Positive Involvement is designed to convince parents that they need to be involved in their child's learning and it is written to show them how to be both positive and effective in that involvement. As one reviewer wrote, 'The basic premise of the book is that school success is based on and should be measured by the child's own hard work. Helping a child learn the habit of work is key to doing well in school... and in life.' The book addresses how to gain a vision of what the parent wants for the child from the school experience; how to effectively encourage the child's efforts by making homework/learning a habit; how to master and use study tools that work. One parent, Lori Puente, after applying what she had learned from this book wrote, 'My child went from complaining about doing his homework to being a seff-sufficient, hardworking, conscientious child I'm immensely proud of.' Commenting on the book in Newsweek, Robert Samuelson wrote that it is common sense that parents play a critical role in learning. 'It raises academic performance and nurtures the skills (discipline, perseverance) required for success in life and on the job.'