Educational success today is increasingly defined by student performance on standardized test. This high-stakes testing puts a premium on a set of core skills that have, up to now, not been part of the formal curriculum.

Improving Student Achievement Through MegaSkills equips teachers and parents with skills that enable them to instill these vital abilities and character traits in children without deviating from their formal, prescribed lesson plans. Thousands of schools across the country, which have adopted MegaSkills over the past 15 years, also report reduced discipline incidents and increased parental involvement.

MegaSkills are the character traits and skills that underlie formal learning - Confidence, Motivation, Effort, Responsibility, Initiative, Perseverance, Caring, Teamwork, Common Sense, Problem Solving and Focus.

Noted educator Dorothy Rich identified those eleven precursors to learning during ten years of close classroom observation of the differences between children who learned readily and those who struggled.

Improving Student Achievement Through MegaSkills encapsulates Dr. Rich's 30 years of work with MegaSkills into a self-contained video in-service program for teachers, conducted by Dr. Rich herself. The six programs provide grade-specific instruction for incorporating MegaSkills into existing curricula in pre-school, early elementary, upper elementary and middle school. The benefits range across the entire educational community.

For Administrators: Improved school ranking on make-or-break standardized tests, a more confident and productive teaching staff, higher attendance rates, fewer discipline problems and increased parent involvement.

For Teachers: A deeper understanding of the skills that underlie formal learning, new tools for creating a challenge and effective classroom environment, more focused, confident and attentive students, and more direct parent involvement in the education of their children.

For Students: Better grades and higher test scores, a new self-confidence and enthusiasm for learning, fewer distractions from unruly classmates, improved ability to problem solve, work independently and complete tasks, and more enthusiasm for completing homework assignments.

For Parents: An understanding of the complementary roles of classroom and home in a child's education, proven methods for helping children achieve academically and grow in maturity, a far more productive relationship with teachers and school administrators, and a child who meets new challenges with optimism and confidence.

"We assume every child understands what it takes to succeed. Today, that assumption is often wrong... Fortunately, the skills that underlie learning can be readily taught at any point in the educational process." -Dorothy Rich, Ed.D.