HE DESCRIBES himself as "a real disciple of parent/teacher involvement in the education of children". Listening to him on the subject, the word passionate comes to mind. So does committment. As the Department of Education's newly appointed co-ordinator of parental involvement, David Fitzgerald's enthusiasm bodes well. If his ambitions for the project are to succeed he's going to need all the passionate committment at his disposal.

He's been in the job since September and is contracted until next September. "I'm just an agent trying to promote parent/teacher co-operation, the active involvement of parents in the education of their own children, at all levels," he says. The task is "to develop a plan which will convince schools and homes of the benefits of working together".

Fitzgerald points out that studies in the US and Britain, as well as his own experiences, show that schools perform, teachers teach better and children learn better when there's mutual support between school and home. "Both have to be convinced that it's in their interests, and in the interests of children, that they work together," he says. "I hope to do this and show hard, practical, tried and tested examples of good practice."

A disciple of such partnership for more than 20 years, his work experience has been highly relevant. During a 24-year career he has taught from junior infants to sixth class and up to university level in Irish colleges. He's been in both urban and rural schools, mixed and single sex and for 18 of those years he was a principal.

His "extra curricular" activities have homed in on parent-teacher co-operation. He was "trainer of trainers" with the in-career unit of the Department of Education on home-school links and a member of a special advisory committee on civics/social/personal education at second level and a similar committee dealing with primary level.

He has travelled abroad for conferences and fact-finding missions and has written extensively on parenting and parent-teacher co-operation and is completing a book entitled Parents, You're Welcome.

Some years ago, Fitzgerald explains, he made a proposal to the Department on the whole question of home-school partnership. "My point was that if parents and teachers were to work together they would have to do so as equals. Homes too are places of learning."

Why has this been so long coming? Until the National Parents Council was formed in 1984, a them-and-us culture existed between parents and teachers, he says. "Those barriers are breaking down now, largely because of the tremenduous work being done by the NPC, primary and secondary, as well as by the management associations, the teacher unions and the Department's home/school community links scheme."

How can parents become practically involved? The response comes speedily and with unflagging enthusiasm. "I will be developing a framework to setup within schools," says Fitzgerald. "It will have examples of good, hard practice in operation. Parents can become practically involved at all levels: on boards of management, parents' councils, PTAs, in identifying skills within the parent body which could benefit the school, committees on policy and decision making, sexuality/relationship education, school discipline The list could go on but he has made the point and moves to another practical aspect.

"When the new Education Act comes onto the statute books every school will have to design a home-school links policy.. Parents, teachers and boards of management will collaborate on the design."

For now he thinks "a welcoming policy in schools is important. "For parents to become involved they have to be asked, given a respectful invitation. Parents don't come rushing into schools as a rule. We've got to make it comfortable, easy for them to do so.

"Communication structures are another thing we need to look at, whether it's written, verbal, through class meetings or parent-teacher meetings. Teachers and parents are all busy people and, unless we sit down and talk and plan together, we will all lose out."

HE VIEWS the parent body as a huge, untapped resource from which skills can be drawn to support work already being done in schools. "No one teacher can have all the skills needed today," he says. "Parents can help in the language area, with sports coaching, computer and secretarial skills. Teachers can learn from parents, parents can learn from teachers and in all of this the children benefit."

Stressing that "we all need support, no one has all the answers", he makes the point that "the professional status of teachers will not be eroded. Absolutely not. Teachers are interested only in teaching children, parents in having them taught. "We're all working toward a common cause and I believe we can focus it more by communicating well, by planning and working with one another."