More mothers stayed home, more children attended neighborhood schools and, in general, life seemed less stressful. Times have changed. That can mean everything from providing bilingual services, as Wimauma Elementary School does for its migrant farmworker parents, to scheduling parent- teacher conferences at times when parents aren't working. More than 75 percent of the north Tampa school's 1,100 students qualify for free and reduced-price lunches. Many are from single-parent families.
Parents read with their children and then enjoy a free meal courtesy of local restaurants.
Family and friends also are welcome. It's a comfortable event, said Little, meaning parents are more likely to return to the school later. Danaher has seen the issue of parent involvement from two vantage points. Still, not all offers of help are embraced. Some school administrators remain indifferent, if not openly hostile, to parents trying to practice parental responsibility.