A parenting specialist and child psychologist helps tackle a headache for parents and kids alike--homework--and gets underachievers back on track. Is your child constantly bored or frustrated at school? Has homework become more of a family crisis than a learning exercise every evening? As any parent of a school-age child can tell you, helping children to achieve at school and get into a good college is a primary concern. Parents are starting to worry about this when their children are still very young, knowing that the work habits and study skills their children develop in elementary school will affect their performance in middle school, high school, and eventually, college. Unfortunately, bad habits on the part of kids and parents can result in poor academic performance and tense parent/child relationships. Now, in Overcoming Underachieving, Dr. Ruth Peters--a trusted child psychologist who has helped thousands of children and their parents solve scholastic problems--tackles kids' academic underachievement head-on, and presents a clear strategy that has worked for her clients and can work for almost all kids who aren't performing as well as they could. With a practical program targeted for parents of children from first through the twelfth grade, this book gives concrete advice about how to: -reward performance -build a child's self-concept -help kids battle apathy -identify common behavioral patterns among parents and children that lead to academic underachievement As the market is inundated with new study aids and guidebooks and expensive tutors, Dr. Peters's straightforward, strategic plan is a breath of fresh air for parents and children. Overcoming Underachieving is the best tool for helping your kids get the better grades they want and deserve.

This book is written with the express purpose of showing how to improve your success and achievement by giving principles and strategies that lead to success. The cliché that ‘it will not happen overnight but will happen’ can be applied with these principles.

Why are some gifted children willing to tackle new challenges whereas others seem insecure or uninterested? Why do some gifted students achieve while others become caught in a cycle of underachievement? Are there strategies teachers and parents can implement that promote an achievement-oriented attitude? The Underachieving Gifted Child: Recognizing, Understanding, and Reversing Underachievement answers these important questions. Although there are many factors that contribute to achievement, achievement-oriented students exhibit four key traits: they believe that they have the skills to perform well, they expect that they can succeed, they believe what they are doing is meaningful, and they set realistic expectations and implement strategies to successfully complete their goals. This book offers specific strategies to help increase student achievement by improving students' attitudes in these four important areas.

For any parent who has ever been told, "your child isn't performing up to his or her potential," this book has the answer. Renowned clinical psychologist Michael Whitley, Ph.D. offers a proven ten-step program to motivate underachieving children. This easy-to follow book identifies the six types of underachievers from the procrastinator to the hidden perfectionist to the con artist, and it presents the ten steps to help children succeed in school-and ultimately, in life.

This practical resource shows what teachers can do to combat disadvantage and underachievement in schools and from early years to secondary education. Written by an experienced teacher, teacher educator and chartered psychologist, the book highlights effective teaching and learning methods that can be used to overcome barriers to learning, satisfy different learning needs and help students achieve their full potential. Packed with up-to-date research, useful guidance and examples, the book explores what schools have done and what they can do without need for extra resourcing. It includes case studies that examine the types of underachievement patterns that are found across age ranges and, by detailing approaches in subject teaching, defines the nature of effective learning and shows what strategies can be used to meet these criteria. Moreover, the chapters provide: An exploration into the central needs of underachieving and disadvantaged learners across the ability range Information about how to audit the provision and the needs Accessible resources for the classroom changes that need to be made to the education and training of teachers Tackling Disadvantage and Underachievement in Schools is essential reading for teachers in early years education and primary and secondary schools, teachers in training and their educators, as well as leaders, policymakers, researchers and anyone interested in improving performance in schools.

Do you suffer from any of the following? Procrastination Wide swings of mood and self-esteem Ambivalence in making decisions Dreaming big, but never following through If you or someone you love isn't living up to his or her potential -- and suffers from even one or two of the above feelings -- here is a program that can help. Your Own Worst Enemy is the first book devoted to the problem of adult underachievement, a problem stemming from common behavior patterns that can manifest itself in almost every walk of life -- from twentysomethings stuck in dead-end jobs to outwardly successful businesspeople who can't help feeling they've missed their true calling. In Your Own Worst Enemy, Dr. Kenneth Christian details the telltale signs of what he calls self-limiting behavior -- everyday habits that can seem harless (like taking unchallenging jobs) or even worthwhile (like setting absurdly high standards), but that over time can send high-potential people into a tailspin of dead ends and frustration. He identifies underachieving types, from charmers, who substitute congeniality for effort, to extreme risk-takers, who casually gamble their future away, to best-or-nothings, who refuse to play if they can't win. And he offers practical 15-step guide to help underachievers shake off their old habits and start taking an active hand in their own future. Filled with persuasive case studies and useful advice on everything from overhauling workspace to remaking self-image, Your Own Worst Enemy will help underachievers everywhere visualize their goals, break through their barriers, and start realizing their unlimited potential.

The Unmotivated Child offers parents, kids, and teachers fast answers and solid solutions. A guide for parents of underachieving youngsters presents five methods for communicating constructively, seven strategies for overcoming the "homework trap," seven techniques for working with teachers, and guidelines for supporting the student through the change process. Natalie Rathvon solves the mystery of underachievement in children by looking beneath the child’s surface behavior. She discloses the beliefs that influence an underachiever’s attitude and actions and pinpoints the warning signs to watch out for in elementary, middle, and high school students.