WASHINGTON — Carolyn Crowder was trying to teach her fourth-grade class in Mustang, Okla., recently when one of the boys became disruptive.

Acting up is nothing new at school, but Crowder had an effective weapon to quell it — a computer. Within seconds, she was e-mailing the rambunctious boy's mother.

"She e-mailed right back and said (to her son): 'You need to do exactly what your teacher is telling you to do, and we're going to talk about it when we get home today'," Crowder recounted. "He straightened right up."

Crowder's success shouldn't be attributed solely to technology. She established a relationship with the mother long before the incident. That foundation, experts say, is key to student success and parents should take notice.

Parental involvement in a child's education can take many forms — helping with homework, volunteering for field trips, hiring a tutor. But none may be more important than building a relationship with the teacher.

"When parents are involved, students have greater success in school," said Anna Weselak, National PTA president. "Most of that begins with good open, clear communication (with the teacher). It needs to be regular, two-way and meaningful."

Research shows a direct link between parental involvement and student achievement. One reason schools in low-income neighborhoods do so poorly is because mothers and fathers tend to play less of a role in their children's lives, researchers say.

At a time of increasing pressure on schools to perform, teachers and principals should do as much as they can to foster what Anne Henderson calls a "culture of collaboration" so parents know when they should intervene on behalf of their child.

"Sometimes parents don't know what the protocol is for resolving a problem," said Henderson, a consultant affiliated with the community involvement program at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. "Every school should have a handbook."

Crowder, a member of the National Education Association's executive board, and Weselak say that communication should start early, preferably before the first day of school.

Most schools host open houses or conduct some sort of outreach.

But if it's a couple of weeks into school and parents haven't heard from the teachers, then it's fair for the parent to make contact," Weselak said.