1. Dust Off Your Old School-Parent Compact
Linking School-Family Partnerships to Your School Improvement Plan
Notes:
George’s introduction…
Connecticut State Department of Education

2. CSBE Position Statement on School-Family-Community Partnerships
“Schools, families and communities all contribute to student success, and the best results come when all three work together as equal partners.”
CSBE Position Statement on School-Family-Community Partnerships
First edition was in 1997

3. A New Wave of Evidence:
Family Engagement Can Have a Powerful Impact on Student Achievement
By Anne T. Henderson
and Karen L. Mapp 3

4. Compact: A written agreement of shared responsibility
A catalyst for collaboration and better communication between school staff and parents
…by translating goals for student achievement into shared ACTION statements
USDE 1996

5. The Myths The Compact… must be signed by teachers and parents
is a good place to teach parenting
is the place to correct student behavior

6. Compacts are not present
A Missed Opportunity
One of the weakest areas of Title 1 Compliance (USDE 2008)
As documented by the results of recent Title I monitoring activity, the need for technical assistance in this area remains substantial. (Federal Register, March 27, 2006,)
Compacts are not present
Not meaningful
Not specific

7. Grade Level Compact Strategies
STUDENT DATA
District Improvement Plan
School Improvement Plan School-Parent Compact
Grade Level Compact Strategies
DISTRICT SCHOOL GRADE CLASS HOME
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Home Learning

8. School Action Team for Partnerships
Aligning Resources
Budget
Parent Workshops
Staff Development
Volunteers, Tutors and other Partners
Title 1 Evaluation
School-Parent Compact
Grade Level Strategies
School Action Team for Partnerships

9. What’s In a Compact? Essential Elements 1. What Teachers Should Do
2. What Parents Should Do
3. What Students Should Do
4. Communication About Student Progress
5. Activities to Develop Partnerships
6. Jointly Developed with Parents
7. Friendly format and Language

10. It’s All About the Conversations!
Recruit parents to fun event -- then break into grade level groups with translators.
Ask: How can the school help YOU support your children’s learning?
Type up and circulate parents’ ideas.
Teachers meet at each grade level to respond, draft compact/plan. Parents approve.
“A great learning process. Parents are much more willing to do things than we thought.” Teacher in pilot project.

11. Quality Indicators Link actions to goals in SIP and to school data
Connect activities for families to what students are learning and doing in class
Include follow-up steps to support parents and students
Consult with parents on communication strategies that work best for them
Translate into families’ home languages

12. For Additional Information
Judy Carson, Ph.D.
Connecticut State Department of Education
25 Industrial Park Road
Middletown, CT 06457