An Effective Means of School/Parent Communication:
The school must provide for a high level of effective communication between the school and the parents.

Educational Materials That Are Both Academically Sound and Parent- and Student-Friendly:
Since parents play a vital instructional role in the University Model School, especially in the elementary grades, it is important that materials be not only sound academically but also reasonably easy to use in the home.

Professional Teachers Able to Instruct in a Team-Teaching Partnership with Parents:
Teachers must be able to participate in an integrated instructional approach that involves parents. Teachers must also possess an adequate level of content mastery for the courses they teach and have the ability to communicate effectively with their students.

College Scheduling Structure for Courses:
A University Model School must follow a course scheduling structure based on the university model in order to facilitate the school's integrated program and to provide an effective college preparatory environment. This individual course structure should be used at both the elementary and secondary levels.

Integrated Instructional Models:
The school must use instructional models that effectively integrate the instructional responsibilities of parents and professional teachers. Among other things, this means that each course at each grade level must have a designated, appropriate role for the parent that gradually decreases their academic responsibilities while increasing those of the student as he or she progresses through the grade levels.

Clearly Articulated Philosophy Statement:
Due to the level of involvement of both parents and teachers, the school must have a clearly defined philosophy statement that can be understood and accepted by all parents and staff.

Well Developed and Clearly Articulated Curriculum Documents:
Effective curriculum guides help assure continuity of instruction not only within a given course sequence but also between the central institution and the home.

Parent Seminars:
As a part of its family education program, the school must provide parent training courses that are designed to enable parents to understand the nature of their role and its significance to their children's success within a University Model School.