A new study shows that increasing numbers of parents nationwide plan to volunteer at their children's school this fall, citing the slow economy and budget cuts to schools as incentives. According to the study, byGreatSchools.net and the Harris Interactive research firm, nearly two-thirds of 1,086 parents polled feel it's more important now than ever to volunteer at school.

The results show that 20% more parents plan to volunteer this year than did last year --  an anticipated jump from 23%  to 44%. The trend is "most pronounced" among African American parents; 60% said they planned to volunteer up from the 23% who volunteered last year.<!--more-->

The main obstacle to parents' volunteering? The lack of opportunity offered to them by teachers and the school, according to nearly half of respondents.   Parents and school administrators need to communicate better about ways that parents can help out at school, the report says.

Given the recent flap over parents paying for school aides in NYC classrooms, it's worth asking: how best can parents volunteer at school? Parents: is there an open door policy for parent volunteers at your child's school? And, teachers:  what would you most appreciate from parent volunteers?