Making Kids Responsible for Their Work.

Last year, my daughter and I had many head-to-head conflicts about her unwillingness to accept responsibility for her schoolwork. She did not get her assignments done on time, would not study regularly and always waited until the last minute to start on projects. Needless to say, her grades were not always the best. How can we change things to make eighth grade go more smoothly? - Seeking an Answer
Answer: Now is definitely the time, before school starts, to devise a plan together for how your daughter will handle the schoolwork that she does at home. The responsibility for getting homework done and turned in on time belongs to her. Both of you really need to understand this. You should withdraw almost entirely from reminding your child of her responsibilities once a homework plan is agreed upon. Writing a homework contract works well for many families.
Do not just let your daughter say that she can handle her work without a definite plan, as she will flounder without some direction. At first, she will need to have a set time for doing her work every day. And the work needs to be done in a place where you can observe her studying. Later on, she might be able to have a less rigid homework schedule and do the work in her room.
As an eighth-grader, it would be reasonable to expect her to do at least one hour of homework every school night. When she does not have an assignment, this time must still be used. She could review, read ahead or do extra work, such as the odd-numbered math problems if the teacher has assigned the even ones.
Limit your involvement to asking your daughter at the start of a study period what she plans to accomplish. Then have her show you that she has actually done this work at the end of the specified time. You can gradually back away from this as she shows that she is becoming more responsible.