Efforts to solve intergenerational literacy must focus on the family as a unit. However, schools traditionally have a poor track record in dealing with minority/disadvantaged students and involving their parents. Studies have demonstrated the importance of family/community influence on children as well as the cultural and linguistic insensitivity of school strategies. The structure of parent-school cooperation must be changed in order to use school resources to help parents become more literate and in turn help their children. The new Even Start federal program is one initiative toward this goal. Other successful programs such as Parents as Teachers (Missouri), the Family Matters program (Cornell University), and New York City's Project Prepare demonstrate the importance of giving parents a voice in school governance, thereby empowering them to break the illiteracy cycle. (Five "ideas to explore" are suggested and the names, addresses, and phone numbers of six resources are given.) (CML)