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Title I Parent Involvement Policy

TITLE I PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICY

 This policy and the plan to implement it have been developed jointly with, and in agreement with, and will be distributed to, parents of students participating in the Title I program

INTRODUCTION

The Title I amendments of the elementary and secondary Act of 1965 as amendments in 1994 by the Improving America School Act requires that each school district shall develop jointly with, agree upon with and distribute to, parents of participating children a written parent involvement policy that is incorporated into the district's overall consolidated application.

The Career Success School Title I Parental Involvement Policy is based upon the belief that supporting partnerships between families and schools is necessary to improve schools and reinforce the importance of student learning. To this end, Parent Involvement is defined as the mutual collaboration, support and participation of parents of participating students and school staff in activities and efforts that directly and positively affect the educational progress of children.

The Career Success School recognize both the Title I requirements for and the importance of Parental Involvement as one of the essential elements needed to meet the purposes of Title I and the goals and objectives of the District’s School Improvement Initiative.

Therefore, the District’s Policy and each school’s policy will be under constant review and evaluation. School staff and parents are encouraged to modify where necessary to provide the assistance needed to support the academic achievement of our students and schools.

It is the policy of the Career Success School to implement jointly with parents program activities and procedures in an organized, systematic, ongoing, informed and timely manner for the involvement of parents of children who are receiving services funded by this legislation.

In addition to the above requirements, Title I has four new features designed to forge a partnership between parents and schools in support of high student performance. The four features are:

(1) A school-parent compact, designed by the local school, describing the mutual responsibilities of the parent and school addressing the particular needs of the school;

 

(2) A parent/teacher conference at least annually in the elementary grades to discuss the compact;

 

(3) School performance profiles and individual student assessment;

 

(4) Each school receiving a Title I allocation must set aside at least one percent of the allocation to be used to carry out parent involvement activities, including family literacy and parenting skills.

  Goals of Parental Involvement

Schools operating Title I programs must in coordination with parents of participating children, develop jointly with parents programs, activities, and procedures that have the following goals:

(1) To inform parents of participating children of the; (a) Reason their children are participating in the program; (b) Specific instructional objectives and methods of the program.

(2) To provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist participating school in planning and implementing effective parent involvement. (a) Involve parents in the joint development of the parent development policy and the process of school assessment and improvement of the plan.

(3) To support the efforts of parents including training parents, to the maximum extent possible, to: (a) Work with their children in the home to attain the instructional objectives of the program; and (b) to train parents, students, teachers, and principals to build a partnership between home and school.

(4) Conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement policy developed under this section. (a) to determine the effectiveness of the policy in increasing the participation of parents; and (b) to identify barriers to greater participation by parents in activities provided under the policy.

(5) To consult with parents, on an ongoing basis, concerning the manner in which the school and parents can work better together to achieve the program's objectives.

(6) To ensure that all parents have the opportunity to participate fully regardless of their cultural difference.

Local School Parental Involvement Requirements

POLICY INVOLVEMENT -- Each school served under this part shall—

(1) Convene an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents of participating children, shall be invited and encouraged to attend, to inform parents of their school's participation under this part and to explain this part its requirements, and their right to be involved.

(2) The annual meeting shall be convened within 45 days after the start of the new school year.

A. The principal shall mail meeting notices to each parent informing them of the Annual Meeting. This notice must also be sent to the Superintendent’s office at least one week prior to the meeting date.

B. A copy of the meeting notice, sign-in sheet, agenda and minutes, must be sent to the Superintendent’s office within one week following the meeting.

C. All parent involvement meeting data shall be kept on file at the school for audit purposes.

(3) Offer a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide, with funds provided under (Title I), transportation, child care, or home visits, as such services relate to parental involvement.

(4) Provide parents of participating children with timely information about programs and services. Provide parents of participating children with performance profiles of their child's individual assessment results, including an interpretation of certain results.

Provide parents of participating children a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet. (This may be in the form of a brochure)

(5) To provide parents of participating children with information regarding the school wide program plan. If the plan is not satisfactory to the parent, parents may submit comments on the plan when the schools make the plan available to the district officials.

Development of Parent Compacts

Each school shall develop jointly with parents for all children a School Parent Compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff and students will share the responsibility for improved student achievement.Included in the Compact will be the means by which the schools and the parents may build and develop a partnership to help children achieve high performance standards.

Such Compact shall --

(1) Describe the school's responsibility to provide high quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the children served under this part to meet the State's student performance standards and the ways in which each parent will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning, such as monitoring attendance, homework completion, and television watching; volunteering in their child's classroom; and participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and positive use of extracurricular time.

(2) Address the importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis. Through -- (A) parent-teacher conferences in elementary schools, at least annually, during which the Compact shall be discussed as the compact relates to the individual child's achievement; (B) frequent reports to parents on their children's progress; and (C) Reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child's class, and observation of classroom activities.

BUILDING CAPACITY FOR INVOLVEMENT

To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school, parents, and the community to improve student achievement, at each school.

(1) Shall provide assistance to participating parents in such areas as under-standing the National Education Goals, the State's content standards and State student performance standards, the provisions of section 1111(b)(8), State and local assessments, the requirements of this part, and how to monitor a child's progress and work with educators to improve the performance of their children as well as information on how parents can participate in decisions relating to the education of their children;

(2) Shall provide materials and training, such as--

A. Coordinating necessary literacy training from other sources to help parents work with their children to improve their children's achievement; and

B. Training to help parents to work with their children to improve their children's achievement;

(3) Shall educate teachers, pupils services personnel, principals and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between home and school;

(4) Shall develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parent involvement activities, including providing information about opportunities for organizations and businesses to work with parents and schools, and encouraging the formation of partnerships between elementary, middle, and secondary schools and local businesses that include a role for parents;

(5) Shall conduct other activities, as appropriate and feasible, such as parent resource centers and providing opportunities for parents to learn about child development and child rearing issues beginning at the birth of a child, that are designed to help parents become full partners in the education of their children;

(6) Shall ensure, to the extent possible, that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the homes of participating children in the language used in such homes;

(7) May involve parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of such training in improving instruction and services to the children of such parents;

(8) May provide necessary literacy training from funds received under this part if the local educational agency has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for such activities;

(9) May pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions;

(10) May train and support parents to enhance the involvement of other parents;

(11) May arrange meetings at a variety of times, such as in the mornings and evenings, in order to maximize the opportunities for parents to participate in school related activities;

(12) May arrange for teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, to conduct in-home conferences with parents who are unable to attend such conferences at school;

(13) Shall provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this section as parents may request.

Assessment

Parents and school staff shall assess the effectiveness of parental involvement annually jointly. Each Title I school must provide an opportunity for Title I parents and school staff to assess jointly the effectiveness of their Title I parental involvement. At the beginning of each school year, parents and staff should set goals for parental involvement. The success of the school in achieving these goals will be assessed at the end of the school year.

Suggested criteria for assessment include:

A. The number of parents who attend meetings;

B. The number of parents who volunteer service to the school;

C. Parent and staff statements concerning how the results of meetings were used to help improve student achievement as well as parental self improvement.

Title I Parent Involvement Policy

EXPECTATIONS FOR PARENT INVOLVEMENT AT THE LOCAL SCHOOL

Each School shall establish a Title I Parent Involvement Committee by the end of the 2nd month of the school year . The committee shall meet no less than three (3) times per year.

The Title I Parent Committee shall work in a cooperative manner with all other school organizations and committees.

The members of the Title I Parent Involvement Committee shall be composed of parents of participating Title I children. Official membership rosters shall be established by the end of the second month of the school year.

Membership shall remain open and additions/deletions to the roster should be made throughout the school year as membership changes. While specific number of members shall not be mandated, documented efforts must be made to encourage growth in membership throughout the year.

The Title I Parent Involvement Committee meetings shall be public and announced. The meetings shall be determined by the local organization, with the understanding that no less than three (3) meetings per year will be held.

The Title I Parent Involvement committee membership must be notified of any meeting cancellations.

It is the intent of Career Success School that parents of participating students shall be provided with frequent and convenient opportunities for full and ongoing participation in the Title I program, including opportunities to suggest modifications, based on changing needs of parents and the schools.

All comments indicating parents’ dissatisfaction with the district Title I plan shall be collected and submitted along with the plan to the Superintendent office.

The Title I program shall be designed to assist students to acquire the capacities and achieve the goals established by law, as well as the goals and standards established by the State and Career Success School. These goals and standards shall be shared with parents in a manner that will enable them to (1) participate in decisions concerning their child’s education and (2) monitor and improve the educational achievement of their child.

Support for Programs

Career Success School shall reserve five percent (5%) of its allocation for the purpose of promoting parent involvement. Parents of participating students shall be provided the opportunity to help decide how this portion the Title I funds will be used.

Career Success School will provide coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist schools in planning and implementing effective parent involvement activities.

These measures may include, but shall not be limited to, the following:

(1) Designation of resources to assist in communicating with parents, transporting them to meeting sites and/or implementing home visits, providing child-care for meetings, encouraging them to use available parents resource centers and working with them to improve parenting skills, particularly those that will assist them in working with their child to improve his/her educational achievements. Resources may include individuals, agencies, materials, and services.

(2) Sharing options for coordinating and integrating Title I program strategies with services of other community programs, businesses, and agencies.

(3) Identification of ways in which parents can be involved in staff training activities to demonstrate the value of parent involvement and various techniques designed to successfully engage parents as equal partners in their child’s education.

(4) Designing and conducting an effective annual evaluation process whereby parents can share their ideas about the content and effectiveness of this policy and the plan designed to implement it.

(5) In the design of activities and materials designed for parents, particular attention shall be given to reaching and involving those who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background.

School Policy

Each school shall submit to the superintendent and Governing Board for review and comment its Title I school parent involvement policy, which must meet all legal requirements. This policy shall be developed jointly with and distributed by the school to parents of participating students. A copy of each school’s parent involvement policy and accompanying checklist shall be kept on file in the Central Office.

TITLE I TARGETED ASSISTANCE SCHOOL

EXPECTATIONS FOR PARENT INVOLVEMENT

The School has adopted the following parent involvement policy and plan. This policy and the plan to implement it have been developed jointly and in agreement with, and will be distributed to parents of students participating in the Title I program.

The School shall convene within 45 days after the start of the school year an annual meeting, at a time that is convenient for parents, to which all parents of students participating in the Title I program are invited and encouraged to attend. At this meeting parents will be informed of their child’s participation in Title I, the purpose and requirements of Title I, and their right to be involved. Particular attention shall be given to reaching those parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background.

The School shall offer a flexible number of meetings (a.m. and p.m.) to parents, and may provide transportation, childcare, and home visits.

The School shall involve parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely manner, in the Title I planning, review, and improvement of programs, including the joint development of the school parent involvement policy and the school plan.

Parents of students participating in Title I shall be provided:

• Timely information and opportunities to attend regular meetings;

• School performance profiles and their child’s individual assessment results, including an interpretation of results;

• A description and explanation of the school curriculum, assessment, and proficiency levels;

• A timely response, within two weeks, to any parent suggestions.

All comments indicating parents’ dissatisfaction with the district Title I plan shall be collected and submitted along with the plan to the Career Success School Superintendent’s Office.

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIGH STUDENT PERFORMANCE

The School has jointly developed with parents, for all students participating in the Title I program, a parent-school learning compact that describes:

• The school’s responsibility to provide high quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that will enable students to meet the state’s academic expectations;

• Ways in which each parent will be responsible for supporting his/her child’s learning;

• The ongoing communication between parents and teachers through; parent/teacher conferences at which time the learning compact will be discussed; progress reports to parents; and reasonable access to staff, observation of classroom activities, and opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class.

BUILDING CAPACITY FOR INVOLVEMENT

The School shall build the capacity for strong parent involvement by:

• Providing assistance to participating parents in understanding national, state, and local goals, standards, and assessments, Title I, Part a requirements, and how to monitor their child’s performance as well as information on how parents can participate in the education of their child.

• Providing materials and training to parents, such as needed, literacy training not otherwise available to help parents as equal partners.

• Educating all school staff, with assistance of parents, on how to reach out, to communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners.

• Ensuring, to extent possible, information sent home is in a language and form parents can understand. For parents whose English is s second language, provide information in their primary language.

• Involving parents, where appropriate, in development of training for teachers and other staff that improves instruction.

• Providing other assistance, as appropriate, such as parent resource centers where parents can learn about child development and rearing from birth designed to help parents become full partners in the education of their child.

• Developing appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses and encouraging partnerships with elementary, middle, and secondary schools.

• Training and supporting parents to enhance involvement of other parents, where appropriate.

SCHOOL-PARENT LEARNING COMPACT

Definition

The school-parent learning compact is required of all schools receiving Title I funds. This learning compact is a joint agreement between the home and school. It defines goals,expectations, and shared interests and responsibilities of the school and parents as equal partners for student learning. The compact signifies a school-parent partnership in support of children’s education and development.

Purpose

School-parent learning compacts provide the opportunity for parents to express interest in their child’s school as well as communicate to their child that school is important. Educational research has shown that parental involvement is one of the most powerful indicators of student academic success and that the way in which schools communicate with parents is directly related to the amount and extent of parental involvement.

When parents are made to feel comfortable in communicating with their child’s teacher, their attitudes toward school improve, thus their involvement increases. Learning compacts invite teachers and parents to discuss and define each other’s expectations and responsibilities related to student learning.

Effective Compacts

• Reflect state, district, and school goals

• Are extremely flexible

• Are developed through a process involving parents, teachers, and caregivers

• Contain reasonable expectations for parents and teachers

• Provide an opportunity for face-to-face involvement between parents and teachers

• Are connected to instruction

• Are stated in a positive and non-threatening manner

Ideas to Consider when Developing a School-Parent Learning Compact:

• Encourage teachers to send frequent reports to parents on their children’s progress

• Encourage teachers to send home one positive note each week about the student

• Encourage teachers to call parents once each grading period about something positive in the classroom

• Encourage teachers to learn about students outside their schoolwork (friends, interests, hobbies, nutrition, etc.)

• Encourage school staff to provide workshops for parents to inform them of the total school program, including school goals    assessments used, etc.

• Encourage school staff to find ways that parents can contribute to the academic success of their children

• Encourage school staff to design strategies for providing effective two-way communication between school and home

• Encourage parents and school staff to use genuine praise

• Encourage parents and school staff to support appropriate discipline

• Encourage parents and school staff to share in the responsibility of the child’s education through positive relationships

More Ideas

• Encourage parents and school staff to encourage and reward effort, be patient, and to not expect perfection

• Encourage parents and school staff to instill the joy of learning and discovery in their children

• Encourage parents and school staff to foster an environment where children are comfortable taking risks and facing new challenges with enthusiasm, knowing that they are protected, cared for, and loved

• Encourage parents and school staff to build on children’s strengths and avoid comparing them with other children

• Encourage parents to serve as a good reading role model by reading newspapers, books, magazines, or letter daily

• Encourage parents to provide a wide variety of educational experiences for their children, enabling them to develop life skills through every day activities such as frequent nature walks and trips to the public library, parks, museum(s), etc.

• Encourage parents to become leaders in an effort to involve other parents

• Encourage parents to speak positively regarding school, teaching, and education

• Encourage parents to set aside a specific time for homework, provide a quiet, well lighted and comfortable study area, and supply the necessary materials to complete homework

• Encourage parents to learn about their child’s school (staff, activities, environment)

• Encourage parents to ensure that their child has adequate rest and a balanced nutritious diet

• Encourage parents to read with their children daily

• Encourage parents to attend parent-teacher conferences regularly, observe their child’s class, and become school volunteers when possible

• Encourage parents to monitor homework, TV/recreation, and school attendance

• Encourage parents to communicate with their child’s teachers on a regular basis

• Encourage parents to display work at home on the refrigerator with a school magnet

• If signatures are used, make it a “big deal” – have a signing ceremony similar to that of the president signing a bill into law; students could be given the pen that was used to sign the compact

• Have the compact or sections of the compact made into poster size for display in classrooms and the school lobby

SAMPLE

SCHOOL-PARENT LEARNING COMPACT

Effective schools are a result of families and school staff working together to ensure that children are successful in school. A learning compact is an agreement among groups that firmly unites them. This is an invitation to be involved in a partnership with your child’s school.

PARENT/GUARDIAN NAME

I want my child to achieve; therefore, I will encourage my child by doing the following:

• See that my child attends school regularly and is on time.

• Support school staff in maintaining proper discipline.

• Set aside a specific time for homework and review it regularly.

• Provide a quiet, well-lighted place for study.

• Encourage my child’s efforts and be available for questions.

• Stay interested in and aware of what my child is learning.

• Read with my child and let my child see me read regularly.

• Communicate with my child’s teacher on a regular basis.

Parent/Guardian Signature Date 

STUDENT NAME

It is important that I work to the best of my ability; therefore, I will strive to do the following:

• Attend school regularly.

• Be prepared for school each day with completed assignments and supplies.

• Work cooperatively with my classmates.

• Respect myself, my school, and other people.

• Follow rules of student conduct.

Student Signature Date

TEACHER NAME

It is important that students achieve; therefore, I will strive to do the following:

• Provide necessary assistance to parents so that they can help with homework assignments.

• Encourage students and parents by communicating regularly about student progress.

• Contact parents regular to convey something positive about students.

• Provide high quality instruction in a supportive and non-threatening environment.

• Provide varied learning opportunities for students to enable them to meet academic expectations.

• Hold expectations high for all students, believing that all students can learn.

• Make myself and my classroom accessible to parents, encouraging them to visit the school,observed different classes, and speak with various staff members.

Teacher Signature Date

PRINCIPAL NAME

I support this compact for parent involvement; therefore, I will strive to do the following:

• Provide an environment that allows for positive communication between the teacher, parent, and student.

• Encourage teachers to regularly provide homework assignments that will reinforce classroom instruction.

• Monitor and evaluate all components in the Compact to ensure that they are meeting and achieving the identified goals of that schools Compact.

Principal Signature Date

Career Success Schools

Title 1 Eligibility Procedure(s)