Q: My two teens text constantly. Is there research showing that all those "LOLs" and grammar shortcuts hurt students' writing skills? I'd love a reason to make them put down their phones.

A: If you're looking for a reason to reduce teens' texting, research on writing skills won't provide one.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that texting in class distracts students (Duh!), leading to low grades and discipline problems. But that puts "texting" in the category of yesteryear's note passing and pigtail pulling -- mere diversions from the important business of focused learning.

Many folks worry that texting reduces actual conversations, resulting in poor oral language skills. Employers who hire today's teens say they now put more effort into training employees on how to speak to customers, use complete sentences, make eye contact and engage in responsible conversations.

But don't blame texting for poor writing scores, says Ardith Davis Cole, a literacy specialist with 30 years of experience in the nation's public schools.

"Actually, texting has increased students' interest in writing," she says. "Not so long ago, students never wrote at all, unless writing was assigned. Many saw writing as only a school activity. It was common for kids to dislike it; some actually feared writing."

Texting came along, and "today's kids write all the time," notes Cole. "Some may only write text messages to friends and family, but others use the Internet for a variety of writing. They blog, post on Facebook, express their opinions on forums and tweet.

"Texting? I say, write on!"

Does texting make it harder to learn the rules of good writing, such as grammar, punctuation and spelling? Cole says no: "Research over decades shows no link between grammar instruction and writing proficiency. What does promote good writing? Reading! Encourage your teens to read lots of different styles and genres."

Cole says that some educators think creativity suffers when students spend time texting rather than journaling or composing.

"They shouldn't worry," she suggests. "A quick Google search demonstrates how few of the world's creatives were inspired through their own creative writing experiences. However, collaboration does inspire creativity!"

While creative writing is a wonderful skill, "it's not what most adults use in their lives," says Cole. "When a boss emails her salesperson to ask, 'Why are sales down?' that employee doesn't create a poem or a story, because most bosses expect a clear, factual, brief but comprehensive emailed response that sheds light on the problem."

Let's not throw the technology out because it's misused or overused, says Cole: "This isn't a writing issue. It's a social issue. Many parents are catching on. They tell their kids, 'Put away your phone for a while because it's family time.'"

If you're looking for evidence to dissuade teens from texting, consider data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing how much texting distracts drivers. And who has the highest proportion of "distraction-related fatal crashes"? Teens. So go to YouTube with your two and watch Werner Herzog's new documentary, "From One Second to the Next," a haunting examination of victims of driving-while-texting accidents.

Q: My daughter is a fifth-grader. On her teacher's website, it says the class will have "Maker Days" once a month. Students should bring "raw materials for tinkering." My daughter professes ignorance. What's this about?

A: You have one lucky daughter! Her teacher has joined the "maker movement," a growing initiative among educators to provide students with more hands-on activities to stimulate their imaginations.

A couple of events accelerated the movement. A Los Angeles boy, Caine Monroy, made an entire game arcade of used cardboard and tape. A neighbor's video of it went viral. (Visit cainesarcade.com.)

Joey Hudy, a 12-year-old from Arizona, demonstrated a marshmallow cannon he constructed at the 2012 White House Science Fair. When President Barack Obama used the cannon to launch a marshmallow across the State Dining Room, the maker movement made national news. (See Make Magazine to recapture the moment: makezine.com.)

The maker movement is fueled by a sense that schools are focusing too much on testing and not enough on creativity, draining students of opportunities to explore, imagine, problem-solve, design and invent real things in the arts and STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math).

The movement is also fueled by parents who want kids to learn to create with technology, rather than simply consume it. A fast-growing array of technology tools -- like robotics programs, coding websites and 3-D printers -- makes it easier than ever for young people to dream up cool projects.

A new book, "Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom," by Sylvia Libow Martinez and Gary S. Stager (Constructing Modern Knowledge Press, 2013), gives educators and parents guidance on how to support young makers in learner-centered activities.

The authors say, "Projects are what students remember long after the bell rings."

They add that the "maker movement overlaps with the natural inclinations of curious children and the power of learning by doing." They say that middle school, "where students can shift seamlessly between childhood play and preparation for serious academics," is the perfect time to engage in the real work of mathematicians, scientists, composers, filmmakers, authors, computer scientists, engineers and so on.

Edsurge.com contributing editor Marie Bjerede runs a local makers club with her daughter. In an Edsurge blog post, she writes about ways parents can inspire and nurture kids like hers: "What does it take to inspire, raise and nurture young makers? Do they need lots of 'stuff' lying around the house to create with? Do they need Internet access to connect with and learn from other makers? Do they need parents who respect and protect their need to make?

"Let (young makers) go their own way, support the accumulation of maker treasure, and help (only) when asked (and provide the minimum amount of help needed to make it possible for them to take that next step)."

Heather Russell, a Seattle mom says, "Our boys learn so much by tinkering. Neighbors save junk for them to cobble together into spaceships, submarines, robots, whatever. But it does accumulate, so our rule is to triage every few weeks.

"That, too, is a learning opportunity. What to save? Toss? Trade with friends? It's worth it though. Each project becomes a memory maker."

(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: I overheard a mom in a checkout line tell her kids that she had little money for school supplies this year, and they'd have to "scrounge." I wanted to offer to pay for some, but it was awkward. Her comment haunts me. Getting new supplies was always huge for me. How can I donate to help kids in our community get what they need?

A: You've just had a vivid reminder that many children in this country won't head back to school with shiny new pencils and the many other items on their class-supply lists.

More than 16 million children in the United States -- over 20 percent -- live in poverty, says Connie Matthiessen, who blogs on education at greatschools.org: "Poverty is defined as income below $22,811 for a family of two adults and two children. Many more Americans who don't fit this definition are, by any measure, very poor."

Matthiessen says the crisis has turned the back-to-school season into a season of giving: "Around the country, organizations, schools, churches and individuals are donating clothing and school supplies so low-income kids can start the school year with plenty of pencils and notebooks -- and maybe even a brand-new outfit or two."

If you want to make a difference at a particular school, what works best is to contact the person who heads the PTO or PTA, says Tim Sullivan, publisher of PTO Today (ptotoday.com).

These organizations often work with a school guidance counselor or resource officer to coordinate getting supplies to kids who lack them. "It makes good sense to keep the volunteers a notch away from the very private information about the neediest of students," says Sullivan. "Once you find the appropriate staff member who can determine who is eligible and be the go-between, this is a great service to families and the school."

If volunteers don't pitch in, many teachers dip into their own pockets for those supplies. Sullivan suggests checking TeacherLists.com, where thousands of teachers post items they know they need that school budgets won't cover.

Matthiessen says you could contribute to a community organization in your area that sponsors back-to-school drives. She cites examples: Each year Northern Kentucky Harvest distributes hundreds of free backpacks filled with school supplies at its annual Backpacks and Breakfast event. In Scottsdale, Ariz., local police team up with a community center to create a back-to-school "store," where 500 students shop for free supplies. In many communities, the Salvation Army operates a "Clothes for Kids" program.

A donation to the Kids in Need Foundation (kinf.org) helps provide free school supplies to many of the nation's lowest-income
schools through a network of resource centers and teacher grants.

Adoptaclassroom.org enables you to supply specific classrooms. At donorschoose.org, you can help fund a learning project that interests you. Once a project is funded, all donors get thanks and photos from the classroom they supported.

Small donations from "citizen philanthropists" like you can provide a big back-to-school boost for many of our nation's poorest students.

(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.)