Involvement in reading and humanities programs is an excellent way for parents to have hands-on involvement with their high school students. Parents can host "book clubs" for their high schooler's literature classmates and read the texts along with students, facilitating discussions and themes outlined and suggested by teachers. In addition to this increasing the students' participation in class, it helps parents understand what their students are learning.
Nearly every extracurricular group needs parental involvement, whether it's supervising trips as a chaperone, assisting fundraising or simply transporting a team to competition. If your child is involved in extracurricular activities, such as band or sports, check with the instructor and coach to see what opportunities exist for involvement. The gymnastics team might need a spotter, and the band might need someone to help move larger instruments onto the field during halftime.
Help the administration of your child's high school build a database of expertise. A simple collection of information about parents can aid in many ways. For example, a parent who has traveled to Spain can speak to Spanish-language students. Physics students could have a structural engineer speak on the application of their lessons. A neurologist could explain the differences in brain chemistry to anatomy and physiology classes. The possibilities are endless.
More interactive lessons are sometimes skipped because of an educator's reluctance to take on an overwhelming lesson plan on their own, particularly at the high school level. For example, one rarely finds 3-D projects being completed outside of an art class at the high school level, but a history class could benefit from a trip to a regional archaeology dig. Instead of presenting a minimalized drama production, with assistance in set-building, students could perform a more challenging and interesting play with the help of parent volunteers.