The focus of this primer is to explain Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI) and Early Intervening Services as they pertain to parents and children who are at risk for academic and behavioral problems, explaining changes to special education law and how parents should be involved in each process. Emphasis on early intervening services allows action before a child fails and becomes so far behind that special education is required. RTI is the framework for delivering these services. The 3-tier model of most RTI programs is presented: (1) Tier 1 represents the general education classroom; (2) Tier 2 interventions may fall under the names Child Study, Teacher Assistance, Schoolwide Support, Early Intervening, Step 1, School Assistance or Schoolwide Assistance; and (3) Specialize, Individual Instruction. Suggested parental involvement at Tier 1 includes frequent parent/teacher communication, attendance at school functions, daily parent/child interactions with homework monitoring and assistance, encouraging areas of progress, and parent support and reinforcement of the classroom teacher. If a child is struggling academically or behaviorally, a parent may request referral to the Child Study team or its counterpart, attend or request notification of team meetings and progress, and reinforce strategies at home and during the improvement process. Should Tier 3 intervention be required, parental involvement issues will be well defined, as this is a very formal process. Tier 3 activities may include, but not be limited to parental consent for the intervention and for any changes and active participation in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. Parents are reminded that early intervention and RTI encourage a proactive rather than reactive approach to solving academic and behavioral problems and are designed to provide student assistance at one or more levels.