Do you want to know what you can do that will be more important to your students' success in school than almost anything else? The answer is to gain the support of your students' parents and caregivers. Research studies unanimously show that when parents are involved in their children's schools, the students have the greatest likelihood of being successful in school. Throughout your career you will find situations and opportunities to involve your students' families in projects, homework, test preparation, and skill building. During your first few years of teaching, you can acquire experience and confidence in working with parents and caregivers by trying these five activities: Initiate contact with students' families as soon as you begin working with your class. See ideas for how to do that under Written and Electronic Communication. Invite parents to visit. Of course you invite parents to Open House or conferences, but also think creatively about situations where a parent visit would be appropriate. Realize that many parents work and will be unable to attend during the school day so encourage students to gather input from home for lessons and to practice their presentations at home. Try to add homework assignments that encourage students to ask parents for information to complete their work. Send home excellent papers or student work samples to be signed by parents and returned. When you meet or talk to parents, ask them for suggestions on how they could be involved in their students' learning.