This paper describes the role of gender in the politics of American education, as carried out in Philadelphia and its suburbs from 1905 to 1930. It discusses volunteerism as a way of life for middle-class American women in the 19th century, particularly within the realm of education. Women were able to act as advocates of school reform through involvement in the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) and the Home School League of Philadelphia. The gradual inclusion of women on school boards is described, as well as the patterns of women's involvement in educational issues in Haddonfield, New Jersey. In conclusion, gender and class intertwined to gird the home and school in Philadelphia and its suburbs. Within the limits set by middle-class culture, men and women could exercise influence, but each was forced to play a different role. Men served on boards of education; women belonged to the Parent Teacher Association. Women, however, learned to use cooperation and collaboration, rather than direct confrontation, to gain more leverage for the home at school and in the community. Two tables and one figure are included. (LMI)