1. Modern school supplies: Gone are the days when students were set for school with a three-ring binder and some No. 2 pencils. Now, parents say they're making expensive runs to local craft stores each time a project is assigned and are even furnishing their students with their own laptops.
"You have to have a computer, and then you have to have the programs the school runs," says Jodi Drange, a parent from Montana whose daughter goes to Laurel High School. "They never have enough time at school [for assignments] and they won't get their project turned in unless they can work on it at home."
If your child needs a laptop, consider a refurbished model that can be significantly less expensive, Florida parent Krause recommends.