Raise a Smarter Kid?

I recently ran across an article in Parenting Magazine titled Raise a Smarter Kid! It suggested five simple steps: have ongoing conversations with your child's teacher(s); don't let technology become a distraction; make time to be involved at your child's school; have family dinners as often as possible; and read out loud as a family. While I'm not sure I buy that any one or all of these would make my kids any smarter, I do think they'd make me a better parent. And that's no small thing.