April Garrett, M.A., Ed., is a graduate of Brown University with a B.A. in English and American Literature, a minor in Child Development, and a Masters in Education. Her teaching experience includes elementary school at Pasadena's innovative Pacific Oaks; 6th through 8th grades at Hunter College High School for the Gifted in New York City, and 9th through 12th grades at both Beverly Hills High School and Washington Prep. The latter is the nationally-recognized inner-city magnet school in South Central Los Angeles at which April Garrett was awarded "Teacher of the Year." After ten years in the classroom, she took a hiatus from teaching to take on the ultimate educational challenge - raising her own children. Once they were old enough to attend school full-time, her need to be an active member of the academic community led her back to work, now with a new and more expansive viewpoint. Frustrated by bloated class sizes, ineffective teaching practices, and rigid administrations, she sought to create a service that could quickly and effectively address the wide range of student needs which were being neglected or mishandled in too many schools. And so in 1995, she established April Garrett's Educational Services to provide comprehensive, personalized programs for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Today, after more than ten years as the Director of her own company, she has never allowed her administrative responsibilities to distance her from her primary role as a teacher of children and a guide to their parents. April Garrett is a frequent guest lecturer for elementary, middle, and high school parent associations and is often invited to lead college-based parenting classes on issues including the impact of test-taking anxiety on school performance, the battle over homework, and preparation for the SAT.