Are you having trouble keeping track of your teen's school progress? Have you been shocked to discover your teen is failing when it is too late to salvage the quarter or semester grade?

In general, parents receive less and less feedback from school as their children get older. This is understandable: The older the student, the more responsibility he or she is given to take care of things personally.

However, you are still the parent and need to know how things are going. Even if the responsibility for completing homework rests on your teen, you need information about deficiencies before it is too late. You can then take your own action. You might consider providing extra help for your teen, withholding privileges, including participation in extracurricular activities, or just having a heads-up about possible red flags. A bad grade might simply be a snag in one class, but falling grades are also an early sign of problems such as chemical abuse, gang involvement or depression.

Here are some suggestions to help you take a leadership role in school matters:

• Identify important school personnel with whom you should meet. This includes your teen's teachers, the principal, counselors, the school secretary, and possibly others.
  
• Introduce yourself to school professionals, and tell them who your child is.
  
• Project an attitude of cooperation with school professionals. Tell them you want to work with them to ensure your teen's success in school.
  
• Determine how often you should contact school personnel. Base your decision on your teen's needs and the teachers' schedules.
  
• Make a plan for maintaining contact with school personnel-weekly phone calls, school notes, assignment books, email.
  
• Make a special plan to work together with the school when problems in your teen's schoolwork or behavior arise.

Many parents only contact the school when they are upset with something. The best way to build a strong relationship with school personnel is to make positive contact whenever possible. Show appreciation for the efforts the teachers and counselors are making to help your teen. Everyone benefits when the relationships between school and home are positive and cooperative.