Q: Our daughter's second-grade teacher says she gives up too easily and needs to develop "grit." That sounds so negative, like gritting teeth! Who wants to put a 7-year-old under that kind of pressure?

A: Think positive. Grit -- the ability to persevere over time to overcome a challenge and achieve a goal -- is a hot topic from the ivory tower to the teachers' lounge.

Compelling research has educators and parents rethinking the role of praise in motivation and what constitutes "too much" pressure.

Stanford researcher Carol Dweck has shown that overpraising has negative affects. University of Nebraska psychologist Richard Dienstbier founds that routine stresses, such as dealing with a tough teacher, can make students stronger.

University of Pennsylvania researcher Angie Duckworth established the importance of grit in school achievement and says it's a better indicator of success than IQ or family income.

In his book, "How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character" (Mariner Books, 2013), Paul Tough explains that grit combines several traits: motivation, a strong desire to achieve a goal; self-control, knowing how to focus and avoid distractions; goal-orientation, knowing where one's headed and having a plan to get there; and a growth mindset, a belief that one's abilities can be developed through effort and hard work.

If grit is good, then how can parents develop it?

-- Start early: The late parent educator Dorothy Rich, author of "MegaSkills: Building Our Children's Character and Achievement for School and Life" (Sourcebooks, 2008), called effort and perseverance two of 12 "megaskills" that could be taught to preschoolers. She encouraged such activities as structured dramatic play in which children learn self-control and focus by staying in character.

-- Model it; talk about it: Show how you demonstrate perseverance, whether restoring a home or getting an advanced degree.

Read children's books that showcase grit. Biographies of heroes such as Teddy Roosevelt and Rosa Parks give kids opportunities to talk about what they value, fear and want to achieve. "Folk tales are also a great way to spur those conversations," says reading expert Keith Garton, publisher of "Tales of Honor," a series about bravery, devotion and perseverance (Red Chair Press, 2013).

-- Encourage kids to set their own goals: "Too often parents set goals for their children. Teach them how to define their own goals that relate to their interests. Show them how to anticipate obstacles and lay out a plan that prioritizes time and resources to achieve them," says Bill Laraway, a fifth-grade teacher at Silver Oak Elementary in San Jose, Calif. "Kids should know this process by the end of fifth grade."

-- Make it OK to fail: Don't shelter kids from messing up, says Laraway. "Mistakes teach us -- motivate us -- to try again and do it better."

For more information, check out the free webinar "Got Grit? Help Your Child Develop a Sense of Perseverance" (parentfurther.com/webinars/got-grit). And watch Angela Duckworth's TED Talk, "The Key to Success? Grit," at ted.com.

(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: Last year in third grade, we thought our son, Jared, learned his times tables. Now in fourth grade, he's struggling in math. His teacher says he hasn't developed "automaticity" and suggests drilling him on multiplication facts. What does that mean? And what might make "drilling" fun?

A: The teacher means that Jared can't retrieve his times tables automatically. So when solving problems, he has to stop and figure out, "Now, what is 3 times 6 again?" And that slows him down.

This is common, says elementary teacher Nancy Bourne of Jupiter, Fla., who was given a 2014 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Math Teaching.

"First, check to make sure that he understands the conceptual model that underlies multiplication," she says.

This is important, says Bourne, because rote memorization can cover up lack of understanding. "Math educator Marilyn Burns often cites a time she was helping a struggling fourth-grader," she says. "She asked him to explain what he knew about multiplication. He said, 'Well, 6 times 8 is 48.' She asked about 6 times 9. He said he hadn't learned that one. Asked how he knew the answer to 6 times 8, he said, 'That's easy. Goin' fishin', got no bait, 6 times 8 is 48.' He'd memorized a fact, but multiplication was still a mystery to him."

If Jared's concept mastery is weak, ask his teacher for activities to develop it. Bourne loves working with number arrays (a set of numbers or objects that follow a specific pattern, often in rows, columns or a matrix) to develop understanding.

"A number array representing a box of chocolates with 5 rows of 6 pieces makes some pretty tempting multiplication connections!" she says.

Once Jared "gets" multiplication, work on automaticity -- the ability to retrieve facts immediately without using working memory. In other words, knowing them by heart.

First, suggests Bourne, "Clue him into helpful patterns and rules, such as 'When multiplying by 5, the product will always end in a 5 or 0.' Or the commutative property rule states that it doesn't matter the order; you still get the same answer. When kids learn that 6 times 4 and 4 times 6 yield the same answer, it's a eureka moment."

Second, have some fun. Bourne likes the book "Times Tables The Fun Way," by Judy Liautaud and Dave Rodriguez (City Creek Press; 1999), for its kid connections, such as "You have to be 16 to drive a 4-by-4." Teach mnemonic devices such as "1, 2, 3, 4. I like math, let's do some more!" (12 equals 3 times 4.) Or "5, 6, 7, 8, I think math is really great!" (56 equals 7 times 8.) Play fast games with two dice; have players alternate between adding and multiplying the two numbers. The first to get a total score of 100 wins.

Third, work for fast retrieval. "Bottom line, even with all the tricks, most kids still have to practice, practice, practice to be speedy," says Bourne. "Flashcards get great results. Websites such as multiplication.com, sumdog.com and apps such as Brownie Points and That's a Fact help, too.

"Just five minutes a night goes a long way to enshrining these in the brain forever!"

(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: Our city wants to add an academic component to our summer recreation program because many of our elementary students have weak test scores. School, civic and city representatives are meeting to create the program. We disagree on what the focus should be. Some want science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities; others reading or arts or field trips. What will provide the most bang for our buck?

A: Focus on reading. STEM subjects, the arts and history are all important, but children can't master or enjoy them until they read on grade level.

Studies by the Annie E. Casey Foundation show that nearly 70 percent of our nation's children, and more than 80 percent of children from low-income families, are not proficient readers by the end of third grade.

These alarming numbers "have dire consequences for those children, their families and communities," says Darlene Kostrub, former chief executive officer of the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County (Fla.). "Reading proficiently by the end of third grade is a critically important marker in a child's educational development."

There's a saying in education circles: "In the first three grades, children learn to read. In fourth grade, they read to learn," says Kostrub. "In the fourth grade, students encounter more sophisticated science, math and social studies texts and if they can't read them, they fall behind very quickly in every subject. Research shows that children who struggle with reading in the fourth grade are more likely to drop out of high school. Of course, that affects their lifetime earning potential."

Of the many initiatives designed to improve early reading, one that Kostrub says has the potential to make a strong impact is the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and its affiliated Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Network. Launched in 2011, the campaign is a collaboration of funders, nonprofit groups, schools and communities, including civic and business leaders.

"The network recognizes that schools alone can't make up for missed learning opportunities in a child's early years," says Kostrub. "The entire community must engage on three fronts: close the school readiness gap at home, increase school attendance and prevent summer learning loss.

"Attendance data show that one in 10 children miss more than a month of school annually in the primary grades when reading is a key part of the curriculum. We know that many children lose ground in reading over the summer months. The campaign helps communities focus on these areas."

More than 140 cities, counties and towns have joined the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Network. The network provides best practices in school readiness, attendance and summer learning, plus technical expertise in promoting and funding the program locally.

"To launch our Palm Beach County program, we worked closely with the network and the local Children's Services Council," says Kostrub. "The campaign's senior consultant, Ron Fairchild (former CEO of the National Summer Learning Association), attended meetings with our mayors and other community leaders to explain why everyone needed to get involved."

Communities must apply to join the network. Applications for this year are due April 1. For more information, go to gradelevelreading.net, or email Ron Fairchild at ron@smarterlearninggroup.com.

(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.)