Improve Education From Day One: Leverage Parents

By Bill Jackson & Leanna Landsmann

Barack Obama, who becomes the nation's 44th president this week, is getting plenty of advice on which goals to tackle first in this ugly economy. Most ideas call for urgent action and carry a big price tag.

When it comes to education, however, there is one high-impact, low-cost lever we hope he and his choice for U.S. secretary of education, Chicago's accomplished schools chief, Arne Duncan, can pull immediately to boost student achievement: parent power.

President Obama has a good start. During the campaign, parents and teachers cheered when he said the magic words: "Turn off the TV, read to your children, check their homework, and send them to...