By Dr. YVONNE FOURNIER, Scripps Howard News Service

Dear Dr. Fournier:

Dear Dr. Fournier:

DEAR DR. FOURNIER: Our daughter has announced she wants to attend an all-girls college. I am ecstatic. My husband is not so sure this is best. Can you tell me if this is a good idea -- and, if so, what are the advantages? Also, what colleges should we look at?

DEAR DR. FOURNIER: We were summoned to our daughter's school, told she is ADHD and instructed to get her on the meds. My neighbor says ADHD is something that was developed so pharmaceuticals can sell more unnecessary drugs and absolve parents from having to actually parent and teachers from taking responsibility for what our daughter isn't learning. Please tell us the truth.

DEAR DR. FOURNIER:
Our children are in public school because we cannot afford private school. They come home almost every day having learned a new curse word or disrespectful action. My husband and I are trying to teach them morals, ethics and Christian principles, as it should be, but I need some encouragement, especially this time of year.
ASSESSMENT

DEAR DR. FOURNIER:
What can I do with my children while they are out of school for the holidays? I want to keep them in the mood to learn so it's not a battle royale when school resumes in January, that is, if we still have school and a country come January.
ASSESSMENT:

DEAR DR. FOURNIER: I've been saving your columns as resources for when my sons start school. What do you offer parents that will help prepare children for school? I wish I would have known about your columns when I was a fifth-grade teacher.

I'm reading a lot about Washington, D.C. School Chancellor, Michelle Rhee, especially since Sen. Barack Obama won the election. What do you think about her and what she is doing (or not doing)? I live in Hagerstown, Md., which is close to Washington.
ASSESSMENT

DEAR DR. FOURNIER: My seventh-grader started this year in a brand-new school. As parents, we felt, finally, that the school system had done something to better her education. Yet it took five weeks for her to receive worn-out textbooks. The teachers made do by assigning projects. Some did close to nothing because they don't know the subject matter. The computers are not all set up yet.

DEAR DR. FOURNIER: I am a high-school counselor working with a student who is highly capable but exhibits some deficiencies in reading comprehension. He has recently completed psychological testing that revealed no significant problems. However, previous standardized test scores show a difference in areas specifically covering reading as compared with other areas tested.