As educators, we know that parent involvement in education is one of the biggest predictors of student success.

We now have a chancellor who is committed to creating the space for the necessary conversations and teamwork between educators and parents and, thanks to our new contract, we have at least 40 minutes of every school week to devote to parent engagement.

So how do we best engage parents as our allies in the education of their children?

For starters, we want parents to feel welcome whenever they enter the school building, beginning with the main office and security desk.

Our mid-September open school nights went by many different names this year — from curriculum night to meet-the-teacher night to parent-teacher orientation — and were a wonderful opportunity to set the tone for the school year ahead.

We also want to create time and space for parents to see their kids in action, whether that means inviting parents to an event where students read their work or hosting a weekly parent read aloud in the classroom.

I’d like to share some wisdom from teachers in our Community Learning Schools, because they have in-depth experience with creating bonds with parents and the broader community.

“I believe in setting the tone of the relationship from day one,” says Manhattan reading recovery teacher MoNika Fleming of PS 30 in Harlem. “I send a welcome letter home with students and personally make myself available by extending my contact information. That sends the message that I believe parents are important, which helps me and the school to foster a strong relationship.”

Fleming’s school also hosts family nights with fun educational activities. “When parents and students see me outside the classroom and we have a chance to socialize, that creates a stronger bond,” she notes.

And nothing takes the place of listening. “When we listen and allow the parent to vent, it creates a greater rapport,” Fleming says. “When I need to express concerns about their child, it makes for a more easy and comfortable conversation.”

Lisa Dempster, a 1st-grade teacher at PS 156 in Brownsville, says that she tells parents she has an open-door policy and their communication is always welcome.

“I try to make parents at ease early in the year,” she says. “If they’re unsure how to help with homework, they can come in, see a lesson, ask questions.”

Dempster asks parents early in the year to fill out a survey “so they can provide me with information about how their child is progressing in school.”

She will try behavior modification with a child who is acting out and whether it works well or not, she’ll share what she’s doing with the parent and find out what’s going on at home. If the behavior improves at school, she’ll see if the parent would like to try the same technique at home, too.

She tells parents to think of the child-parent-teacher relationship as a triangle. “The child is at the top, we’re at the base and we have to help the child. The only way that can happen is if we keep in touch with each other.”

Sylvia Rojas Roman, a pre-K teacher at PS 18 in Mott Haven, has been teaching at her school for 17 years, which gives her a deep knowledge of her community. “I know the cousins, the families, the parents,” she says.

The bottom line for Roman is having respect for the parents and being empathetic.

If she has students whose families can’t afford school supplies, she amasses books and other materials to give out. “I like to be able to say to the parents, ‘You like that book, take it home.’” Roman says. “Then I can ask later, ‘Did you read it?’ I do everything to pull the parents in.”

Roman says she’s lucky that pre-K lends itself to more teacher interaction with parents. “I set it up so that parents can come to the classroom more often,” she says.

These teachers inspire me and show us ways to build partnerships with parents.

Each school year we have new students to teach — and new parents to engage. Let’s embrace this opportunity to work together, grow together and do what’s best for our children together.