Question: Team practices to promote/support academics

[evergreen]

Thank you to all of you who responded to my post. I have learned a lot from you and from the rest of the CD website. I am grateful to have access to such an amazing resource. I have tried to summarize what I have learned about the various strategies that teams are using to support academics.
I'm passing this on as my way of saying thank you. As always, I would welcome any responses/additions.

Summary of policies and practices that support academics on FIRST Robotics teams

The following represent a summary of the ideas that were presented on the Chief Delphi website.

1. Promoting the policy that academics comes first and insuring that students and parents understand this. (Explicit statements by mentors, inclusion in team handbook).

2. Attendance policy is flexible enough to allow for missed sessions due to academic commitments and nonattendance for academic reasons is understood and supported.

3. Minimum GPA may be required for admission to team. Minimum GPA and minimum grade in each class may be required to attend sessions. Otherwise student may be required to do homework at robotics sessions or not attend at all until grades are corrected.

4. Grades are monitored by mentors and drop in grades is addressed with student. Grades are reviewed weekly and/or recorded on a star chart along with attendance.

5. Students are encouraged to bring homework to sessions. Space is provided for doing homework. A one to two-hour period of homework is required before session starts.

6. Teachers, mentors, and/or peers are available for tutoring.

7. Minimum GPA and minimum grade in each class may be required for traveling. Teacher permission for each class may be required for traveling. Hours dedicated to homework may be required while traveling.

8. Formal and informal study groups are formed.

9. Time management, although identified as a problem, appears to have been left in the hands of individual students. Training in time management appears to remain a possibility to be explored.