Parent action

Making a school district work for you

Wondering how to use the system to get your child into a great school? Check out these insider tips from a parent advocate.

Become a legislative advocate for your child's school

Let your legislators hear from you

Let your elected officials know where you stand on the issues that affect schools and your child's education.

How to form a network with other parents

Create a parenting network and discover the benefits

Find support and fellow advocates by creating a parenting network.

How one mom helped get others involved

Mom gets involved and then brings in other parents

Getting Involved: Tanyit Arellanos organized volunteers to help supervise students and encouraged Latino parents to become involved at school.

The school visit: what to look for, what to ask

There's no substitute for visiting the schools on your list, so you can get a sense of the school environment and get your questions answered.

Working the system to get the school of your choice

Smart parents follow the rules down to the small details to get into their preferred school.

Making the most of your parent-teacher conference

Learn what issues to focus on and how to plan for a productive parent-teacher conference.

Jockeying for teachers

Jockeying for teachers: is it the right thing to do?

Should parents get to request certain teachers for their children?

Making the most of teacher meetings

How to have a successful parent-teacher conference.

Why is our public school trying to get rid of my child?

Our public school tried to kick my daughter out!

The district's plan trumped my daughter's needs and ignored her success as it tried to maneuver us out of the way.

Emergency homeschooling

When traditional school fails your child mid-year, what's a parent to do? As one desperate mom discovers, there's no place like home.

What happens if you get a so-so teacher?

Dealing with so-so teachers

Take charge of your child's education by making the most of a less than ideal instructor.

What happens if you get a bad teacher?

How to cope when your child's teacher is out and out terrible.

What does teacher tenure mean for parents?

Experts say the California tenure case has huge national significance, but what does it mean for your child?

Hey, parents, we need you! (Now go away.)

One mom's very bad school field trip

You volunteer to go on the school field trip. Then they tell you, "Thanks so much for driving, but could you make sure the kids don't know you're there?"

What would your child do? | Caught being kind

Kids are learning emotional intelligence skills at school. But how will they act when no adults are around? It's not always easy to do the kind thing.

Empathy's poster child

Touched by an image of child slaves, a little girl pledges to do something about it — and turns her family upside down.

Is spanking discipline or abuse?

It's cultural and legal in all states, but is spanking discipline or abuse?

It's common, it's cultural, it's legal in all states in the nation. But does spanking work?