Administrators hope the campaign to reach parents will supplement that effort. It's a total paradigm shift. Parents need not be intimidated by their children's schoolwork, said Ms. Silva, Dallas' director of school leadership and operations. They sometimes shy away from the work, erroneously believing that they need to know it well themselves. Being aware of student assignments and talking about schoolwork is important, she said.
Involvement can be as simple as attending parent-teacher conferences.
There are also some basic, everyday exercises parents can do with their children, Ms. Silva said. You can compare and contrast gallons and quarts. There are so many activities that parents can do with their kids. Parents also can join in activities such as PTA volunteer work or fund raising, she said. Most of all, they can help PTAs keep tabs on how well schools are doing, said Ms. Andrade, who noted that attendance at her monthly PTA meetings ranges from five to 25.