Want your kids to get the best education? Good Housekeeping went into classrooms at schools around the country and talked to the teachers who spend their days with your children.

Here's what they said about how you can help them help your kids:

1. Don't be a stranger! Talk to your child's teacher early and often. Ask how best to contact them when you meet at back-to-school night. Then keep in touch about how things are going.

2. Learning doesn't stop at 3:15. Ask to see your kid's most recent project, or even just have them demonstrate their new long division tricks. "Every time your child gets a chance to show off what he knows, it builds confidence," says fourth grade teacher Ron Martucci.

3. Stay involved -- even when you don't know the material. So you don't remember trigonometry? No problem. You can still provide moral support. Just knowing a parent is paying attention can be very motivating for a student.

4. Keep your child organized. Organize those tests or permission slips you've signed -- ask for them as part of the daily backpack emptying. A bright-colored folder for toting homework and signed pages to and from school is handy too -- and be sure to keep pens, pencils and erasers a-plenty.

5. Let your child make mistakes. Your biggest mistakes lead to your biggest lessons, right? So, avoid undue perfection pressure and just make sure your kids put in the effort and find ways to solve their problems.

6. Raise a good reader. Book worms can be raised too. Maybe they'll never love reading, but reading aloud can expand their vocabulary, and chatting about the book can improve comprehension.

7. If the teacher deserves a good grade, give her one. Why not drop them a note when your kid loves an assignment or is happily chatting about class? And if you feel the teacher is doing a good job, let the principal know.

8. The teacher's on your side -- give her the benefit of the doubt. If your kid is being "picked on" is it possible, just possible, he's not the perfect angel he is at home? Get in touch with the teacher to find out what a reprimand was about before going into attack mode.

9. There is a secret to better grades. Have a one-on-one conversation at the start of the school year and bring up important issues, like that Billy struggled in math last year or tended to hand in homework late. Check in with the school district's or teachers' website in order to stay on top of your child's assignments, grades, test dates and scores. Encourage kids to meet with their teacher to resolve a problem.