Includes bibliographical references (pages 90-96) and index.

Questionnaire: Before We Get Started... xiii -- 2 Best Practices in Reaching Out to Parents 15 -- Learn Together 21 -- Empower Parents 23 -- Provide Training 24 -- Establish Parent Coordinators 25 -- Foster Parental Success 29 -- Publicize Student Presentations 31 -- Solicit Parent and Community Involvement 32 -- Develop Parent Involvement Activities 34 -- 3 Best Practices in Building Community Alliances 37 -- Consider Six Types of Involvement 40 -- Form a Community Advisory Committee 42 -- Undertake Community Building 43 -- Plan Together 45 -- Develop an After-School Program 47 -- Involve Parents and Community 50 -- Avoid Barriers to Implementation 52 -- Become Media Savvy 58 -- Become Part of a Professional Development School (PDS) Initiative 59 -- 4 Using Community Resources and Reforms to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap 64 -- School-Community Clinics 68 -- Early Childhood Education Centers 69 -- After-School Programs 70 -- Conclusion: Making School-Community Relations a Reality 75 -- Resource A Realities of School-Community Leadership: In-Basket Simulations 77 -- Resource B Assessing Your Role in School-Community Relations 82.