Congratulations, you made it!
This comprehensive guide is written by experts to help parents prepare for their student’s last year of high school.
12th Grade Ready includes:
How to arrive at graduation day with great options and a solid plan.
How to avoid the Senior Slump.
Expert advice on a wide range of topics, from academic expectations to emotional and social development.
Practical suggestions and relatable anecdotes.
Conversation starters for you and your senior to open new lines of communication that can continue throughout the school year.
Effective strategies to balance guidance and support with encouraging self-reliance, helping parents strike the right balance.
Get prepared for their final year.
Senior year marks your transition to becoming a parent of an adult. Here’s how you can help guide your student while still recognizing their growing autonomy.
12th Grade Ready is edited by Timothy M. Dove, who was the 2011 and 2012 Ohio State Teacher of the Year, where he was a 7th and 8th grade teacher. He has also been an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University. Since retirement from K–12, Tim has been a consultant with Battelle for Kids in Hong Kong, Learning Forward, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and the Collaboration for Effective Education, Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR) Center.
Contributors include:
Andrea Sachs, History Teacher and former College Counselor, Minnesota
Darryl Johnson, 2007 Missouri Teacher of the Year and 2013 National Teachers Hall of Fame Inductee
Al Rabanera, Algebra Teacher, California
Laura-Jeanne Penrod, 2024 Nevada State Teacher of the Year
Jessica Volker, South Dakota State Teacher of the Year Finalist
Lorynn Guerrero, 2022 New Mexico State Teacher of the Year
Mary Lou Mendoza, High School Counselor, New Mexico
Shari Collins, Educational Consultant, Nebraska
Antoine Sharpe, 2020 Department of Defense Teacher of the Year
Leron McAdoo, Educational Consultant, Arkansas
Amybeth Taylor, High School English Teacher, New Hampshire
Courtney Walker, 2024 GASSP Assistant Principal of the Year, Georgia
Casie Wise, EdD, High School English Teacher, Tennessee
“Whether it’s your first time with a senior in your house or the fourth, 12th Grade Ready provides parents and seniors the tools they need to not only survive their final year of high school, but to thrive in it! 12th Grade Ready will help you avoid the roadblocks seniors face every year, whether it’s writing college applications, asking for letters of recommendation, or shaking off a bad case of senioritis. The contributing authors not only focus on students moving on to college, but also give practical advice to the parent whose graduate is going into the military, a trade school, or taking a gap year. Every parent will find something in this book to give their teen both the practical skills to make the most of their final year but, even more importantly, the gift of enjoying and relishing every moment.”
Tom Akers
Superintendent of Cambridge Schools and author of Things We Don't Talk About
“Being both an educator and parent of a rising 12th grade student, I can personally relate to this paradoxical moment as the best of times but with a striking resemblance to an overwhelming time. I appreciate Tim Dove’s creative genius to bring together valued voices from the field that are relevant and relatable. This book will be life-changing for so many families.”
Dr. Zelphine Smith-Dixon
Former Georgia State Director of Special Education and NASDSE Board President
“12th Grade Ready isn't about checking off boxes or micromanaging your child’s every move during senior year—it’s about fostering a relationship of trust, respect, and mutual growth. Through poignant anecdotes and practical advice, Tim and his colleagues remind us that while senior year marks the end of one chapter, it’s also the beginning of an exciting new phase where parent-child dynamics evolve into adult-to-adult relationships.”
Jeffrey Maddox
Director of Human Resources, Worthington Schools, Ohio