This is facilitated by the schools' hiring of bilingual teachers and administrative staff. In addition, many schools have designated personnel whose job in large part is to interact with parents. Linda Vista has a formal parent outreach committee and also employs three community aides. The aides call the homes of absent students, translate written materials intended for parents, interpret at parent-teacher conferences, make home visits about attendance or other student problems, and help families obtain medical care, clothing, and other needed services. At Hanshaw almost all the staff are bilingual in Spanish and English, and a Laotian college student conducts in-home visits with Laotian families.
Schools also welcome parents onto the campus.
Parents are solicited as volunteers in the classroom, library, and cafeteria, as judges at the science fair, and as fundraisers. Several schools provide parents with their own space at the school. At Inter-American, with a tradition of strong parent involvement, two parents have a room at the school from which to coordinate parent volunteers. Hollibrook provides a schoolroom for use as a parent center. By devoting staff time and school space to parent outreach, these schools convey the message that parents can be allies with the schools in their children's education.