Homework can be stressful, and not just for students. By the time their children reach middle and high school and are struggling with calculus and complex research papers, most parents have been out of school for many years and are not well equipped to provide assistance.

In response to a Microsoft survey that found that 71 percent of parents with 12- to 18-year-olds (in the U.S., U.K., France and Germany) feel unprepared to help their children with homework, comes the comprehensive Microsoft Student 2006 productivity software.

The heart of the software, Learning Essentials for Students, incorporates with Office, and adding tutorials, toolbars and templates to Word, Excel and PowerPoint for reports, projects, presentations, and even foreign language assignments.

Math homework can cause the biggest headache and only a third of parents surveyed feel prepared to help with this subject. Learning Essentials provides online math homework help, as well as graphing calculator software which allows students to create two- and three-dimensional graphs, in color.

PC MAG