Q: What summer activities do you recommend so kids don't forget what they've learned and are ready to start their new grade in the fall?

A: Teachers love this question, because summer learning loss is real. Research by Duke University professor Harris Cooper shows that without stimulating activities to keep kids' brains in gear during the lazy days of summer, their new knowledge gets hazy.

Studies find that students who "veg out" during vacation show little or no academic growth over summer, at best. At worst, they lose one to three months of learning.

Learning loss is greater in math than reading, says Cooper. He hypothesizes that most parents encourage kids to read over the summer, but are less likely to pay attention to math.

That's why Charleston, Illinois, teacher Pam Evans recommends that kids practice math skills they've haven't mastered.

"If kids don't know their basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts fluently," she says -- meaning, "by heart" -- then summer is the time to nail them.

Evans suggests three websites for fun practice: sumdog.com, straightace.com and tenmarks.com. She also encourages parents to involve kids in everyday math; this can include measuring items around the house, graphing daily temperatures, estimating shopping costs and using fractions while cooking.

Wendy Breit, a South Beloit, Illinois, second-grade teacher, thinks that younger children are less likely to experience a "summer slump" when parents actively reinforce skills. On the last day of school, she sends home weekly activity cards and a calendar with different skill-builder suggestions for students and parents to do together. She says they offer easily scheduled "personal time with children and just enough structure to make the transition to back-to-school routines less rough."

Lisa Ann Schoenbrun, an El Paso, Texas, educator, says the best way to energize young brains is to make each vacation day count.

"Limit screen time to one hour a day," she urges. "Get kids outside. Have them cook up projects -- make a lemonade stand, bake cookies for neighbors, clean out toys and books and donate them to a shelter; make a difference by volunteering."

Schoenbrun suggests giving kids a notebook so that they can "keep a daily journal over the summer. Nothing intense -- what they ate, who they played with. Every few days, using a dictionary and thesaurus for fun, have them add descriptive adjectives and adverbs and correct punctuation."

Schoenbrun suggests taking advantage of summer programs at "local museums, zoos, bookstores, parks and recreation facilities, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and nearby universities -- especially those with education departments."

Team up with other families for educational trips to nearby nature centers and historic sites.

As the new school year approaches, have your children brush up on their skills and also look at the curriculum for the next grade, advises Schoenbrun.

"There are many inexpensive books to guide you," she says, "such as the 'Summer Bridge Activities' series" (Carson-Dellosa Publishing).

Keep a schedule during summer, encourages Helen Merante, a retired Wisconsin principal.

"Sure, kids benefit from unstructured time, but maintain some routines," she says. "Plug in time for reading and other brain-boosting activities. Routines help kids get back on track when it's time to go back to class."

Celebrate National Summer Learning Day on June 19. For more, go to summerlearning.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: This summer we plan to visit colleges with our son, a rising senior and B-plus student with a learning disability. His counselor is pointing him to our community college, but he wants to go away to a four-year school that isn't a "pressure cooker." Are those college guides on Amazon.com reliable for making a list?

A: They're a good place to start. The major college guide publishers include Barron's Educational Series, College Board, Sourcebooks (e.g., "Fiske Guide to Colleges"), Peterson's and Princeton Review.

Before you invest in any of them, go to your local library or bookstore and give them a "flip-test," says Sally Reed, editor of CollegeBoundNews.com, a monthly publication on college admissions and financial aid.

"Assess their potential usefulness," she says. "Some are easy to use. Others may have information you don't need. Make sure the books are up-to-date. Librarians and major bookstores usually keep current editions on the shelves."

Each publisher offers a general guide. Some publish supplemental titles too. For example, in addition to the "Fiske Guide to Colleges," Sourcebooks publishes the "Fiske Guide to Getting Into the Right College," a book that helps students browse more than 2,000 four-year schools in the U.S.

Peterson publishes the "Four-Year Colleges" series as well as the "Scholarships, Grants and Prizes" series -- information on millions of privately funded awards available to college students.

The College Board published the "College Handbook 2015," with information on 2,200 four-year colleges and universities and 1,700 two-year community colleges and technical schools. The College Board also published the "Book of Majors 2015" to explain various majors and what graduates can do with them after graduation.

Princeton Review published the "Complete Book of Colleges, 2015 Edition" and has annual editions of "The Best 379 Colleges" and "Paying for College Without Going Broke." You might be interested in checking out its "K&W Guide to College Programs and Services for Students With Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder," which is a good resource for students who need additional support at college.

Reed recommends searching the website Colleges That Change Lives (ctcl.org) and the book by the same name (Penguin Books, 2012).

U.S. News & World Report is famous for its rankings (or infamous, depending on your perspective). Its "Best Colleges 2015" ranked schools according to different criteria and offered data on application to acceptance ratios. The U.S. Department of Education is also creating its own rankings system.

Some publishers offer digital versions, but Reed likes paperbacks because families can browse them together.

"While the ultimate decision is your son's," she says, "students benefit from family feedback in the narrowing process."

Don't overschedule college visits. Unless the colleges are very close, one a day is optimal.

"Leave time to visit the campus outside the organized tour," says Reed. "Engage students. Get a sense of the atmosphere. Encourage your son to take photos and notes and keep contact information of people you meet so he can ask questions once he returns home."

Reed advises families to keep it simple: "College visits should be fun rites of passage for families. Don't ask your son to tell you what he thinks after each visit. Let him digest all he's learning. Wait until you return home to weigh the pros and cons."

(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: Four teachers I respect started a charter school that's now struggling. I'm an accountant, and they've asked me to join their board. I love their mission -- to put low-income kids on a college track -- but wonder how I can help. What are the responsibilities of a school board?

A: School boards have key responsibilities, including hiring and managing the school leaders, ensuring financial best practices, promoting the mission and overseeing student progress. Board members are central to a charter's success.

Charters operate independently from public schools, are free from most government regulations and often form teacher-union contracts. They are approved by an outside authority that differs from state to state.

The authorizer holds schools accountable for student performance and financial viability, and can close schools if they don't produce satisfactory results. Some charters are run by CMOs: for-profit or nonprofit "charter management organizations" that manage several schools.

During the 2013-2014 school year, there were 6,440 charter schools in the U.S. serving 2.7 million students. During that time frame, 640 new schools opened and roughly 200 existing charters were closed. This 3-to-1 ratio has held steady for five years, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Low enrollment, financial problems and poor academic performance are the most common reasons charters get shut down.

In the early days of charters, board selection was often an afterthought. The thinking was, "Find a good principal and teachers, and we're good to go."

As the movement matured, charter leaders began to focus on school governance to avoid pitfalls such as schools abruptly closing due to financial instability, poor test scores and crony hiring.

The late Mary Mitchell, co-founder of Girls Prep in New York (now part of Public Prep Network), said of her experience, "You can't have a successful charter without a team of energetic, informed and honest-broker board members. The board chooses the principal, helps build staff capacity, sets standards for professional development, oversees budgets and raises money to supplement public funds. It 'owns' student performance. Schools don't fail; boards fail their schools. When that happens, we fail the kids."

To promote good governance, some authorizers require or strongly encourage charters to bring on objective board members with governing experience and required skill sets.

Do your due diligence before signing on. Read June Kronholz's piece, "Boot Camps for Charter Boards," in the summer 2015 edition of Education Next (educationnext.org). She describes how nonprofit Charter Board Partners recruits, trains and places professionals willing to serve on charter school boards.

Read The Top 10 Mistakes of Charter School Boards at boardontrack.com, a website that provides guidance for board members.

Go on YouTube and watch Carrie Irvin's TEDx Talk, "The Key to Great Schools is Great Boards."

Delve into data on charter school performance at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (publiccharters.org).

Know where you stand on controversial issues. For example, should your school "back fill" seats -- admit new students whenever current ones leave? How equitable is your application process?

Visit charter schools in your community, including the one whose board you may join. May 3-9 is National Charter Schools Week, and many schools plan special events for parents and visitors during this time.

(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.)