505.08 - Parent and Family Engagement District-Wide Policy (Formerly Parental Involvement)

Parent and family engagement is an important component in a student’s success in school. The board encourages parents and families to become involved in their child’s education to ensure the child’s academic success. In order to facilitate parent and family involvement, it is the goal of the district to conduct outreach and implement programs, activities and procedures to further involve parents and families with the academic success of their students. The board will:

1. Involve parents and families in the development of the Title I plan, the process for school review of  the plan and the process for improvement by:

a. This jointly developed and agreed upon written policy is available from the North Tama  Website under the Elementary tab (www.n-tama.k12.ia.us). If a parent wants a paper copy  of the policy they may request one from the Main Office, Elementary Principal or Title One  Teacher. (ESSA Section 1116(a)(2))

2. Provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist and build the capacity of all participating schools in planning and implementing effective parent and family  involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance by:

a. Through professional development regarding parent and family engagement, the district  will partner with community groups as a means to engage families more creatively and  successfully. (ESSA Section 116 (a)(2)(B))

3. To the extent feasible, coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies under Title I  with parent and family engagement strategies outlined in other relevant Federal, State, and local laws  and programs by:

a. Working with local public preschool programs, Headstart programs, local library programs,  and special education programs (IDEA). Our homeless education program coordinates with  the local backpack program to offer support to students that are food insecure, especially  over the weekends. (ESSA Section 116(a)(2)(C))

4. Conduct with the involvement of parents and family members, an annual evaluation of the content  and effectiveness of the parent and family engagement policy in improving the academic quality of  the school served including identifying: barriers to greater participation by parents in Title I activities  (with particular attention to low-income parents, Limited English Proficient (LEP) parents, parents  of any racial or ethnic minority, parents with disabilities and parents with limited literacy); needs of  parents and family to assist their children’s learning; and strategies to support successful school and  family interactions by:

a. In addition to surveys, the district uses focus groups and open discussion groups for this  evaluation. Parents and families have a voice. The evaluation tools and methods identify  the type and frequency of school-home interactions and the needs of parents and families  to have better support and assist their children in learning. The evaluations will target at  least three key areas: barriers, ability to assist learning, and successful interactions. (ESSA  Section 1116(a)(2)(D)(i-iii))

b. At least one annual meeting will be held to inform parents and family members of the  school’s participation in the Title I program and to explain the requirements of the program  and their right to be involved. The meeting shall be for parents of both public and private  school. The elementary buildings will hold an annual meeting in the fall. Notification will  be sent in the district and building newsletter. (ESSA Section 1116(c)(1))

c. Parent and family meetings, including parent conferences, will be held at different times  during the day and Title I funds may be used to pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with parent and family engagement activities, including transportation, childcare,  or home visit expenses to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and  training sessions. (ESSA Section 1116(c)(2))

d. Parents and family members of participating children are given assistance in understanding  the Title I program, with timely information about the Title I program. Through annual  meetings and parent-teacher conferences, the school will provide parents and family  members of participating children with a description and explanation of the curriculum in  use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet. Parents and family members receive an  explanation of the school’s performance profile, the forms of academic assessment used to  measure student progress, and the expected proficiency levels in the annual progress report  distributed to all stockholders in the spring of the year, through individual reports given to  parents at conference time and through report cards. (ESSA Section 1116©(4)(A) & (B))

e. If requested by parents, the school will provide opportunities for regular meetings to  formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the  education of their children, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably  possible. (ESSA Section 1116(c)(4)©)

5. Use the findings of the annual evaluation to design strategies for more effective parent and family  involvement and to revise, as necessary, the parent and family involvement policies by:

a. If the schoolwide plan under Section 1114(b) is not satisfactory, parents of participating  students may comment. Comments may be made in writing to the school principal. (ESSA  Section 1116(c)(5))

b. A jointly developed school/parent compact outlines how parents and family members, the  entire school staff, and students all share responsibility for improved student  achievement. The compact also describes the means by which the school and parents will  build and develop a partnership to help children achieve our local high standards. It is  distributed in the parent handbook and is reviewed at the annual meetings. (ESSA Section  1116(d))

c. Parents will be notified of this policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the  extent practicable, provided in a language the parents can understand. The policy will be  provided in English and Spanish and will be free of educational jargon. (ESSA Section  1116(b)(1))

6. Involve parents and families in Title I activities by:

a. The district uses the findings for the annual evaluation to design evidenced-based strategies  for more effective parent and family engagement. The evaluation results will help uncover  best practices that are working and adapt those ideas to the district and individual school  needs. (ESSA Section 116(a)(2)(E))

b. The district will involve parents in the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s  Title I program through participation in stakeholder groups and in-person meetings where  parents give input and feedback. (ESSA Section 1116(c)(3))

c. In a schoolwide program plan, if applicable, parents are asked to be involved in the joint  development of the building’s schoolwide plan through in-person meetings, surveys and  electric feedback as appropriate.

d. In order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the  school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement,  each school and local educational agency shall:

i. Provide assistance to parents in understanding challenging State academic  standards, State and local academic assessments, the requirements of this part, and  how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the  achievement of their children;

ii. Provide materials and training to help parents to work with their children to  improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology (including education about the harms of copyright piracy), as appropriate, to foster parental involvement;

iii. Educate teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, and other  school leaders, 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 parents and the school;

iv. Coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with other  Federal, State, and local programs, including public preschool programs, and conduct other activates, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children;

v. Ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other  activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand; and

vi. Provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under  this section as parents may request. (ESSA Section 1116(e)(1-14))

e. The school, to the extent practicable, will provide opportunities for the informed  participation of parents and family members (including parents and family members who  have limited English proficiency, parents and family members with disabilities, and parents  and family members of migratory children) by providing information and school reports  required under Section 1111 in a format and language the parties can understand. (ESSA  Section 11116(f))

f. The district involves parents and family members in activities of the school. The district has  established a SIAC or Parent Advisory Committee comprised of a sufficient number and  representative group of parents or family members to adequately represent the needs to the  population, revised, and reviewed the Parent and Family Engagement Policy. (ESSA Section  116(a)(2)(F)

7. The district shall involve parents in determining how to allocate reserved Title I funds in accordance with applicable laws.

The board will review this policy annually. The superintendent is responsible for notifying parents and families of this policy annually or within a reasonable time after it has been amended during the school year. The superintendent may develop an administrative process or procedures to implement this policy.  

 

 

Legal Reference:  20 U.S.C. §6318