DEVELOPING PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICIES and PARENT/SCHOOL COMPACTS

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DEVELOPING PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICIES and
PARENT/SCHOOL COMPACTS

• Title I
• Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
• Section 1118

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DEVELOPING PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICIES

• Title I
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
• Section 1118

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What is Title I?

• Title I is the largest federally funded education
  program.
• 420 million for Pennsylvania schools.
• Title I provides extra help to low achieving
  students in reading and math.
• The goal is to help low achieving students catch
  up and keep up.

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Why Parent Involvement is Important

• Research over 25 years has been consistent.
• When parents are involved -- regardless of income
  level or background children do better in
  school.
• Increased attendance
• Lower drop out rate
• Better test scores
• Fewer discipline problems
• Higher college attendance rates

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NCLB Definition of Parent Involvement

• NCLB defines parental involvement as the
  participation of parents in regular, two-way, and
  meaningful communication involving student
  academic learning and other school activities,
  including ensuring
• that parents play an integral role in assisting
  their childs learning
• that parents are encouraged to be actively
  involved in their childs education at school
• that parents are full partners in their childs
  education and are included, as appropriate, in
  decision-making and on advisory committees to
  assist in the education of their child and
• that other activities are carried out, such as
  those described in section 1118 of NCLB (Parental
  Involvement).

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Our Parent Survey

• of parents who responded
• Summary of Results
• Identify areas of weakness or concern
• Ideas to address the areas of concern

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Review Current Policy

• Is it understandable?
• Review each section and update as necessary.

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School Policies Must Include

• A description of how parents of Title I students
  are involved in the planning and evaluation of
  the schools Title I program
• Discussion Questions
• What are we currently doing to involve parents in
  the planning and evaluation of our Title I
  program?
• Is it effective?
• What can we do to make it better.
• Tips Be sure to include a timeline of when
  planning and evaluation meetings occur in the
  school, how parents will be informed/invited,
  etc.

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School Policies Must Include

• An assurance that an annual meeting will be held
  to inform parents of the school's participation
  in the Title I program and to explain the
  requirements of the program and their right to be
  involved.
• Guiding Questions
• Are parents aware of the Title I meeting?
• Is the meeting held at a time/place convenient to
  parents? (See survey results.)
• What can we do/change to make it easier for
  parents to attend or to bring it to the attention
  of parents?
• Tips Include the timeline of the annual meeting
  in the policy as well as a summary of what will
  be discussed.

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School Policies Must Include

• An assurance that parent activities will be held
  at a variety of times throughout the day to meet
  the needs of Title I parents.
• Discussion
• What do the survey results say are the best times
  for parents to attend meetings?
• Is there a more effective way to hold workshops
  that would make it possible for more parents to
  attend?

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School Policies Must Include

• A statement that describes, if determined to be
  appropriate, how Title I funds will be used to
  pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated
  with parent involvement activities, such as
  transportation, childcare, or home visit expenses
  to enable parents to participate in
  school-related meetings and training sessions.
• Tip This section is added for schools to
  examine ways to break down barriers that exist
  that prevent parents from attending school
  related meetings. Use the data you collected
  through your parent survey to determine if any of
  these options can help.
• Funds from the parent involvement set-aside can
  be used to fund any of these options.

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School Policies Must Include

• A statement that the school will provide, if
  requested by parents, 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.
• Tip Define practicably possible come to
  consensus on an acceptable timeframe to respond
  to suggestions from parents.

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School Policies Must Include

• How the school will provide parents of
  participating children with timely information
  about the Title I program.
• Discussion Questions
• How often should parents be provided updates
  about their childs progress in Title I?
• What methods will be used to provide the
  information to parents? Website, email,
  newsletters, letters sent home?

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School Policies Must Include

• How the school will provide assistance to parents
  in understanding the State's academic content
  standards and student achievement standards,
  local academic assessments and how to monitor a
  child's progress and work with teachers to
  improve the achievement of their children.
• Tip Use this section to describe HOW the
  schools will do these things. Maybe a fact sheet
  on understanding the State academic standards and
  local assessments would be helpful maybe
  workshops or training sessions would be best to
  teach parents how to monitor a childs progress
  maybe meetings with teachers or teachers
  providing training to parents would help with
  improving the achievement of children.

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A School Policy Must Include

• A statement that a school-parent compact was
  jointly developed with parents and the compact
  outlines how parents, the entire school staff and
  students will share in the responsibility for
  improved student achievement.
• Tip Include in this section a description of
  how parents can be involved in updating the
  school/parent compacts each year.

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School Policies Must Include

• A description of how the school will 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, as appropriate, to foster parent
  involvement.
• Discussion Questions
• What is the best way to provide these items to
  parents? Workshops, training sessions,
  conferences?
• What areas do parents need the most training in?
• Should the workshops be held multiple times?

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And, if appropriate

• A description of how the school involves parents
  in the joint development of the Schoolwide
  Program Plan. (Applies only to Title I schools
  operating a Schoolwide Program.)
• A description of how the school involves parents
  in the joint development of the School
  Improvement Plan. (Applies only to Title I
  schools identified for School Improvement.)

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Optional Items

• Ways for parents to be involved in developing
  school policies (school improvement teams,
  schoolwide teams).
• A summary of the district parent involvement
  policy.
• Incentives for parents to be involved.

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DISTRIBUTING THE POLICY

• Moves the Policy 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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EVALUATING THE RESULTS

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

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Resources

• SPAC Parent Involvement Toolkit
• www.SPAC.k12.pa.us
• US Department of Education
• www.ed.gov
• No Child Left Behind
• Title I Legislation
• (Section 1118 Parent Policy)
• 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
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Congratulations!

• Youve completed the update of your parent
  policy.
• For further information on ways to increase
  parent involvement in your school
• www.spac.k12.pa.us (State Parent Advisory
  Council website)
• www.ed.gov (USDE Website)

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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
• Link (process) activities of school/staff,
  parents and children to (outcome) student
  learning and achievement
• 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

• ESEA/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 www.WholeChildEducation.org

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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, and
  making sure every student gets help as soon as
  its needed.
• School agrees to provide training for parents on
  ways to help them help their children at home,
  and to send home materials they can use.
• Parents agree to monitor homework completion, and
  to help their child see how to use reading and
  math to pursue interests and goals.
• Parents agree to support learning at home by
  reading with their children every night, and
  using the materials the school sends home weekly
  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 Compact
• School agrees to communicate frequently (define
  frequently) with families about student progress
  through agreed upon methods i.e., email, phone
  calls, newsletters, etc..
• Teachers agree to build a relationship with every
  family in their class, and to keep families
  informed of their childrens progress and needs
  in each subject.
• Parents agree to monitor childs progress,
  contact the teacher with questions, and let the
  teacher know right away if their child has any
  problems.

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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 know more than whether it is in place
• Need to know whats working and whats not

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Resources

• SPAC Parent Involvement Toolkit
• www.SPAC.k12.pa.us
• 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
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Congratulations!

• Youve completed the update of your parent/school
  compact.
• For further information on ways to increase
  parent involvement in your school
• www.spac.k12.pa.us (State Parent Advisory
  Council website)
• www.ed.gov (USDE Website)