Dealing with parents is often harder than dealing with the pupils themselves. This can cause a lot of anxiety and distress amongst teachers. Stern offers practical advice on how to involve parents with school life. He demonstrates how this involvement leads to improved relations thereby alleviating not only the stress of dealing with parents but also reducing the teacher's workload.

• Understand parents' needs.
• Develop roles that benefit parents and school.
• Relate positively with all parents - even the 'hard-to-reach'.