By Stacy DeBroff 

Parents have begun to take more active roles in changing old school policies and developing new programs. School systems have responded to this increase in involvement by trying to include the entire school community in the school's operations. Administrators are sharing more of their decision-making responsibilities with teachers and parents than ever before.

Advocating for your child means voicing your opinions, suggestions, and concerns in a respectful and logical way. Understand that your child will learn from your problem-solving approach, so be aware of the example you set.

To prepare yourself to be an effective contributor to the school community, become acquainted with the existing school, district, and state policies that concern your child. Find out why policies exist, when they were first implemented, and if there are any alternative solutions to the problem they seek to fix. If this information cannot be found in the school handbook, call the school to request it or do some simple research online.

If you are unhappy with a teacher's explanation of a policy or arrangement, meet with the school principal to discuss it further. If you are unsatisfied after that meeting, schedule another with a school board member or the superintendent. It's often necessary to work your way up the chain of command to get a full understanding of the issue or advocate for change.

Being informed on the issues and discussing concerns with other parents is only part of being a successful parent advocate. To be successful in your efforts to affect change in the school system, especially in regards to changing the school budget or procedures, you will need to either work within or in conjunction with the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).

The PTA offers an already-established approach to getting involved with a school's policy-making process. This organization serves as a forum in which parents can meet each other and share opinions and interests, keep abreast of what is going on in the school community, and collectively, form a group that is more powerful than one parent standing alone.

Look into serving on school advisory councils, committees, or management teams at your child's school. If these positions for parents do not exist, speak to the school about developing a parent involvement program or policy.

If you find you don't have the time to handle a serious position in the school community, you should still be as informed as possible. Attend PTA, school board, and town meetings for the scoop on the latest issues.

Speak up by writing and calling to support or oppose proposed legislation affecting your child's education. Find support in the community for your perspective and start a petition drive or letter-writing campaign.

If the school invites parental consideration, get involved in decisions about curriculum and textbook selections. If you have any specific recommendations about how to change the curriculum, participate in school-based evaluations or focus groups.

Be an informed voter during school board elections. The people who are elected hire principals, so by asserting your opinion you are helping secure a spot for the principal you prefer. Know what the candidates stand for:
How do they feel about issues important to you, such as the school budget and spending for languages, arts, athletics, technology, specialists, and gifted programs?
Do they harp on any one issue?
What are their fundamental educational philosophies (traditional vs. progressive, core curriculum vs. child-centered learning)?
What are their professional backgrounds?

The most effective way for parents to affect policy change is to slate a new school board. This difficult and time-consuming endeavor can take up to three years, but can be extremely beneficial to the school system. It would be the group's responsibility to find candidates, get them to run, and publicize their campaigns. In your search, look for individuals willing to use the reins of power to examine, not rubberstamp, school policy.

Understand that it may take you a long time to get a problem solved to your satisfaction. For instance, it took John Ball and the New York PTA fourteen years to outlaw corporal punishment in schools. But, if an issue is really important to you, don't back away from taking it to court, applying more public pressure, or electing more responsive board members.

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