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PIQE also raises awareness and concern by using case studies, other in-class exercises, and parents' comments to remind parents that they need to get involved in their children's education and know how their schools work. For example, when reviewing a case study, the instructor may say, "You find out a child is not doing her math homework because she does not understand it. This is an emergency. What are you going to do? We must contact the school immediately." PIQE channels the concern of parents into commitment and action by letting parents know they are assets and are critical to the success of their children. 4. Establish a clear and common goal. Another effective strategy that PIQE uses is emphasizing a shared goal of having parents' children go to college. PIQE repeatedly reminds parents that their children can go to college if they start working toward that goal now. The instructor tells parents, "It is not impossible to get your kids into college. We can make it a reality. We are going to dream, and it is going to come true." At the end of the first session, parents are asked to raise their hands and repeat the following: "I promise to help direct my children and to do all that is possible that they will go to college. I promise to come to all the PIQE classes, and I will tell my child that, together, we will make sure s/he goes to college." This shared goal is very effective at establishing parent commitment to the program and the strategies taught in the program. 5. Demystify how the school system works by providing basic information on school programs, policies, and staff and on how to advocate effectively for one's child. Several of the PIQE parents expressed being too nervous to get involved in school activities or communicate with their children's teachers or principals because they did not understand the American school system and did not know what the school expected of them. Through discussions and small-group exercises, key topics were addressed, including grading and testing systems, school policies (e.g., grade promotion/retention, graduation, parent conferences), school and district resources (e.g., programs and personnel), parent involvement opportunities, and questions to ask teachers and counselors about their children's academic progress and about suggestions for ways to support their children's learning at home. 6. Suggest concrete behaviors that parents can use to support their children's academic success. PIQE classes suggest several behaviors that parents can practice to support their children's education. Each lesson includes a handout with a list of ideas that parents can put into practice. For example, to create a more supportive home learning environment, PIQE recommends that parents establish a regular time and space for doing homework, have their children read at least 20 minutes a day, limit television viewing, have the necessary supplies (pencils, paper, books) available at home, and model frequent reading. To support children's academic progress at school, PIQE recommends that: parents visit their children's teachers at least once a month; ask their children's teachers at what level their children are performing in math, reading, and writing and what they can do at home to help them meet grade-level expectations; show their children the high priority they place on doing well in school by frequently asking them about school and praising them when they do well in school; request that the school let them review their children's cum files4 or permanent student records so they can become more informed about their children's performance and can identify information that should be removed from the files; be aware of their children's performance on standardized tests; and become informed about special and extracurricular programs and activities offered at their children's schools that may benefit their children. PIQE also strongly recommends that parents talk early and often to their children about going to college. Finally, PIQE strongly recommends that parents establish good and regular communication with their children. 7. Use methods that have been proven to support learning and increase the likelihood that new behaviors will be adopted. Some of the strategies used by PIQE (such as modeling, scaffolding, role playing, and visual aids) reflect the literature on effective instruction and learning. a) Model information-gathering and problem-solving strategies. Many PIQE participants did not know how to obtain information about their children or their schools and what to do if they perceived a problem. Rather than providing answers or solutions, instructors involved parents in this process. Instructors shared - and had parents share - how they obtained information or solved specific problems. Instructors had parents solve problems (e.g., how to approach a teacher) together through small-group work, role plays, and large-group discussions. b) Support and track the use of new behaviors. PIQE emphasizes the importance of regular communication with the teachers and counselors of one's children. To help parents engage in such communication, PIQE instructors provided sample scripts and opportunities to practice, gave the homework assignment of setting up and holding a conference with their children's teachers, gave the name of someone who could help schedule conferences and provide translation, and followed up with parents on their experiences. After completion of the PIQE course, parents received monthly calls from "coaches," a cadre of parent graduates who are trained by PIQE to encourage other parent graduates to continue to use newly learned behaviors. c) Use visual aids. Overheads, flip charts, and handouts were used effectively to give explicit step-by-step instructions for group activities, summarize or interpret the information being presented, or generate conversation. 8. Create a sense of community and a peer support network that will continue beyond the term of the class. PIQE graduates have organized around various issues because of peer networks that were developed through the Institute. Peer support also was important to encourage parents to try new behaviors and question certain school policies. PIQE instructors promoted the networking of parents by encouraging parents to meet each other, learn each other's names and stories, and establish friendships.