On our best months, the family calendar perched on our refrigerator looks like the flight manifest for the air traffic controller on a busy day at HIA. Trust me, even he couldn’t figure out our schedule. The minivan smells like a fast food restaurant, and it looks like someone threw a grenade into the backseat. Such is the challenge of coordinating the activities of three active teenage daughters. For my wife and me, the family calendar is our grail to keep us organized for who’s driving whom to dermatologist and orthodontist appointments, basketball practice, choir, scouts, karate, school projects, community service, etc. Each of the five of us has his/her own colored marker so we know exactly who has to be where and when.

What you do directly influences how successful your children will be in school. They don’t have to be geniuses to get As and Bs. However, you do have to instill in them a willingness...