The front page of today’s edition of The Washington Post includes a story headlined “New Study Gives Hovering College Parents Extra Credit.” I encourage you to read the story, which reports on newly released data from the highly respected National Survey of Student Engagement, conducted out of Indiana University. I also encourage you to Share Your Views on College Parent Involvement. Please share what has worked - and what hasn’t - for you as a college parent. Since the study shows that students with very-involved parents had lower grades than those whose parents were not so involved, please address this chicken-egg question. Do you get more involved because your child has experienced grade problems, or do you feel that your involvement may, in fact, be hindering his or her academic achivement? If your child is doing well in school, do you tend to back off or to concentrate on other issues, such as finances and health or safety concerns? At College Parents of America, we are a firm believer that parents can learn from each other, so please share your views below and help your fellow parents. Thank you.

Merit aid is not need-based, but instead based on a college’s subjective evaluation of student’s admissions credentials. Merit aid is often awarded to a student with GPA and standardized test scores higher than the average accepted student at a particular school. While the use of merit aid has grown dramatically in recent years, momentum seems to be slowing. Please read the column on merit aid by College Parents of America president James A. Boyle, and then Share Your Views on Merit Aid with him and your peers, the parents of current and future college students across the country, by leaving a comment below. Thank you for your consideration.

Price increases at both public and private colleges and universities again outpace inflation by a significant margin while students and their families again wait for the answer to a simple question - why? For too long, parents have grimaced and borne the high price of college because they presume that a higher education is key to their child’s success in today’s economy. Surely, the day will come - soon - when parents say enough is enough. Has that day come yet for you? Please share your thoughts on trends in college pricing by leaving a comment below.

Please read and react to College Parents of America President James A. Boyle’s column on how school administrators should demonstrate a greater deal of respect for parents of current and future college parents. We welcome your thoughts on what can be done to promote a culture of greater respect. Please enter your comments below. Thank you.

In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, there has much debate about what could have been to prevent, or lessen, a tragedy of such sickening scale.  And much of that debate centers on the balance between privacy and protection.  My bottom line is that those at college and universities who are empowered to care for and to teach our children should know that while we as parents respect the delicate balance between privacy and protection, we want any tip in the scale, if there is to be one, to go in favor of protection.  What do you think? Please share your thoughts on Balancing Privacy and Protection.  Please also review other topics in this blog and add your comments.  And finally, please share a link to this blog with other parents whom you think might want to add their voices to Hoverings: A Blog for Current and Future College Parents.