Parents and teachers are natural teammates.

We have much in common. After all, who tosses and turns at night after a child has not measured up? The child's parents and the child's teacher. Who racks their brain to find better ways to motivate a child? Parents and the teacher. And who swells with pride when a child succeeds? Parents and the teacher.

As Dorothy Rich, founder of the Home and School Institute, has said: "Parents and teachers are in the same difficult situation together, besieged by outside experts pointing out what we are supposedly doing wrong." Nothing brings folks together like hostile outsiders.

So teaming up makes perfect sense.

Experts Unite
But where do we begin? Well, mutual respect is a logical starting point. Both parents and teacher bring something special to the team. As parents, you are the world's leading experts in your kid. Teachers are expert in how to teach your kid to read and write, how to use Pi to figure out the circumference of a circle, how to research a history paper.

Experts unite.

Next comes communications. Parents and teachers should not wait until a child is in trouble to talk to one another; nor should their communications be limited to infrequent parent-teacher conferences; they should talk regularly throughout the school year—about both the good and the not so good.

I hope teachers speak with parents in a language that parents understand. What's more, teachers must be careful not to speak down to parents. And parents should understand that they or their child are not under attack every time a teacher makes a constructive suggestion about how the child can improve his or her learning.

At the start of a new school year, teachers should make clear to parents what their child is expected to learn during this school year, and provide periodic progress reports throughout the year.

Research shows that when parents and the teacher team up and parents get involved in a child's education, the child's test scores, behavior, and attitude improve, markedly.

Providing every child with a quality education is an enormous challenge. As teachers today, we know that we cannot do this job alone. Our best efforts to raise student achievement in our schools are going nowhere unless we have major help outside the school. After all, by the age of 18, a child has typically spent only 13 percent of their waking life at school.

"Involved Parents: a Definition
But what does it mean for a parent to be "involved" in a child's education? For professional educators, it means:

• Reading to your child on a regular basis and having reading materials available in your home
• Asking your child that simple question, "How was school today?" and when your child just says, "O.K.," you keep asking questions to uncover the details
• Checking homework
• Limiting the TV viewing on school nights
• Getting involved in some activity at your child's school

Broader Benefits of Involvement
Children benefit from their own parents' involvement at school, but they also benefit merely by attending a school where many parents participate. It sends a strong signal to children that school matters—that success in school equals success in life. In addition, parents who get involved in their child's school are more likely to become advocates for the school in their neighborhoods and communities. And make no mistake about it, our public schools need and welcome advocates.

For example, it has been parents and teachers who have forced politicians to address the class size issue. Research tells us that smaller classes mean more quality teacher time for your child and more quality learning for all students.

The maximum class size in elementary school ought to be 15 to 18 students; in middle school 18 to 21; and in high school 22 to 26. Clearly, in many schools, we have a long way to go. Overcrowded classrooms still abound. Class size reduction does cost, but with parents and teachers working together, we can achieve our class-size goals. We understand better than anyone, that in teaching, just as in parenting, there is no substitute for the one-on-one time you spend with a child: encouraging, questioning, and inspiring.

In education, hope is an absolutely essential ingredient. It's the yeast that makes the bread rise. Without hope, the whole enterprise of education falls flat. But fortunately, we've found that when parents and teachers team up, they generate hope enough for children to rise to our highest expectations.

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Reg Weaver is the new president of the National Education Association [1], an organization representing public educators, with 2.7 million members.