Courtesy of new technologies, such as student information systems (SIS), districts are opening new channels of communication, giving parents anytime Internet access to information they need to track their child's progress--and affording them the opportunity to make a tremendous impact on their child's learning growth. Take what is happening at Westside Community Schools, a school district in Omaha, Nebraska, composed of more than 6,000 students attending 10 elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. In its attempts to keep parents in touch with their child's academic performance, the district used to face the familiar obstacles. Parents who wanted an update on their kid would have to call the principal's office or the teacher's direct line. Parent-teacher conferences came too late to reverse a student's lack of progress. Parents of older students were offered few opportunities to stay involved. However, the tide has turned at Westside in favor of meaningful parent involvement, and the district credits its implementation of Apple's PowerSchool (www.apple.com/education/powerschool), a Web-based SIS that gives parents access to data on their child's attendance, grades, evaluations, and general activities. The students have the same open access as well. Since the implementation of the SIS, attendance at Westside is better than ever, discipline reports are down, and, instead of declining test scores that are common in schools with similar demographics, test scores are consistently above the national average and among the highest in the state of Nebraska. The use of technology, especially a Web-based system, can make increased parental involvement a more comfortable, favorable development for all involved.