Service Center Presenter’s Name Basic Elements of the Parental Involvement Policy

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

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; ❖ 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

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. Language Format

The Parental Involvement Policy A Key Document

PUBLICATION This publication can be downloaded from Region 16 ESC:

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… Public Law (P.L.) , Section 1118 (a)(2)

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… P.L , Section 1118 (b)(1)

At a minimum the district policy must address… ❖ Statement of Purpose (recommended, not required) ❖ Coordination of Programs ❖ Annual Evaluation of Effectiveness of District PI Policy ❖ Reservation of Funds (recommended, not required) ❖ Developing the Policy with Parents ❖ Involving Parents in Developing Title I Plan (District Improvement Plan) ❖ Providing Coordination and Assistance to Schools ❖ Building Capacity of Schools and Parents DISTRICT Parental Involvement Policy

At a minimum the campus policy must address… ❖ Statement of Purpose (recommended, not required) ❖ School-Parent Compact ❖ Timely Information including Curriculum and Assessment ❖ Flexible Meeting Times (and Venue) ❖ Annual Evaluation of Effectiveness of Campus PI Policy ❖ Developing the Policy with Parents ❖ Conducting an Annual Meeting ❖ Involving Parents in Developing Schoolwide Plan (Campus Improvement Plan ❖ Building Capacity of Schools and Parents Campus Parental Involvement Policy

Consider the findings…

Higher Student Achievement Improved Student Behavior Bridging the Cultural Gap Students of All Ages Benefit Better Quality Schools Consider the findings…

Statement of Purpose Vision and Goals Participation of Stakeholders Student Achievement

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 may include a statement about providing extra assistance to students with need. ❖ 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. SAMPLE Statement of Purpose

“Example ISD” will provide to all parents the grade level goals for its students. “Example ISD” will also publish the state standardized assessment schedule and assessment goals. Those students that need extra assistance will have access to programs that will help them reach these goals. The goal of our parental involvement program is student success. Statement of Purpose

❖ Develop jointly with parents. ❖ Include a representative group of parents ❖ Schedule convenient meeting times and venues ❖ Utilize funds to provide transportation or child care to local meeting, if appropriate ❖ Agree upon together and distribute 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 school-parent compact, AND the district/campus improvement 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 SAMPLE

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 as it pertains to parental involvement and family engagement. SAMPLE

❖ Shall provide assistance to parents in how to monitor a child’s progress, and how to understand state standards and assessments ❖ 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 value the contributions of parents, to work with parents as partners, and build ties between parents and the school ❖ Shall, to the extent feasible, coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies under other programs ❖ Shall provide information to parents in a uniform and understandable format and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents can 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 *Local: would not involve activities that would incur travel/hotel expenses.

Building Capacity ❖ May train parents to help other parents become more involved ❖ May arrange school meetings at a variety of times or conduct in-home conferences ❖ May adopt and implement model approaches for parental involvement ❖ May establish a districtwide parent advisory committee

Building Capacity ❖ May develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations in parental involvement activities ❖ May establish a districtwide parent advisory council to provide advice on matters related to parental involvement

“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.) Building Capacity SAMPLE

❖ 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 preschool programs (list programs by name). Parental involvement strategies will be coordinated to assist the transition from preschool 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. Coordination of Programs SAMPLE

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. ❖ 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. Evaluation SAMPLE

❖ 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. ❖ 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

Title I Funds1% for PI95% of 1% 500,0005,0004, ,0008,7508,312 1,430,00014,30013,585 Calculating the Set-Aside

“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 and programmatic use of the funds. The campus principal will then authorize the use of the funds designated for parental involvement. Reservation of Funds SAMPLE

Schools must convene an annual meeting in order to: ❖ 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. ❖ 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

The Title I schools of “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 , and notices sent home with students. Annual Meeting SAMPLE

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. Annual Meeting SAMPLE

❖ 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 (parent-teacher 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. School-Parent Compact SAMPLE

“New” Compact Publication This publication may be found at the following LiveBinders link:

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 processes 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 – are required to follow local policy. ❖ It’s good practice.

Parental Involvement Policy - SASA Answers to 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.

“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 and families and community. Date: Concluding Statement SAMPLE

Name & Telephone # Contact Information Thank you to Region 16 for allowing use of their Parental Involvement PowerPoint and materials in this presentation.