Title I Statewide School Support / Parental Involvement Initiative Region 16 Education Service Center

Title I Statewide School Support / Parental Involvement Initiative Region 16 Education Service Center

The school wasn t built for us; it was built for the kids. They re not here for us; we re here for them! That s what it s about kids!!

The Key Stakeholders School Administrators Teachers and Paraprofessionals Other Support Staff Parents and Families Local Community Members

Parental Involvement Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) describes parental involvement as the participation of parents in regular, two-way, meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT That parents play an integral role in assisting their child's learning; That parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child's education at school;

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT That parents are full partners in their child's education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child. U. S. Department of Education, Title I, Part A

Language Format REMEMBER! All information regarding student interpretive, descriptive, and diagnostic reports, plans, policy, compact, newsletter, parent meetings, and other required correspondence should be given in an understandable and uniform format, and to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.

PUBLICATION Click here to download Written PI Policy (Click here) This publication can be ordered or downloaded at www.esc16.net Scroll down and click on Statewide Title I Initiative icon Click on Publications Click on Parental Involvement Policy OR Click on order form

Public Law (P.L.) 107-110, Section 1118 (a)(2) The LEA shall develop jointly with, agree on with, and distribute to, parents of participating children a written parent involvement policy that shall be incorporated into the LEA s plan developed under section 1112 and establishes the expectations for parent involvement

P.L. 107-110, Section 1118 (b)(1) Each school served under Title I, Part A shall jointly develop with, and distribute to, parents of participating children a written parental involvement policy, agreed upon by such parents, that shall describe the means for carrying out the (parental involvement) requirements

DISTRICT Parental Involvement Policy At a minimum the district policy must address Statement of Purpose Developing the Policy Involve Parents in Schoolwide Plan Building Capacity Coordination of Programs Reservation of Funds Evaluation

BOARD APPROVAL Parental Involvement Policy - SASA Answers to Policy Questions Related to the Approval of Parental Involvement Policies Merely because the Title I statute uses the word "policy" in the context of parent involvement does not determine whether a district's parent involvement "policy" must be reviewed by a local school board. Whether such a "policy" must be reviewed is a local decision informed by the content of the document. Section 1118(a)(2) of Title I describes what a Title I parent involvement policy must include. If these are not the types of matters that a school board would normally review, the mere fact that the statute uses the word "policy" should not be determinate. From our perspective, a district may attach whatever label it likes to the document describing parent involvement opportunities. It must be in writing, however, and must be agreed to by parents of participating children. Further, a district must be able to implement its "policies" through whatever review and clearance process the district requires. Cory Green, TEA

CAMPUS PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY At a minimum the campus policy must address Statement of Purpose Developing the Policy Involve Parents in Schoolwide Plan Building Capacity Conduct an Annual Meeting School-Parent Compact Evaluation

Higher Student Achievement Effective parental involvement leads to higher student achievement. Refer to I.S.P.Y. Manual, SEC:I-7

Improved Student Behavior Refer to I.S.P.Y. Manual, SEC:I-7

Bridging the Cultural Gap See Parental Involvement in Every School I.S.P.Y. Manual, SEC:I-7

Students of All Ages Benefit Refer to I.S.P.Y. Manual, SEC:I-8

School Quality Refer to I.S.P.Y. Manual, SEC:I-8

Statement of Purpose Goals Participation & Parental Input Expectations Student Achievement Building Capacity

Statement of Purpose The statement of purpose should: Express the parental involvement goals or vision of your district and campuses. State how parental involvement can improve student academic achievement and school performance. This includes a statement about providing extra assistance to students with need.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Describe how the district and each Title I school will build the school s and the parent s capacity for involvement. Emphasize the participation and expectations of all key stakeholders parental input is required.

Statement of Purpose Example ISD believes every child should have the opportunity to attain his/her full potential. Therefore, Example ISD will maximize its resources to enable each child to become a successful learner. A key resource is its people: administrators, teachers, school staff, parents, and community members. We will work together to establish effective partnerships; together everyone achieves more. School and home must work together to realize higher student achievement. Ongoing, two-way, meaningful communication will occur to facilitate mutual understanding and to stimulate student success.

Statement of Purpose Example ISD will provide to all parents the grade level goals for its students. Example ISD will also publish the TAKS testing schedule and assessment goals. Those students that need extra assistance will have access to programs that will help them reach these goals.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Example ISD will make every effort to include parents in the development, evaluation, and revision of the Title I Program and the Parental Involvement Policy. The school-parent compact will describe the responsibilities of key stakeholders and useful channels of communication. The goal of our parental involvement program is student success.

Developing the Policy and Plan Developed jointly with parents. A representative group of parents. Convenient meeting times and venues.

DEVELOPING THE POLICY AND PLAN Funds may be used to provide transportation or child care. Agreed upon together and distributed to parents.

DEVELOPING THE POLICY AND PLAN Parents shall be notified of the policy in an understandable and uniform format. The policy should be available in a language parents understand. The policy shall be made available to the local community. The policy shall be reviewed and revised to meet changing needs.

DEVELOPING THE POLICY AND PLAN The district parental involvement policy shall be incorporated into the district improvement plan. The campus parental involvement policy shall be incorporated into the (schoolwide) campus improvement plan. Parents shall be involved in the development of the parental involvement policy, the schoolparent compact, AND the district/campus improvement plan.

Developing the Policy and Plan An advisory committee will be formed consisting of xx parents, xx community members, xx teachers and staff, and xx principals or administrators to develop and revise the Example ISD Parental Involvement Policy. The need for volunteers to serve on this committee will be publicized and then volunteers will be selected. The parent volunteers will represent the diversity of the student population, and one or more parents on the advisory committee will have children participating in a Title I program. The advisory committee will convene at a time and place convenient to all its members.

DEVELOPING THE POLICY AND PLAN Additionally, Example ISD understands that the parental involvement policy is a part of the larger district and campus improvement plans. The advisory committee will also provide input regarding the development and revision of the district and/or campus improvement plan.

Building Capacity Shall provide assistance to parents in how to monitor a child s progress, and how to work with educators to improve student achievement. Shall provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve student achievement.

BUILDING CAPACITY Shall provide training to teachers and school personnel with the assistance of parents to implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school. Shall provide information in a format and language the parents understand.

Building Capacity May involve parents in the development of training for teachers. May provide necessary literacy training. May pay reasonable expenses associated with local parental involvement activities.

BUILDING CAPACITY May arrange school meetings at a variety of times or conduct inhome conferences. May develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations in parental involvement activities.

Building Capacity Example ISD values the partnership of the parents in their children s education. There are many ways parents can make significant contributions to student success both at home and by volunteering at the school. Student achievement is the result of effective home-school-community partnerships. (List specific building capacity strategies.)

Coordination of Programs Coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies with other programs, especially pre-school programs. Assess the needs of the parents and children in the school community using a variety of assessment tools and develop effective programs to address those needs or revise existing programs.

Coordination of Programs Example ISD will develop a partnership with public pre-school programs (list programs by name). Parental involvement strategies will be coordinated to assist the transition from pre-school to elementary school. Annually Example ISD will assess the needs of the parents and children in the school community using a variety of tools including a survey or questionnaire. The findings will be used to revise the Title I program to meet the current needs. Workshops or other training will be made available to educators and parents to address these needs. Parents will be notified about training opportunities.

If the Title I part A allocation is less than $500,000 no money is required to be reserved, but the district and campus are still required to provide a parental involvement program and services. Reservation of Funds If the Title I Part A allocation is $500,000 or more, then at least 1% must be set aside for implementation of the parental involvement program. Parents must be involved in deciding how these funds will be allotted for parental involvement activities.

Calculating the Set-Aside Title I Funds 1% 95% of 1% 500,00 5,000 4,750 625,000 6,250 5,937 750,000 7,500 7,125

Reservation of Funds Example ISD is required to set aside at least 1% of its Title I funds for the purposes of parental involvement. Those funds will be divided among the Title I campuses. The campus principal will consult with the Title I Advisory Committee about allowable uses of the funds. The campus principal will then authorize the use of the funds designated for parental involvement.

Annual Meeting Schools (and districts) must convene an annual meeting: Inform parents of the Title I schoolwide or targeted assistance programs and the parents right to be involved. Describe how regular and flexible meetings will be held to ensure participation.

ANNUAL MEETING Describe how parents will be provided information about school performance, expected proficiency levels, academic assessments, and school curriculum. Explain how parents can participate in decisions relating to the education of their children.

Annual Meeting Example ISD will hold an annual meeting during the first six weeks of the new school year for all parents. At that meeting the Title I program will be described, the Parental Involvement Policy will be distributed and reviewed, and opportunities for parental participation will be explained. Parent volunteers will be recruited to serve on the district or campus Advisory Committee. The annual meeting will be held twice for the convenience of parents and translators will be present at each meeting. Parents will be informed about the meeting in the newspaper, by e-mail, and notices sent home with students.

Annual Meeting Since the goal of Example ISD is student success, the expectations for school performance, individual student assessments, and grade level curriculum will be provided in a format parents can understand. Parents will be advised that the effectiveness of the Parental Involvement Program will be evaluated annually and the policy will be revised to meet the needs of the students, school, parents, and community.

School-Parent Compact Compacts are required at the campus level only, AND teacher-parent conferences are required at the elementary school where the compact is discussed as it relates to the individual child s achievement. Compacts are developed jointly by school administrators and teachers along with parents.

School-Parent Compact The school-parent compact must address: The responsibility of the campus to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction and the ways in which parents will be responsible for supporting their children s learning. The importance of ongoing communication and means of communication (parentteacher conferences, progress reports, access to staff).

School-Parent Compact The Title I schools of Example ISD will consult with each school s Parent Advisory Committee to annually develop, review, and revise the school-parent compact. The compact will identify the responsibilities of the staff to provide high-level curriculum and instruction, and the expectations of the parents to provide support in their children s learning. The compact will address the best ways to maintain positive, timely communication between school and home. The compacts will be available to all parents and families in the student handbook, on the school website, and it will be discussed at parent-teacher conferences in the elementary schools.

Compact Publication Click here to download compact (Click here) This publication can be ordered or downloaded at www.esc16.net Scroll down and click on Statewide Title I Initiative icon Click on Publications Click on School Parent Compact (Include CD) OR Click on order form

EVALUATION The GOAL of the parental involvement program is to implement effective parental involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance. The ROLE of the district and campus is to provide assistance and resources to facilitate the parental involvement program.

Evaluation Annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement program. Perform a needs assessment using a variety of tools. Identify possible barriers that limit parent and family participation in the parental involvement program. Revise policies as necessary.

Evaluation Example ISD will work with its Title I Advisory Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the Parental Involvement Program. Surveys, classroom observation, assessment data, and other resources will be used to determine the needs and develop revised strategies for student success. Parental input will be sought. Revisions to the Title I Program and the Parental Involvement Policy will be developed and agreed upon with parent input and will be communicated to the parents in the district or school.

BOARD APPROVED? TEA, NCLB Coordination: The district parental involvement policy must follow the procedures set by the local education agency's school board. Whatever the procedures and/or process are, they must be followed for this policy also. Non-Regulatory Guidance, Title I Part A, Parental Involvement: The sample template includes a concluding section entitled Adoption. It appears USDE expects the district policy to be board approved, but the non-regulatory guidance is non-binding. Translation: it is NOT required by law. It s good practice.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY - SASA ANSWERS TO POLICY QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE APPROVAL OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICIES Merely because the Title I statute uses the word "policy" in the context of parent involvement does not determine whether a district's parent involvement "policy" must be reviewed by a local school board. Whether such a "policy" must be reviewed as a local decision. Section 1118(a)(2) of Title I describes what a Title I parent involvement policy must include. If these are not the types of matters that a school board would normally review, the mere fact that the statute uses the word "policy" should not be determinate. It must be in writing, however, and must be agreed to by parents of participating children. Further, a district must be able to implement its "policies" through whatever review process the district requires.

Concluding Statement Example ISD is committed to the success of students. We will work together with parents to monitor the effectiveness of our Parental Involvement and Title I Programs and to provide excellence in education. This policy will be promoted by the administrators, principals, and other school staff as we seek active participation by our parents. Date:

Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships National Network of Partnership Schools John Hopkins University http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000/index.htm Click here to visit website (Click here)

Assisting families with parenting skills, understanding child and adolescent development, and setting home conditions that support children as students at each age and grade level.

Communicate with families about school programs and student progress through effective school-tohome and home-toschool communications.

Improve recruitment, training, work, and schedules to involve families as volunteers and audiences at the school or in other locations to support students and school programs.

Involve families with their children in learning activities at home, including homework and other curriculum related activities and decisions.

Coordinate resources and services for families, students, and the school with businesses, agencies, and other groups, and provide services to the community.

Include families as participants in school decisions, governance, and advocacy through PTA/PTO, school councils, committees, and other parent organizations.

Want to print this Presentation? Go to www.esc16.net Click on Title I Statewide Initiative Click on Requested Materials Click on Parent Involvement Policy Compact Click on Basic Elements of the PI Policy Powerpoint Click here to visit website (Click here)

Terri Stafford (806) 677-5126 terri.stafford@esc16.net Skip Forsyth (806) 677-5186 skip.forsyth@esc16.net

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