Q: The PTO president wants me to apply to be a parent representative on our school site council. While I'm active at school, I'm not a curriculum or budget expert. What skills do I need to be effective?

A: If the PTO president is encouraging you to apply, he or she sees that you have the skills, disposition and commitment to be successful.

School site councils usually consist of an administrator, teachers, parents and classified employees, such as custodians and aides. Some members are elected; others appointed. Members advocate for all parents and represent the interests of the entire student body, not just their own children.

"You don't need to be a budget whiz or know your state's learning standards inside out to be effective," says Bill Jackson, founder of GreatSchools, an online academic resource for parents and teachers. "You need to be willing to listen and evaluate data before making a decision and to communicate the importance of the school's improvement efforts to other parents."

The job of the council is to focus on things that really matter in boosting student achievement, says Jackson.

"It's to work with the administration to develop, review and evaluate school improvement programs and budgets," he explains. "It isn't to decide if the cafeteria should be painted yellow and blue or whether PTO fundraisers should disallow high-calorie treats. School site councils are most successful when their work is about overall student performance. If not, members are wasting their time."

The most effective PTO councils focus on four areas: academic achievement, school safety, parent engagement and discipline. Jackson says council members should grapple with these issues:

Consider the goals and priorities of the school, and determine if there is data that shows how well the school is achieving those goals. Look at the progression toward goals and ask if there are groups of students not doing as well as others. If so, consider what programs and supports can be put in place to help the students as well as how those programs will be structured and funded.

Members of the PTO also look at current programs to determine if they are ineffective or unrelated to the overall goals. If so, they may look at eliminating them.

Next, consider these questions: Can you deal with group dynamics? Can you keep your eye on big goals without getting caught in the weeds? Do you have enough time for the homework required to understand and debate policies? Do you have thick enough skin to live through arguments? Can you work outside your comfort zone, communicating the school's policies to the community?

"For example," asks Jackson, "can you help parents who don't see the value of benchmark testing understand why it is important to know where a student is strong or weak to adjust instruction?"

Many times, good policies get scuttled when rumors are passed along among parents. "They fail not for lack of effectiveness, but because parents don't understand them," says Jackson. "Council members have an important role in helping other parents understand why the school has a certain homework or testing program."

Attend a meeting as an observer. Talk with current and former PTO members. If you think you'll enjoy the involvement, then sign on, says Jackson: "Schools need the leadership of parents like you."

For more information, go to greatschools.org.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: The PTO president wants me to apply to be a parent representative on our school site council. While I'm active at school, I'm not a curriculum or budget expert. What skills do I need to be effective?

A: If the PTO president is encouraging you to apply, he or she sees that you have the skills, disposition and commitment to be successful.

School site councils usually consist of an administrator, teachers, parents and classified employees, such as custodians and aides. Some members are elected; others appointed. Members advocate for all parents and represent the interests of the entire student body, not just their own children.

"You don't need to be a budget whiz or know your state's learning standards inside out to be effective," says Bill Jackson, founder of GreatSchools, an online academic resource for parents and teachers. "You need to be willing to listen and evaluate data before making a decision and to communicate the importance of the school's improvement efforts to other parents."

The job of the council is to focus on things that really matter in boosting student achievement, says Jackson.

"It's to work with the administration to develop, review and evaluate school improvement programs and budgets," he explains. "It isn't to decide if the cafeteria should be painted yellow and blue or whether PTO fundraisers should disallow high-calorie treats. School site councils are most successful when their work is about overall student performance. If not, members are wasting their time."

The most effective PTO councils focus on four areas: academic achievement, school safety, parent engagement and discipline. Jackson says council members should grapple with these issues:

Consider the goals and priorities of the school, and determine if there is data that shows how well the school is achieving those goals. Look at the progression toward goals and ask if there are groups of students not doing as well as others. If so, consider what programs and supports can be put in place to help the students as well as how those programs will be structured and funded.

Members of the PTO also look at current programs to determine if they are ineffective or unrelated to the overall goals. If so, they may look at eliminating them.

Next, consider these questions: Can you deal with group dynamics? Can you keep your eye on big goals without getting caught in the weeds? Do you have enough time for the homework required to understand and debate policies? Do you have thick enough skin to live through arguments? Can you work outside your comfort zone, communicating the school's policies to the community?

"For example," asks Jackson, "can you help parents who don't see the value of benchmark testing understand why it is important to know where a student is strong or weak to adjust instruction?"

Many times, good policies get scuttled when rumors are passed along among parents. "They fail not for lack of effectiveness, but because parents don't understand them," says Jackson. "Council members have an important role in helping other parents understand why the school has a certain homework or testing program."

Attend a meeting as an observer. Talk with current and former PTO members. If you think you'll enjoy the involvement, then sign on, says Jackson: "Schools need the leadership of parents like you."

For more information, go to greatschools.org.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: We're taking an August road trip with our 7-, 9- and 11-year-old boys. The backseat DVD player is broken. We'll leave it that way to encourage reading. What books might make the miles fly by?

A: Do your children have favorite authors who have written a series? If not, go to your local library or bookstore and test-drive some for kids in this age range.

"Librarians know what's popular and are experts in helping young readers find books that connect to their personal interests," says Blanche Warner, head librarian at Naples (New York) Library.

Series are a good choice because "once a child is hooked on one title, he or she will plow through the rest because they know the backstory. Following a protagonist though each book is like spending time with a good friend," says Warner. "The 'Harry Potter' and 'Lemony Snicket' books are tried and true examples. Chances are your children already have an author they want more of."

Two laugh-out-loud, perennially popular series are Lincoln Peirce's "Big Nate" (HarperCollins and Andrews McMeel Universal) and Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (Amulet Books).

Bill Doyle's "Magic for Hire" series (Random House) is about Henry and Keats, two boys who take on kooky monsters. Titles include "Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombie," "Stampede of the Supermarket Slugs" and "Invasion of the Junkyard Hog." It's great for reluctant readers. The first book in Doyle's new series about a family that enters wacky contests, "The Prizewinners of Piedmont Place" (Random House), debuts next month.

Science writer Sandra Markle's lushly illustrated "What If You Had?" nonfiction series (Scholastic) introduces animal characteristics by challenging kids to imagine what it would be like if their own ears, teeth and hair were replaced by those of a different animal.

In a description for "What If You Had Animal Teeth?" on Scholastic.com, it says, "this book explores how different teeth are especially adapted for an animal's survival. ... Children will discover why their own teeth are just right for them. And they'll also get a friendly reminder to take good care of their teeth, because they're the only teeth they'll ever have."

Another suggestion is to pack some "quick reads offering bite-size nuggets of awesome info that can sop up the time between putting in your order and getting the pizza," suggests Naples Library's Warner. Consider titles such as "The World Almanac for Kids," "Time For Kids Almanac," "National Geographic Kids Almanac," "Guinness World Records" and "Ripley's Believe It or Not! Special Edition 2016."

Consider the flashcard-format "Fandex Family Field Guides" and "Brain Quest" series from Workman Publishing. These colorful Q-and-A cards with lots of fun facts hang together with a metal rivet, so they don't spill out of the car when you stop for gas. Fandex topics range from "Birds" to "50 States" to "Star Wars." The "Brain Quest America" series includes 850 Q and A's "celebrating our history, people and culture."

For more information, go to workman.com.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)