Division of Educational Services Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative Together We Build the Future: The Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative

“Children do best if parents can play a variety of roles in their learning: helping at home, volunteering at school, planning their children’s future, and taking part in key decisions about the school program.” Henderson and Mapp, Research Indicates …

Research Also Indicates … “Schools would need to increase per pupil spending by more than $1,000 in order to achieve the same results that are gained with parental involvement.” ~Houtenville and Conway, 2008.

 Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) and 23 rd District Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Partnership  Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative of Riverside County  Action Team for Partnerships Topics

Title I Requirements

20 U.S.C. §6318. Parental Involvement (a) Local educational agency policy. (b) School parental involvement policy. (c) 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 the requirements of this part, and the right of the parents to be involved. (d) Shared responsibilities for high student academic achievement. (e) Building capacity for involvement. (f) Accessibility. (g) Information from parental information and resource centers. (h) Review: The State educational agency shall review the local educational agency's parental involvement policies and practices to determine if the policies and practices meet the requirements of this section.

Title I Requirements CA EC It is the purpose and goal of this chapter to do all of the following: (a)To engage parents positively in their children's education by helping parents to develop skills to use at home that support their children's academic efforts at school and their children's development as responsible future members of our society. (b)To inform parents that they can directly affect the success of their children's learning, by providing parents with techniques and strategies that they may utilize to improve their children's academic success and to assist their children in learning at home. (c)To build consistent and effective communication between the home and the school so that parents may know when and how to assist their children in support of classroom learning activities. (d)To train teachers and administrators to communicate effectively with parents. (e)To integrate parent involvement programs, including compliance with this chapter, into the school's master plan for academic accountability.

Title I Requirements CA EC A school site council shall be established at each school which participates in school-based program coordination. The council shall be composed of the principal and representatives of: teachers selected by teachers at the school; other school personnel selected by other school personnel at the school; parents of pupils attending the school selected by such parents; and, in secondary schools, pupils selected by pupils attending the school.

Title I Requirements

 Unit – Unit PTAs/PTSAs are organized at the school site level for the purpose of planning programs and activities to meet local community needs.  Council – Council of PTAs/PTSAs are created at the school district level for the purpose of conference, leadership training, and coordination of efforts of the member units.  District – District PTAs are geographical divisions formed at the county level established to carry out the programs of the California State PTA. PTA Structure

 Began over 30+ years ago.  Office space, computers, phones, meeting space.  Meeting with county superintendent  Mission: “… to ensure the success of all students through extraordinary service, support, and partnerships.”  Pledge: “All students in Riverside County will graduate from high school well prepared for college and the workforce.”  Explanation of Parent Empowering Parents (PEP) Guide and Parent Involvement Pocket Pal – resources of California State PTA.  Creation of user friendly parent trainings using PTA and parent engagement resources.  Challenge to get Parent Involvement Pocket Pal in hands of every parent in Riverside County. (Approximately 420,000 students-2008.) RCOE and the 23 rd District PTA Partnership

Training series -- nine week research- based series of “trainer of trainers” presentations. Topics include parent engagement, positive parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, collaborating with the community, connecting the dots, and action team for partnerships. Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative (PELI)

Developed by Dr. Joyce Epstein, director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS). PELI Training Series Parent Engagement Module

Parenting “Assist families with parenting and child-rearing skills, understanding child and adolescent development, and setting home conditions that support children as students at each age and grade level. Assist schools in understanding families.” (Epstein) Connecting in the Early Years Parent – Teen Relationships Potato Parenting PELI Training Series Positive Parenting in Public Education Module

PELI Training Series Communicating Module

PELI Training Series Volunteering Module Benefits How to Begin Volunteering Working with Students Honoring Volunteers

PELI Training Series Learning at Home “The most effective forms of parent involvement are those which engage parents in working directly with their children on learning activities at home.” (Cotton and Wikelund, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory) Home Learning Environments Routines and Activities Family Learning Online Resources

PELI Training Series Decision Making I wish … School Site Council English Learner Advisory Committee Parent Teacher Association Action Team for Partnerships Advocacy

PELI Training Series Collaborating with the Community “The way schools care about children is reflected in the way schools care about the children’s families.” (Epstein) Out of the Box Thinking School – Community Partnerships Opportunities/Challenges Differences/Benefits If You Don’t A—S—K, You Don’t G—E—T

PELI Training Series Connecting the Dots

PELI Training Series Action Team for Partnerships

PELI Training Series … Brochure

One District Attended the PELI training series as a team (two district administrators, three English Learner Advisory Committee [ELAC] leaders), then presented the series to parents in their district in English and Spanish. Parents have developed a Book Club that focuses on parenting, communication, and self-improvement and are creating “literacy circles” in their homes. Another District Participated in the PELI training series and attended the Action Team for Partnerships training as elementary and middle school teams that feed into a high school (vertical strand). The high school is focusing efforts on creating a welcoming atmosphere for parents, families, and community members using the Action Team/Action Plan format. How Districts are Implementing the PELI Program

 Reviews school goals using the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA).  Writes a One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships to involve families and community members in ways that contribute to school goals.  Implements and evaluates the quality of the activities.  Continually improves partnership plans, programs, and practices. Action Team for Partnerships

 Members include parents/family members, teachers, principal, PTA, School Site Council (SSC), ELAC representatives, and students (secondary level). Could include counselors, school nurse, special education teachers, and community partners.  Terms are for two to three years.  Co-chairmen lead ATP and committees.  Arm of School Site Council (decision making body). Action Team for Partnerships

Riverside County ATP Representatives from RCOE departments, PTA, PELI, school districts. Planned and implemented annual Parent Engagement Summit. Preparing to work on data collection.

Here’s what we’ve found … RCOE / 23 rd District PTA Partnership has Expanded National Recognition How to Successfully Involve Parents Moving Forward

 County superintendent support for and commitment to parent engagement.  Formation of Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative (PELI) January  Vision of the future in the area of parent engagement.  Research-based structure in place.  Delivery of parent engagement trainings on-going. Expanding the Partnership

National Recognition 23 rd District PTA Recipient of the Phoebe Apperson Hearst-National PTA Family-School Partnership Award of Merit—recognition of a PTA that effectively implemented National PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. Recognized for the collaborative partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education to create the Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative. Recognized for the annual Parent Engagement Summit for providing parent engagement information for parents, families, educators, and community members.

Train and involve first. Then encourage parents to participate as leaders. The Big Key

 Parents who are knowledgeable, comfortable, and experienced in the area of parent and family engagement tend to want to do more, will serve in various capacities, and are more committed to long term participation.  Schools with strong family and community engagement programs tend to have higher levels of sustainable parent involvement.  Research shows that schools that have high levels of parent involvement have increased academic achievement. (Adapted from Epstein, 2009.) Because

 PELI Trainings held throughout the county with an emphasis on school district supported groups.  Action Teams for Partnerships established at schools and school districts to implement parent and family engagement programs and events.  Third Annual Parent Involvement Summit held on September 13, 2012, at the Palm Springs Convention Center.  RCOE Parent Page provides information for parents on a variety of topics including career and college readiness, parent engagement, and student success. Debuts Fall 2012 on the Riverside County Office of Education web site  Data collection to support increasing student academic achievement through parent engagement. Moving Forward

“The level of parent involvement at schools is notdetermined by parent interest or apathy.” “The level of parent involvement is determined by whether or not appropriate strategies and structures are in place to facilitate the participation of parents.” (Milbrey McLaughlin, Stanford University.) Wise Words

 Investigate Community Partnerships ◦ Parent Teacher Association ◦ Colleges and Universities  Resources ◦ Family Engagement Framework ◦ PTA Parents Empowering Parents Curriculum Resources and Next Steps

 Research Resources and Next Steps

Ellen Larson Certified Parent Liaison, California Parent Center/San Diego State University Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative Riverside County Office of Education Division of Educational Services (951) Melissa Bazanos, Administrator Riverside County Office of Education Instructional Services Division of Educational Services (951) Contact Information