This guide is designed to help principals and/or other school leaders answer parent questions such as Why does my child need to learn this? What's new and better from the old system? What do the scores on the state test really mean? Will my child still be able to get into a good college? and What practical steps can I take at home to help my child in school? The guide offers communications advice, coupled with practical steps that principals and states have used successfully all across the country. It states that the communications challenge goes beyond getting good public relations for school and that the work is about building a shared understanding of academic success among students, parents, teachers, staff, and the community. The guide offers specific suggestions on how to be proactive with a school's community of parents, how to stay focused on substance, how to explain higher expectations, how to connect to what parents value, how to develop straightforward messages, how to use the most effective messenger, and how to demonstrate success. The text closes with advice on how to start a successful communications program and where to turn for more information. (RJM)