American children must be ready to learn from the first day of school. And of course, preparing children for school is a historic responsibility of parents.

Should you help your child with writing?

Yes, if you want your child to:

• Do well in school
• Enjoy self-expression
• Become more self-reliant

You know how important writing will be to your child's life. It will be important from first-grade through college and throughout adulthood.

Writing is:

Practical.

Most of us make lists, jot down reminders, and write notes and instructions at least occasionally.

Job-Related.

Professional and white-collar workers write frequently--preparing memos, letters, briefing papers, sales reports, articles, research reports, proposals, and the like. Most workers do "some" writing on the job.

Stimulating.

Writing helps to provoke thoughts and to organize them logically and concisely.

Social.

Most of us write thank-you notes and letters to friends at least now and then.

Therapeutic.

It can be helpful to express feelings in writing that cannot be expressed so easily by speaking.

Unfortunately, "many schools are unable to give children sufficient instruction in writing." There are various reasons: teachers aren't trained to teach writing skills, writing classes may be too large, it's often difficult to measure writing skills, etc.

Study after study shows that students' writing lacks clarity, coherence, and organization. Only a few students can write persuasive essays or competent business letters. As many as one out of four have serious writing difficulties. And students say they like writing less and less as they go through school.

That's why the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) suggests that you help your child with writing. OERI believes you, a parent, can make a big difference. You can use helping strategies that are simple and fun. You can use them to help your child learn to write well--and to enjoy doing it! This leaflet tells you how.