"Marks are subjective," says Tipping. "Parents should look carefully at all the work their child is bringing home. In the first three elementary grades, children should be assigned no more than 30 minutes of homework a night. It should show what the child is learning in school during the day. In grades four, five and six, teachers should stress developing study skills. There should be long range assignments which include basic outlining and planning skills."

Parents should keep a close watch on their child's progress in school.

"There's a problem," comments Bogdanow, "If the child begins acting out in school, stops working at his or her ability or there is a change in the quality of their work. Listen to your child. Don't negate what they're feeling and don't assume that the child is to blame. Things don't have to be at a crisis stage before you take action. Approach this as a parent/teacher partnership. Recognize the negative, but support the positive. Work together to figure out ways to make things better."

"Parents should really treat their child's teacher with respect," adds Tipping. "Deal with the difficulties adult to adult. Never use your child as a go-between."

Linda Tiller is a classroom aide at the elementary school her three children attend in Watertown, Massachusetts. She's seen improvement in the classrooms of teachers where parents get involved. "One of our teachers is a bit disorganized and sloppy. There is no structure in her classroom, so the kids have trouble focusing. They don't tune in. They're not well mannered. A lot of parents volunteer in that classroom. They organize activities and class projects. In other classrooms parents assist the teacher. Here they come up with ideas and initiate things themselves."

"Parents really need to stay involved," says Bogdanow. "Volunteer in the classroom. The teacher may feel threatened, but he may learn something, too. Teachers are very isolated. They may appreciate the assistance of another adult."

If a teacher is really not doing the job and is unresponsive to you, a meeting with the principal may be in order. Bogdanow says: "Principals, school boards and administrators need to know about poor teachers."

Other issues may be affecting a teacher's performance in the classroom. "Teachers can't do a good job if their curriculum is weak," says Tipping. "And schools are picking up all kinds of different societal aspects today. Children are coming into school with more issues than ever before."

Bogdanow notes, "A lot of teachers are poorly supervised. They don't receive support from principals and parents. Teachers need validation for the good things they do."

Often a parent's worst fear never materializes, as Ann explains. "The rumors we heard before school started were much worse that the truth. He wasn't really bad, just not a great teacher and by the end of the year all the kids liked him."

To make the school year better, Bogdanow suggests: "Prior to the opening of school, find another child who will be in the class, who can be friends with your child. Try to find outside interests for your child during the school year that they will enjoy."

To improve academic ability, follow Tipping's advice, "Make sure your child is reading at home. If your child doesn't get enough homework, assign some yourself."

Learning to accept an inferior teacher is a lesson children can apply to their lives long after graduation. "A kid goes to school from kindergarten through twelfth grade," Ann says. "All the teachers are not going to be great. We all have our faults. If they can rise above it and do their best I don't think they suffer in the long run."