Parent Lia Atiga, who attended both the coffee hour and RAP, suspects that the difference in attendance is the interest from the kids.

"The kids come home and they tell their parents about it. I guess it's more interesting for them," she said. The interest from the kids is more effective than her own efforts at drawing other parents to school functions by word of mouth and handouts, she said.

RAP has other benefits, too, such as free pizza, books and T-shirts, something schools might want to consider, she added.

"They have to make door prizes or raffle tickets or something to get them out," she said.

Shari Jantoc, who has five children in elementary, middle and high school, said she comes to RAP because her kids enjoy the reading. Otherwise, she doesn't attend school events other than the fun fair. "This is the only function where we see a lot of parents," she said.

Gaines said it's marketing that draws them in. "From the marketing end, I get the kid turned on ... and the kid harps on the parents for weeks," he said, comparing it to the effect a cereal commercial on television can have. He said some parents have said they resisted for two or three years until their child finally broke down and cried to get them to give in.

"We won't let the kid come unless accompanied by an adult," he said.

Parents only need to come once, though, and they're hooked, he said. It's a non-threatening environment. They sit back and listen and will never be called on for answers unless they volunteer.

"They're coming in and they're feeling community, they're feeling respect and they're feeling family," said Gaines.

Along the way, they're also getting a subtle lesson in reading aloud, role modeling and refraining from watching TV.

Gaines' strategy is to engage the kids in the classroom first to get them excited about coming to the RAP sessions. Over nine hours of regular class time leading up to a RAP session, he reads to them, holds question-and-answer sessions and talks to them about computers, TV and libraries.

"It's a fun, turned on, exciting time," he said. "It's a whole new way of looking at school."

The prizes help. Students can win free books, but free surf T-shirts, tickets to Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park and gift certificates to Dave & Busters pique other kids' interest.

"Sure that's a hook, but with every one of those prizes, we emphasize the free book we're giving, too," said Gaines.

Gaines insists that principals send RAP information home with a 37-cent stamp, rather than sending parents notices in backpacks. The letter — and a postage stamp rather than a bulk mail imprint — makes it more likely the parents will read the notice, he said.

"The secret is getting the adults to come," Gaines said.