Q: Juan, my middle-schooler, didn't get into his first-choice high school of the arts, so he'll go to our large public high school instead. It's excellent, with a "10" rating from greatschools.org, but he's resisting. He says it doesn't have an arts program though he's never been inside. He's an average student with a talent for illustration. Private school is not affordable. How can I get him to accept it?

A: Those Rolling Stones lyrics, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try ... you get what you need," applies here. But no teen wants to be told what he needs. Your job is to turn that good neighborhood school into something he wants.

First, set up conferences with a guidance counselor and a teacher he likes at his middle school to discuss his track record, collect evidence of Juan's art talent, and get advice about what programs would be best for him at the new school. Does Juan need any special services? Ask the counselor to contact her counterpart at the high school to schedule a tour. Do this soon. Schedule it yourself if you have to.

Prior to your visit, gather information: Check the school's website, do an online search and talk with current students and parents. What do they like about the school? What are the challenges? Which teachers stand out? What opportunities should Juan take advantage of?

Take your son's records, including his arts portfolio, to the tour. Ask about arts offerings. While art programs have been hard hit, most highly regarded high schools have art programs. Are there studio classes available? After-school options? Visit the school's art rooms so Juan can envision being there.

Have a list of questions to cover. Listen carefully to the answers and take notes to remember key facts and suggestions. This also models for Juan how to investigate and analyze options.

Invite the counselor to ask questions. A simple opening such as "What would you like to know about Juan's academic record?" can start a productive conversation that shows you where he might best fit in the new school. Let Juan know in advance that you expect him to be a part of the conversation. Let the counselor know your expectations as a parent. Ask how teachers communicate with the home.

Note the spelling and titles of the educators you meet, and have Juan drop a note -- maybe with an illustration -- to thank them for their time. "Showing appreciation is important," says Bill Jackson, president of greatschools.org. "You can bet those teachers will remember Juan with a smile come fall!" (Thank his current teachers for their conference time, too!)

It's equally important to schedule an appointment with the admissions counselor of the "choice" school Juan wasn't admitted to so he can learn why he missed the cut and get advice on applying again for his sophomore year. This could motivate him to work really hard in his neighborhood school his freshman year. Be thankful it's a good one!

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: My sister is vehemently opposed to our local school budget and argues that "Washington should butt out" of funding local schools. In a downturn, shouldn't we try to get more dollars from the federal government?

A: For decades, the federal role in public school funding has been limited. More than 90 percent of revenues for the nation's public schools come from state and local sources. The Center on Education Policy data shows that in school year 2007-8, the federal government contributed just 8 percent of the total revenues for elementary and secondary education.

Where does the lion's share come from? In 2007-8, an average 44 percent came from the states and 48 percent came from local sources -- mostly property taxes. The mix varies depending on the state. (In Nevada, only 31 percent came from the state. In Vermont, 86 percent came from the state.)

Your sister might be thinking of the federal economic stimulus funds known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed in February 2009. Education was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the $814 billion pot of money. Education got $100 billion, a one-time allocation that saved thousands of teaching positions on the chopping block due to reduced state and local revenues. (Three-fifths of the average school budget is spent on instruction.)

U.S. Department of Education data shows that the stimulus package funded more than 360,000 positions during the 2009-10 school year. For example, California saved more than 55,000 positions with the money; Florida, 25,000; and Georgia, 20,000. (Track education stimulus dollars at edmoney.org. Track all stimulus funds at recovery.gov.)

"While the number of jobs saved may seem eye-popping, the stimulus funding didn't seem like a windfall to many school districts," observes Education Week reporter Michele McNeil in a Hechinger Report on the impact of the dollars on school budgets. "That's because many recession-battered states, desperate to balance their budgets, cut education funding and spent the savings on other public services. They then used federal stimulus money to back-fill those budgetary holes for education."

The stimulus money included the Department of Education's $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund that compelled districts to improve education outcomes for students by implementing rigorous standards aligned with assessments; creating longitudinal data systems to track students' progress; improving effectiveness and distribution of teachers; and providing interventions to low-performing schools.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan described the investment as the country's education "moon shot" designed to lead the world in academic achievement. Will we look back in a decade and see results?

Only if parents and leaders at the local level get involved. A new report, "After the Stimulus Money Ends: The Status of State K-12 Education Funding and Reforms," shows that a majority of states say they are not planning to create incentives for highly qualified teachers or principals to remain in or move to districts and schools where they are needed most.

"This is likely because several actions related to educator effectiveness and low-performing schools have traditionally been addressed at the local rather than the state level," says Nancy Kober, report co-author. (For more information, go to www.cep-dc.org.)

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: My son, Josh, is a freshman who blows off his homework. He says he "works on it" in school, but he had several incompletes in his last grading period. He's no genius, but he didn't have this problem in middle school. How can I motivate him?

A: Many students hit a homework wall in high school. The study skills that allowed them to muddle through grades K-8 aren't strong enough to provide the structure and discipline needed for the harder course load in high school. There's no reason Josh can't get his act together -- genius or not, says Wes Crenshaw, Ph.D., a Lawrence, Kan., psychologist. Crenshaw, author of "Dear Dr. Wes: Real Life Advice for Parents of Teens" (Family Psychological Press, 2011), gets this question often.

Crenshaw tells parents to drop "homework" and institute something called "study time" each day, starting with early elementary school. "Study time is a defined period of the afternoon or evening when students work on learning something," he says. "Using the 10-minutes-of-study-per-grade rule of thumb, a second grader would have 20 minutes of study time. A ninth grader, 90."

If students don't have assignments from class or if they finished the work at school, they can work on something else, such as enrichment activities: re-reading a chapter, reading a book, solving a puzzle, practicing math problems, doing an art project. The idea is to promote learning for the sake of ... (BEGIN ITALS)learning(END ITALS).

In Josh's case, says Crenshaw, he might learn SAT vocabulary words or practice activities for the ACT test. "If you do this correctly," he says, "Josh will never again claim to have no homework because he'll have to use the study time one way or the other."

Do three things to give Josh structure, says Miranda Davis, a "teen co-author" with Crenshaw on "Dear Dr. Wes." First, help him set up a system for organizing and tracking assignments each week and over time. Just make sure it's Josh, not you, who ultimately takes responsibility. Second, stay in touch with teachers through email and meetings; make sure the incompletes don't continue. Third, use all available technologies to help Josh stay organized. She adds that some districts have software programs like PowerSchool to track grades and assignments.

If Josh does a full 90 minutes of study time Monday through Thursday and there are no more incompletes, then give him the weekend off, says Crenshaw. Save Sunday to get a smart start on the week.

"If he is getting the job done, let him have Sunday off too," he says.

If he needs help with study skills such as note taking and summarizing, Donna Goldberg's excellent book "The Organized Student: Teaching Children the Skills for Success in School and Beyond" (Touchstone, 2005) is an invaluable guide.

Any problems with compliance should result in removal of all of Josh's entertainment devices, advises Crenshaw.

"Playing the bad cop now will make him a stronger overall student," he says. "College is expensive. Give him the tools to succeed as a scholar. Ninety minutes a day isn't a big investment in what Josh stands to gain."

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)