AN AGREEMENT FOR SUCCESS: Title I Parent/School Compacts

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AN AGREEMENT FOR SUCCESS Title I Parent/School
Compacts
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Compacts Definition
TITLE I SECTION 1118

• SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HIGH STUDENT ACADEMIC
  ACHIEVEMENT.
• As a component of the school-level parental
  involvement policy developed 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 States high standards.

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What needs to be included?

• describe the schools responsibility to provide
  high quality
• curriculum and instruction in a supportive and
  effective
• learning environment that enables the children
  served under
• this part to meet the States student academic
  achievement
• standards,
• and the ways in which each parent will be
  responsible
• for supporting their childrens learning, such as
  monitoring
• attendance, homework completion, and television
  watching
• volunteering in their childs classroom and
  participating, as
• appropriate, in decisions relating to the
  education of their
• children and positive use of extracurricular
  time

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In Simpler Terms

• Compacts are a job description that defines the
  jobs of the school, the parents (and sometimes
  the student) in order to ensure that the student
  receives and achieves the best possible education.

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Purpose of Compacts

• Process vs. Outcome
• Open Communication
• Parents can understand the school system better
• Teachers can understand the needs of parents
  better
• Students can understand their responsibilities
• Creating a team to support every student.

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TEAM EDUCATION
Teacher
School
Principal
Title I
Aides
Student
Community Agencies
PDE
Parent
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STARTING LINEUP

• Team EDUCATION

School
Parents
Teachers
Student
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CREATING A COMPACT TEAM
Who Should Be Included?

• Parents (required)
• Teachers (required)
• Optional
• Students
• Administrators
• Community Members
• Libraries
• Businesses
• Faith Based Organizations
• Community Organizations

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GETTING STARTED
Understanding the Challenges Facing Education
Today

• NCLB Goal
• All Students at Proficient or Advanced on the PA
  System of School Assessment (PSSA) by 2014
• Issues currently facing our school
• Issues currently facing our parents
• Issues currently facing our community

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Goals for Educating our Children

• Discussion Questions
• Parents What do you want for your child as they
  go through school?
• Parents What goals do you have for your child
  after they graduate?
• Teachers What do you want for your students as
  they go through your classroom this year?
• Teachers What do you want for their future?

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What Do We Expect From Each Other?

• All parents and teachers want to ensure that
  every child is
• Healthy
• Safe
• Engaged in Learning
• Supported by Caring Adults
• Exposed to a Challenging Curriculum (includes
  arts, music and other essential courses)
• From The Whole Child (cite website)

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DEVELOPING OUR COMPACT

• Compacts are required to address three areas for
  families and the school to work together
• Student learning and high achievement
• Effective and frequent communication between
  school and home and
• Building capacity for the family/school
  partnership through volunteering and training.

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Student Learning High Achievement

• Discussion Questions
• What does our current compact include to address
  student learning and high achievement?
• Parents
• What do you see happening in your childs school
  and/or classroom to support this topic?
• What can parents do at home and school to help
  students achieve?
• Are there any other things we can add to the
  compact?

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Student Learning High Achievement

• Discussion Questions
• School
• What can teacher/school do at school to help
  students achieve?
• What are the teacher/school responsibilities in
  the compact?
• Are there any other things we can add to the
  compact?

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Student Learning and High Achievement

• Suggestions for Compact
• Schools responsibility includes offering a
  rigorous and challenging academic program be
  specific in what your school offers here
• School agrees to provide training for parents on
  ways to help them help their children at home.
• Parents agree to monitor homework completion and
  send students to school prepared to learn and on
  time.
• Parents agree to support learning at home by
  reading with their children every night or
  whatever is agreed upon at this meeting

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Effective and Frequent Communication Between
Home/School

• Discussion Questions
• What does our current compact include that
  relates to communication between the home and
  school?
• Parents What do you see happening in your
  childs classroom to support this?
• Teachers/School What do you see happening from
  parents to support communication?
• Define effective communication.
• Define frequent communication.
• Are those definitions reflected in the current
  compact?
• Is it enough? Do the parents feel that they are
  kept in the loop of their childs progress in
  school? Do teachers feel that they are getting
  enough parent support?

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Effective and Frequent Communication Between
Home/School
Suggestions for compacts

• Suggestions for Compact
• School agrees to communicate frequently (define
  frequently) with families about student progress
  through agreed upon methods i.e., email, phone
  calls, newsletters, etc..
• Parents agree to attend at least one
  parent-teacher conference each year, or email
  teacher with questions, etc.

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Building Capacity through Volunteering and
Training

• Discussion Questions
• Identify activities that parents could volunteer
  for or be trained to help their children do
  better in school.
• Are there opportunities for parents to be
  involved at a governance level at this school?
  How and what?
• How can we get more parents involved? What are
  the barriers? How are we eliminating them?

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Building Capacity through Volunteering and
Training

• Suggestions for Compact
• School agrees to involve parents in school
  governance by..
• Teachers will train parents on these strategies
  to help their children do better in school
• Parents agree to volunteer at least ___ hours a
  year at the school.

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USING THE COMPACT

• Moves the Compact from a Planning Document to an
  Action Document
• Get the Word Out!
• School Newsletter
• Weekly Lunch Menus
• Web Sites
• Email
• Listserv
• Schools Voice Mail System
• Mailing
• Local Newspaper
• Community Events
• Special School Events

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USING THE COMPACT

• Use the Compact in All Parts of Your School
  Program
• DISCUSS STUDENT PROGRESS AT PARENT-TEACHER
  CONFERENCES (required by NCLB)
• Help launch programs for family involvement
• Support training for teachers and other staff to
  work with families
• Complement School Improvement Plans
• Help partners discuss their responsibilities in
  meeting the goals of the school

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EVALUATING THE RESULTS
How do you know whether or not your compact is
working?

• Schools are required to review the compacts each
  year to determine if they are effective and to
  make changes, if needed
• Parents must be involved
• Need to more than whether it is in place
• Need to know whats working and whats not

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Resources

• US Department of Education
• www.ed.gov
• No Child Left Behind
• Title I Legislation
• (Section 1118 Compacts)
• Project Appleseed (National Campaign for Public
  School Improvement
• www.projectappleseed.org
• PA Academic Standards
• PA Department of Education
• www.pde.state.pa.us

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Questions