't understand, say you don't understand." Sterling says parents should be willing to share some information about what's going on at home without feeling they have to divulge deep personal family secrets. Sometimes that can help the teacher develop a plan of action with the family.
Contact: Ron Sterling

III. PROVEN PROGRAMS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

Kinsley said service learning can be incorporated on every campus, although he admitted the program must adapted to meet the unique needs of commuter schools compared with residential campuses. "There are different challenges," admitted Kinsley. Commuter schools have more nontraditional students. They may already be involved in their local community. The challenge is finding the correct balance among school, work, and family."
Contact: Dick Kinsley, (740) 587-7682.

B. SERVICE LEARNING: A CINCINNATI SUCCESS
"When we think about the overall mission of higher education in our democratic society, when we think about educating our young people about social issues and social problems, what should come out of that is a concern, or spirit to do something about the issue and give back to people," says William Harris, director, UC Community Service Programs. The office works with dozens of local community service agencies and last year alone, 1,500 UC students performed as much as 37-thousand hours of community service, including service learning opportunities on spring break.
"Service learning allows students to put classroom theory into practice. They may learn about homelessness in their sociology class, but when they volunteer at the City Gospel Mission downtown, they see the effects of homelessness on the faces of the men and women standing in the food line. The pedagogy of service learning humanizes the educational experience and puts the education into the social context of what's happening right now. It's not enough for you and I to have a nice car and home if we don't try to help others have the same aspirations. Students will find that because of the social issues and social environment in which some people have to exist, it's difficult for them to even conceive a regular paycheck, a nice home, or a higher education.
Contact: William Harris, (513) 556-6109

C. ADVISING AND LEARNING COMMUNITIES IMPROVE FIRST-YEAR SUCCESS
What's a parent to do when their son or daughter runs into trouble in college? After all, there are no parent-teacher conferences in higher education. Wayne Hall, associate dean in the UC College of Arts and Sciences, suggests that the most important step parents can take in helping their kids be successful in college is to encourage them to seek guidance and assistance from their college advising centers. Those centers have a wide variety of resources to help students in many different areas. Another resource for first-year students at the University of Cincinnati is called Linc Up @ UC (Learning in New Communities). Linc Up allows freshmen to enroll for a package of classes with a small group of students. The pilot Learning Communities at UC were so successful the program was expanded to 20 communities in the current academic year.
Contact: Wayne Hall, (513) 556-5870

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