Doing Poorly in School

What is the best way to handle the situation of a child who was not working on grade level during the past school year? We don't want our daughter, who will be starting the third grade, to do poorly again this year. She will have a different teacher, so perhaps things have changed over the summer. I don't want her to get a special-education label to her name. -- Concerned Parents
Answer: Your daughter may again have problems this school year unless her skills were truly improved over the summer by someone who knew exactly what help she needed. Otherwise, it is very unlikely that significant progress has been made. Her skills may even have declined over the summer without special help. Of course, it is always possible that things will be better with a new teacher who may be more able to meet her needs. Time will tell.
Wait a few weeks until the new teacher has become well-acquainted with your child and her abilities. Then schedule a conference with the teacher. At that time, she should be able to address your concerns. Ask if your child is working on grade level, especially in language arts (reading, writing, spelling) and math. If not, find out what needs to be done for her to start working on grade level. Don't be afraid of your daughter getting help from a special-education program. It may be the only way that she can truly be helped. Discuss the possibility or need for testing for a learning disability with the teacher.
Often, when a child does struggle in school, he or she has some learning disability. Learning disabilities are neurobiological differences in brain structure and/or function. These differences lead to problems with learning. Children with learning disabilities are often just as intelligent or more intelligent than other children but have difficulty learning because their minds process words or information differently. If your daughter is still struggling in school, you definitely need to find help for her now. Expecting problems to vanish without help is just wishful thinking.