Every day, Andrew Ranes comes to Provo High and tries to help students by helping their parents. He fields questions, distributes literature, sets up meetings with faculty and helps parents access their children's grades.

• RANES HAS BEEN the parent center coordinatorat the school since it opened this school year, working out of a converted conference room and sharing the space with an administrative intern.

Inside his office are resources for parents including access to PowerSchool, the school's online grade-tracking system. Ranes is an advocate and a resource for parents, even those who speak Spanish. That helps parents help their children succeed in school.

"Without parental support, we don't have as much success," said Greg Hudnall, Provo School District's director of student services. He said research shows that the greatest indicator of student success is the educational background of the mother.

"A lot of our parents don't know how to help their kids in high school," said Provo Principal Sam Ray.

He said the challenges faced by students have changed, and parents wanting help can get it at the parent center.

The parent center at Dixon Middle School has been in operation for more than five years. School Principal Rosanna Ungerman said the center, which serves as home base for parent volunteers and the PTA, is a great resource for the school.

"Parents feel like they know firsthand what's going on. It gives them an opportunity to contribute," Ungerman said. "We view educating children as a complex and comprehensive task, and we feel like it's better accomplished as a team."

Ranes said it feels good to help parents. On Tuesday, he said he helped a student figure out how to solve her attendance problems and salvage her first-quarter grades (A school policy can tie grades to a student's attendance record). The girl's mother spoke only Spanish. Ranes helped her access PowerSchool, keep tabs on attendance and set up meetings with administrators and teachers to get the situation under control.

"It's pretty sad when a student has an A in a class and is going to fail for not being there," Ranes said.

One mother, who didn't have access to the computer grade-checking system, met with Ranes along with her student and found out that the student had quit doing homework.

Hudnall said any school that wants a parent center could create one to provide additional support to parents. The problem is funding, though. Hudnall said schools use money earmarked for special programs or grant money to support the centers. Provo High funds the center with trust lands money, which comes from revenue generated by school trust lands. Ray said those funds are earmarked to be spent where the school has the greatest need.

Alpine School District also has parent centers. They are located in all of their Title I schools, which receive extra funding for low-income students.

• Brittani Lusk can be reached at 344-2549 or at blusk@heraldextra.com.