It's all about teamwork.

When it comes to getting the best education for your student, this mantra is echoed by parents, teachers, principals and education experts across the board.

But making the right parent/player moves and figuring out how to build partnerships can test even the savviest parent's skills.

How can you get the best from teachers without driving them crazy? Can you angle to get your child the "standout" teacher — and should you? What if your child is assigned to a weak teacher or has problems with a teacher?

Here's what the experts say:

What can I do to get the best from my child's teacher?

1. Communicate.

Fill out forms asking about your child's learning style

or write a letter. Write the teacher questions or concerns (most teachers prefer e-mail). Need a phone call or meeting? Agree on a mutually convenient time but don't corral them unexpectedly.

Resources

How to prepare for a teacher's conference:
• NEA: Questions to ask
• National PTA tips

• Links to school districts

• What your child should know at each school level
(select the grade you are interested in under "grade-level expectations")

How to pick a school:
• How to find the school for you
• Evaluating schools: a checklist

• National PTA tips for parent/teacher communication

• National Education Association's guide

• "The Mom Book Goes to School: Insider Tips to Ensure Your Child Thrives in Elementary and Middle School," by Stacy DeBroff. Free Press, 2005, $15.
www.momcentral.com

• "The Picky Parent Guide: Choosing Your Child's School With Confidence (The Elementary Years, K-6)" by Bryan C. Hassel, Ph.D., and Emily Ayscue Hassel. Armchair Press, 2004, $19.95.
www.pickyparent.com.

• GreatSchools.net's "Help for parents"

"If you constantly barrage your child's teacher with questions about minor issues and requests for conferences, she will quickly feel harassed and annoyed and become increasingly evasive," says Stacy DeBroff, psychologist and author of "The Mom Book Goes to School: Insider Tips to Ensure Your Child Thrives in Elementary and Middle School."

2. Help in the classroom.

Even the dirty work matters. Some teachers say a surprising number of parents think that's beneath them — but it wins you brownie points, gives you a chance to watch your child in action, directly benefits your child's classroom and provides bonus — if brief — time with the teacher.

As Edmonds kindergarten teacher Nikki Snow explains, "When parents correct papers or staple art work on our display walls, it takes the stress off my day. It means I can spend after-school hours working on lesson plans and designing ideas that specifically target small groups of my students."

Contributing to the school has similar benefits, especially if you need to lobby for school changes, advises Renton parent Marcie Gronenthal. "An adversarial relationship makes it difficult to advocate."

She started as a classroom volunteer, got on school committees, sat on a site council and helped secure a federal grant; "I was like a small Santa Claus at school. It makes it easier to open doors."

3. Encourage.

Take it from a nine-year veteran of a Shoreline PTA staff-appreciation committee:

"The smallest things mean a lot to teachers," says Cheryl McKeon, parent of 11- and 15-year-old boys. "It can be handwritten notes, that you're a team, raising that child for the next year.

"By secondary school, you don't know each teacher as well; at this stage, e-mail is wonderful. You can still emphasize that you're ready to chaperone or help with anything. Whatever you do, acknowledge that you got their [send-home] materials — acknowledge that you heard them."

What if I work outside the home full-time?

National PTA's new "Three for Me" program — which involves a parent signing a "promise card" with a three-hour commitment to the student's school — includes lots of ideas for working parents (www.three4me.com, 800-307-4PTA (4782) or www.pta.org).

Can I angle to get my child the "standout" teacher in elementary school?

Teacher teams often determine class assignments. Eventually, the buck stops at the principal's desk — and principals bristle at parents who request specific teachers.

The key, say some experts, is to ask the principal for a specific teaching style. "Gear your letter toward explaining what your child needs in a way that indicates that specific teacher without naming them," says school-reform advocate Bryan Hassel, co-author of "The Picky Parent Guide: Choose Your Child's School with Confidence" and member of the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education.

This could mean connecting your child's interest in poems to the instructor with a poetry focus. If your preferred teacher is someone who emphasizes self-directed work, describe your child's independent work and study style.

Some argue parental intervention penalizes kids of less-involved parents, but Hassel sees long-term benefits: "If every parent were to ask for the best teacher, it raises the stakes for the school to find better teachers and keep their best teachers."

What about in secondary school?

Here finagling a spot is often about scheduling: The best math teacher may have her planning period when your child is slated to take math. If it's that important, encourage your child to check as soon as possible and work his schedule around that. Some tentative schedules are posted in the spring for the following fall; most others are available in late August.

If your child agrees that a change is worth it, encourage him to make an appointment with a school counselor or scheduler immediately. Some counselors say they are more likely to approve such a change when a student requests it, because it shows initiative. Changes after the first month of classes are rare.

How should I handle my child's problems with a teacher?

It's your child's problem. Guide him to talk to the teacher first. Even young students should learn to ask questions in a calm, nonconfrontational way.

Face-to-face is best. Consider alerting the teacher by e-mailing that the student wants to talk so the instructor can make time. E-mail from a student is another choice. This gives parents a chance to make sure the child makes a well-reasoned point.

Who do I go to with problems if the teacher doesn't solve them?

Try the school counselor. "Kids at middle school and high school are taught that the counselor is their advocate," notes Richmond Beach parent activist Joan Oldfield. Next step: assistant principal or principal. "It's important to start with the teacher," says Oldfield, "but it's also wise to develop a good rapport with the administration."

What if my child is assigned to a weak teacher?

Distinguish between what your child considers a "bad" teacher and one merely not a child's "favorite."

Discreetly compare notes with other parents — especially those whose children learn like yours. Sit in on a class or two with an open mind.

If a child is in danger, a parent must act. Otherwise "remaining with that teacher may be your only option," says Hassel of "The Picky Parent Guide." "There may not be better teachers. There may not be a slot in another class."

It doesn't hurt to try to switch to another teacher, but most parents agree that it's a shot you really only want to take once in your child's elementary, and again in their secondary career. Requesting changes over repeated years can label you a troublemaker and work against you, several teachers confided.

Your best bet is to make the change before school starts. Write a thoughtful letter or ask about an appeal form. Send this to the principal.

"The ideal is to gain agreement with the teacher and principal that it's not a good fit and that it's in both of your interests to make a change," says Hassel. "That's possible if the teacher doesn't see your approach as one that suggests they're bad. Try to express all concerns in terms of a 'good fit' rather than 'poor quality.' "

"Probably there will be years when a student and parent have to live with a less-than-adequate teacher. What can you do about that year? One: Make up for the shortcomings outside school. Two: See if you can work with the teacher to get some improvements."