This paper describes how one professional development elementary school in Detroit (Michigan) encouraged high levels of parent involvement. In 1993, school faculty joined with six universities to form a collaborative partnership. The group believed that all partners had an equal voice and that parents should participate in all meetings and groups. Though the school already supported parental involvement, the group determined that parents needed more skills and opportunities for leadership roles to increase their confidence. They formed a leadership team of parents (with input from university staff) to identify school problems and address problem solving. During weekly meetings, parents learned group process skills and roles and practiced their skills in meaningful arenas. The parents planned and conducted a parent workshop addressing school needs. In planning, they were encouraged to assign typical parent tasks to faculty members so roles would blur. Because the first workshop was successful, the parents continued to meet and plan further workshops. The project successfully achieved the goals of addressing school needs and increasing parents' group process skills. (Contains 27 references). (SM)