Equitable Services to Private Schools

1
Equitable Services to Private Schools

• Russ Sweet,
• Education Specialist
• Oregon Department of Education

2
Objectives

• General Information about Private School
  participation under ESEA
• Title I-A, II-A and III requirements
• Working with Private Schools
• Resources
• Contact Information

3
Private School Student Participation under ESEA

• The Elementary and Secondary Education Act
  (ESEA), as reauthorized by the No Child Left
  Behind Act of 2001, provides benefits to private
  school students, teachers and other education
  personnel, including those in religiously
  affiliated schools.

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In Plain Language. . .

• Private schools are eligible to receive services.
  Private schools are not to receive funds
  directly. No funds are to be channeled through
  the private school. Any payment to private school
  personnel for stipends must be paid directly to
  the individual by the LEA.

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What Federal programs are affected by these rules?
6
Title I

• Title I Improving the Academic Achievement of
  the Disadvantaged
• Improving Basic Programs Operated by LEAs (Part
  A)
• Even Start Family Literacy (Part B, Subpart 3)
• Education of Migratory Children (Part C)

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Title II

• Title II Preparing, Training and Recruiting
  High Quality Teachers and Principals
• Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting
  Fund (Part A) Equitable participation required
  to the extent that the LEA uses the funds to
  provide professional development
• Mathematics and Science Partnerships (Part B)
• Enhancing Education Through Technology (Part D)

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Title III

• Title III Language Instruction for LEP and
  Immigrant Students
• English Language Acquisition, Language
  Enhancement, and Academic Achievement Act (Part
  A)

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Other Title Programs

• Title IV 21st Century Schools
• Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (Part
  A)
• 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Part B)
• Title V Promoting Informed Parental Choice and
  Innovative Programs
• Innovative Programs (Part A)
• Gifted and Talented Students (Part D, Subpart 6)
  More limited language on equitable
  participation

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Programs Requiring Equitable Participation Under
the Uniform Provisions (Title IX)

• Covered Programs
• Even Start Family Literacy
• Education of Migratory Children
• Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting
  Fund
• Mathematics and Science Partnerships
• Enhancing Education Through Technology
• English Language Acquisition, Language
  Enhancement, and Academic Achievement Act
• 21st Century Community Learning Centers
• Title I, Basic Programs Title V,
  Innovative Programs and Title V Gifted Programs
  contain provisions for the equitable
  participation of private school students within
  their own titles.

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Programs to be discussed in this session

• Title I-A
• Title II-A
• Title III

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The first step is Consultation

• Timely and meaningful consultation during the
  design and development of the programs
• Occurs before any decisions are made that could
  affect the private school students and teachers
  from accessing services
• Continues throughout the implementation and
  assessment of services

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Title I-A Services to Private Schools

• Provides supplementary instruction by public
  school teachers or through a third-party
  contractor to students who are educationally
  disadvantaged and failing or at risk of failing
  to meet high academic standards, and who live in
  Title I attendance areas.

14
Funding

• Generated on the basis of the number of students
  from low-income families who reside in
  participating public school attendance area and
  who attend private schools
• There is a worksheet on page 36 of the document,
  Title I Services to Eligible Private School
  Children. You can find this document on the ODE
  website at
• http//www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id3345
• In some cases, the private school may be in an
  adjacent school district

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Title I-A Instructional Program

• During the school day, before or after school,
  during the summer
• On site at the private school (even religiously
  affiliated schools), or at other locations
• Targeted assisted pullout model, supplementary
  instruction, direct instruction,
  computer-assisted instruction, tutoring, family
  literacy and early childhood programs

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Title I-A Professional development

• Professional development activities for private
  school teachers should address how these teachers
  can serve Title I students better by providing
  information on research-based reading and
  mathematics instruction
• Funding is an equitable portion of LEA Title I-A
  funds being used to support professional
  development for district staff
• Do not confuse these professional development
  funds with those in Title II
• There are allowable and non allowable uses of
  these funds

17
Title I-A Parent Involvement

• After consultation with private school officials,
  the LEA may conduct these activities
  independently or in conjunction with the LEAs
  regular parent involvement activities
• Parent Involvement Activities can vary from
  simple parent meetings about the Title I Program
  to more sophisticated activities such as
  strategies to use at home to build academic
  success.
• Needs to be an equitable portion of the
  Districts parent involvement set-aside

18
Documentation of Title I-A Private School
Consultation and Participation

• Document the Process
• Initial Communication
• Consultation
• Instructional program
• Professional development
• Parent Involvement
• Complaint process
• Evaluation
• Sample documents are available on the ODE website
  at http//www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id334
  5

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Title II-A Private School Participation

• References for requirements can be found in
  Improving Teacher Quality State Grants ESEA Title
  II, Part A Non-Regulatory Guidance (Revised
  October 5, 2006)

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Title II-A Eligible Activities

• Improving the knowledge of teachers, principals,
  and other educational personnel in one or more of
  the core academic subjects and in effective
  instructional teaching strategies, methods, and
  skills
• Training in effectively integrating technology
  into curricula and instruction
• Training in how to teach students with different
  needs, including students with disabilities or
  limited English proficiency, and gifted and
  talented students

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Title II-A Eligible Activities (cont.)

• Training in methods of improving student
  behavior, identifying early and appropriate
  interventions, and involving parents more
  effectively in their childrens education
• Leadership development and management training to
  improve the quality of principals and
  superintendents and
• Training in the use of data and assessments to
  improve instruction and student outcomes.

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How to Ensure Equitable Services for Title II-A

• Assess, address, and evaluate the needs and
  progress of both public and private school
  teachers
• Spend an equal amount of funds per student to
  serve the needs of public and private school
  teachers and their students
• Provide private school teachers with an
  opportunity to participate in Title II activities
  equivalent to the opportunity provided public
  school teachers and
• Offer educational services to private school
  teachers that are secular, neutral, and
  non-ideological.

23
How to Ensure Equitable Services for Title II-A

• Based on the Needs Assessment of the private
  school teachers, it may be that a private school
  professional development plan is different from
  the one developed for the districts teachers.

24
Allowable Activities

• Professional conferences put on by faith-based
  organizations (see notes for further
  clarification)
• Stipends for private school personnel to attend
  professional development outside the teachers
  regular work day (see notes for further
  clarification)

25
Non-allowable Activities under Title II-A

• Private school teacher salaries
• Private school substitute salaries
• Items or costs that would be required of teachers
  by the private school
• Title II-A funds supplement non-federal funds.
  Professional development provided with federal
  funds needs to be in addition to, and not in
  place of what the private school would otherwise
  provide.

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Title III

• Timely and Meaningful Consultation
• Equitable and timely services
• Secular, neutral and non-ideological
• Serve private school LEP children and education
  personnel directly or through third party
  contracts
• Funds are not co-mingled with non-federal funds

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Avoiding Problems. . .

• If problems arise between the LEA and Private
  Schools, it is attributed to any one or all of
  the following
• Lack of Communication
• Lack of Communication
• Lack of Communication

28
Avoiding Problems

• Timely and meaningful consultation does not mean
• Notifying Private Schools of a meeting happening
  without sufficient lead time.
• A meeting where the LEA has already determined
  services so take it or leave it.
• A one-time meeting. It may take more than one
  meeting to set up the program.

29
Avoiding Problems. . .

• Timely and meaningful consultation does mean
• Coming away with a very clear plan that both
  parties agree on and understand.
• Continual monitoring of the implementation of the
  plan.

30
Common Findings/Issues in Monitoring

• Lack of documentation of the process of
  consultation and program agreements.
• Perceived/Real barriers to private school
  participation as evidenced by
• Short timelines imposed on private schools by the
  LEA for meetings, consultations, etc.
• Inconsistent responses from the LEA to questions
  by private schools.
• Consultation that really isnt consultation
• Private school programs that do not begin until
  well after school begins.

31
Doing Due Diligence

• Ive tried to consult, but the Private School
  never responds.
• Document due diligence.
• Send a registered letter with receipt required
• Follow-up with a phone call
• Try to make an in-person visit (optional)
• If possible, attempt to acquire documentation
• from the Private school that the school is
  nor
• wanting to participate.

32
Resources

• The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001-Benefits to
  Private School Students and Teachers
• (Revised July 2007)

33
Resources

• Title IX, Part E Uniform Provisions Subpart
  I-Private Schools, Equitable Services for
  Eligible Private School Students, Teachers and
  Other Educational Personnel Non-Regulatory
  Guidance
• (Revised March 2009)

34
Resources

• Title I Services to Eligible Private School
  Children Non-Regulatory Guidance
• (Revised October 17, 2003)

35
Web-based resources

• Oregon Department of Education
• http//www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id3345
• US Department of Education Office of Non-Public
  Education
• http//www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/nonpubli
  c/index.html

36
Contact Information

• Russ Sweet, Education Specialist
• russ.sweet_at_state.or.us
• [phone]
• Ann Kaltenbach, Office Specialist
• ann.kaltenbach_at_state.or.us
• [phone]