Improve Child's Behavior at School

My first-grader has had a terrible start to this school year. He is very aggressive and doesn't know how to get along with the other children. On top of this, he simply will not listen to the teacher. He also tells lies to get out of facing consequences. His behavior is much the same at home. Lately, I have made quite a lot of progress by working with him at home, but he is not doing particularly better at school. How can we improve his behavior? -- Baffled
Answer: First, we would recommend that you investigate whether the school has a social-skills program. If so, enroll your son in it. This will be a structured and safe way for your son to explore this area. Second, you should have a teacher conference and share with the teacher the things that you have done at home that have helped your son behave better.
Finally, consider having the school conduct an evaluation for special education to look for a possible emotional disability. This is where the stress the student experiences is causing difficult behavior that may interfere with his academic skills.