It is not just a cliché - school standards really are falling all over the Western world. There are many reasons: spending cut backs, increasing class size, obesity, distractions like gaming, TV and computers, as well as increasingly busy parents who spend less time working with their kids on homework. But the effects are all the same - decreasing literacy and numeracy. Recent reports in the UK show that literacy is its worst in over a decade. So what is a parent to do? Well, if you can afford it, you can get your child into private education or one-to-one after school programs, but often this will not be enough if the problems are deeper. If your child has problems with basic numeracy concepts, it is often too late for them to catch up when they are already facing important school exams. Or what if your child's problem is poor concentration? Or what if you simply know that they could be doing so much better? This is where cognitive training comes in. At [RaiseYourIQ.com](http://raiseyouriq.com), we have developed SMART training especially for kids aged 8-18, and we are the only company online offering such a service (we also offer packages for adults). SMART training is a game-like learning package in which users are taught the absolute basics of reading, writing, arithmetic and logical reasoning. We call these basic skills "relational skills". After users have finished our SMART relational training, reading, writing and arithmetic come mush easier. Most SMART customers see gains in their intelligence test scores (IQ) of around 20%. That is a big difference - and it is a difference that matters. When our clients' IQs go up, they find that their vocabulary starts to improve, their numerical ability (arithmetic) improves, and they become better at abstract reasoning. What this means is that learning in school or on the job gets easier. So relational training can help where the school system fails. Our users play our relational training game online on their computer, tablet or smartphone, for 20 minutes per day, a few times per week for 12 weeks or so. They start getting smarter the moment they begin. Why not sign yourself or your kid up for a free intelligence assessment and a free training trial at [RaiseYourIQ.com](http://raiseyouriq.com).