At Lynndale Elementary School in Seattle, parents and staff formed a technology planning team to develop a computer lab that serves families who do not have computer access at home. The computer lab is open during late afternoon or evening hours to allow parents and students to explore current educational technology together. Throughout the year, the parents and staff on the technology planning team work together to raise awareness about using technology for teaching and learning, to find ways to network schools, and to raise funds for the purchase of software and equipment. The group continues to explore the possibility of home-school computer connections.

Fathers at Beech Grove City Schools in Indiana provide a visible male parental presence at school-sponsored sporting events, dances, skating parties, and other student-based activities. These Security Dads ensure proper behavior, evict troublemakers when necessary, and generally keep the peace. Fathers are recruited through a variety of means, including requests made at parent meetings, student referrals, and home visits. As a result of this effort, paternal involvement in school and in children's activities has increased, and student behavior at events has improved.

Due to the determined efforts of the PTA president, the Mt. Vernon High School PTA grew from a dismal turn-out of 8-20 members per meeting to an outstanding 100 percent enlistment of teachers and a dramatic increase in the participation of parents and students. Recognizing that parents want to be actively involved in areas that most directly affect their children, the president reorganized the PTA, created a new mission statement, established a parent council in each grade, and developed community resource teams to distribute monthly newsletters and to gather support from the entire community.

This past year, Flint's back-to-school rally, a wildly successful event initiated by the district superintendent, began with a morning of cultural activities showcasing student work. A community parade led to the rally itself, which drew a crowd 10,000 strong. The back-to-school rally reflects a successful community partnership within a strong system of schools that extends learning time after school and into the weekends.

A fourth-grade teacher at Armada Elementary School in Macomb, Michigan, organized a back-to-school barbecue the Saturday before school began. This informal setting helped teachers and parents break the ice, and with community members in attendance, the event set a positive tone for the new school year. Parents and community members used the gathering as an opportunity to volunteer to be learning partners for students who need extra help during the year. "All it took were some hamburgers donated by the PTA and some gym teachers to flip them, and the school year started off on a great note!"

The Chicago Public Schools Bridges Program pairs high school students with eighth-graders who have failed the high school entrance exam required for entry into public high school. For six weeks during the summer of 1996, these eighth-graders received tutoring in math and reading from 25 Lourdes High School students, who drew upon skills learned in workshops as well as their own special gifts and talents. Because of the positive impact of this tutoring, the program continues throughout the school year.

At a large community meeting in the fall of 1996, San Diego, California, kicked off a year-long literacy effort. As a part of this effort, the school district conducted a series of focus groups to develop a consensus statement and criteria for student achievement in reading and writing. The school district used these discussions to make informed decisions about the adoption of language arts materials.

Instead of assuming that parents who don't show up at school are not interested, Buhrer Elementary School in Cleveland, Ohio, makes it easy for parents to get involved in their children's education. Teachers hold parent conferences off campus in places closer to students' homes. The school also holds "Block Parent Meetings" for those families who cannot attend school events because they live on the outskirts of the community and lack transportation. Block meetings, which take place every few months in a parent's home or nearby library, address parents' concerns and offer an opportunity to discuss school-related information.

Roosevelt High School in Dallas, Texas, makes a special effort to help parents understand what their children need to succeed in school and in life. The school invited parents to an evening class to review the state assessment instrument and to discuss the skills their children are expected to demonstrate on the test. Next year, staff will train parents to help students develop the skills necessary to apply for college, such as completing financial aid forms, obtaining references, and preparing for required standardized tests.

Last year in Stockton, California, "mentor parents," trained at the district's parent resource center, spent 5,000 hours in the schools helping school staff improve family-school communication and parent involvement in their children's learning. Among other activities, mentor parents conducted four workshops on obstacles to parental involvement in schools, which included topics such as parents' own negative experiences with school and teacher bias, which may result from cultural or language differences among teachers and parents.