Parental guidance: High school success

Q. My child is beginning high school. How can I help him succeed?

A. These tips come from Raymond Huntington, co-founder of the Huntington Learning Center, with nine tutoring locations on Long Island for kindergarten through 12th grade.

* Encourage your teen to stop into his guidance counselor's office early in the year. If he connects with a teacher, encourage him to seek that teacher's advice. Your teen should establish a team of individuals he can turn to throughout the high school years.

* Remind her to seek academic help before becoming overwhelmed. Be sure your teen understands the long-term consequences of falling behind and poor grades, and knows she can and should seek support through extra help after class or outside tutoring. "Parents have a longer-term view of a post-high school path. Parents have to convey that the grades they get in ninth grade contribute toward that long-term goal."

* Help your teen improve his organizational skills, encouraging him to set up a system for tracking assignments. If your teen is used to getting frequent reminders from you about homework and project due dates, it's time to help him take control of managing his own time.

* Teach her how to set priorities (what assignments should she tackle first?) and remind her that Facebook time comes after math homework is done. "I'm a proponent of lists," Huntington says. "Make sure you get done what you must do, and then you have time to do what you want to do."