2013

 Familiarize staff with parent involvement requirements  Learn process to involve parents in the development of activities and policies  Learn about other district parent activities

 Review Section 1118 Requirements  Brainstorm and chart district/school parent communications and activities  Use template and charted activities to create policy framework

 The Federal Dept. of Education says that parent involvement in education is ….  the participation of parents in regular, two- way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities.

Schools with a strong commitment to involving families ensure that:  Parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;  Parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;  Parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included in decision- making;  Parents are represented on school advisory committees.

Determination regarding the word “policy” in Section 1118  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. September 2008

 (a) LEA (district) Policy  (b) School Parental Involvement Policy  (c) School Level Responsibilities  (d) Shared Responsibilities [School Parent Compact]  (e) Building Capacity for Involvement  (f) Accessibility  (g) PIRC  (h) SEA Review

(2) WRITTEN POLICY- Each local educational agency that receives funds under this part shall develop jointly with, agree on with, and distribute to, parents of participating children a written parent involvement policy. The policy shall be incorporated into the local educational agency's plan developed under section 1112, establish the agency's expectations for parent involvement, and describe how the agency will —  Meet requirements (A) through (F)

 (A) A 1% Parent Reservation is required if the LEA receives more than $500,000 to carryout this section, including promoting family literacy and parenting skills.  (B) PARENTAL INPUT- Parents of children receiving services under this part shall be involved in the decisions regarding how funds reserved under subparagraph (A) are allotted for parental involvement activities.  (C) Not less than 95 percent of the funds reserved under subparagraph (A) shall be distributed to schools served under this part; 5% of the 1% may be used at the district level.

 (1) IN GENERAL- Each school served under this part shall jointly develop with, and distribute to, parents of participating children a written parental involvement policy, agreed on by such parents, that shall describe the means for carrying out the requirements of subsections (c) through (f).  Parents shall be notified of the policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language the parents can understand. Such policy shall be made available to the local community and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.

 Describe the means for carrying out—  An annual meeting  Offer a flexible number of meetings & times  Involve parents in planning, review and improvement of Title I program and the schools parental involvement policy  Provide parents timely info about the program  Description and explanation of curriculum, assessments, proficiency levels  Opportunities for regular meetings to …

 Each school served under this part shall jointly develop with parents for all children served under this part a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the State's high standards. Such compact shall —

 (1) describe the school's responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment ; 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; and

 (2) address the importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis through, at a minimum —  (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.

 Applies to both LEA and schools: This section outlines 14 required and alternative ideas to enhance capacity building.  Outlines provisions for partnerships and required activities  Outlines other areas or activities where districts and schools may involve parents

 Districts local educational agencies and schools, to the extent practicable, shall provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and required school reports in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language such parents understand.

 The PIRC organizations are no longer funded and available to support LEAs and schools.

 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.

Maine School Management  KBF—Board Policy—Does not meet any of the requirements. It recognizes and authorizes the district and school to develop jointly with parents the district and school policies and outlines the requirements of the School- Parent Compact.  KBF-1—LEA district policy  KBF-2—School policy & Compact

USED Template  Parent Involvement Non-Regulatory Guidance Appendix D.

 Develop a document that is parent friendly, informative, and links to requirements.  As a parent activity is planned, it should be linked back to the district/school requirements so that the district/school can later evaluate the implementation of the policies.

 In the USED Non-Regulatory Guidance for Parent Involvement, there is Appendix B: Key Title I, Part A Parental Notice Requirements  Identifies the notice name, reference to the law, when the notice should be provided, and who should issue the notice.  ntinvguid.doc

 Comments about the Meeting— ◦ Excellent, good, fair, needs improvement  One activity that was really helpful…  One area of the meeting that could be improved… 

 Comments about the presentation—good, fair, bad; areas of improvement would be…  Comments on the process of involving parents—good, fair, bad; areas of improvement would be…