4130P: Family Engagement

District-wide Parent Involvement

The district-wide policy on family involvement, including Title I Parent Involvement will meet the following requirements:

Definitions

The term “family” is used to denote parents, extended family, guardians, or other persons with whom the student lives. “Parent” or “family” may also include community members or other concerned adults involved in the student’s life, pursuant to state and federal laws surrounding confidentiality.

“Family Engagement” refers to school/family partnerships. It is the collaborative interaction between educators and families in activities that promote student learning and positive child and youth development at home, in school, and in the community. These activities include regular, two-way and meaningful communication between parents and school personnel; outreach to families; parent education; volunteering; school decision making; and advocacy.

Implementation

The superintendent will identify a district administrator to supervise the implementation of this procedure, and each school in the district will develop a family involvement plan aligned with their academic goals as part of school improvement plan and, if applicable, Title I services.

The district’s family involvement efforts will have six overarching goals. They will include, but not be limited to, the following research-based National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement in schools:

1. Communicating: Effective two-way communication between all parents and schools regarding district policies and procedures, local school operating procedures, and an individual child’s progress;
2. Parenting: Information and programs for parents on how to establish a home environment to support learning and appropriate behavior;
3. Student Learning: Information and programs for parents about how they can assist their own children to learn and meet the student’s short-term and long-term educational goals;
4. Volunteering: Activities to encourage a variety of parental volunteer opportunities in schools both in the classroom and in other areas of the school including attendance at local school programs and events;
5. School Decision-Making and Advocacy: Assistance to develop parental involvement in educational advocacy, including school district task forces and site based advisory committees; and
6. Collaborating with Community: Identification and utilization of community resources to strengthen school and family partnerships and student learning.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Administrative Staff

1. Establish a family partnership committee to advise the board and to assist the superintendent in implementing the Family Engagement policy and procedure at the building and district level.
2. Provide professional development opportunities for teachers and staff to enhance their understanding of effective family involvement strategies;
3. Perform regular evaluations of family involvement efforts at each school and in the district; and Provide activities that will educate families regarding the intellectual and developmental needs of their children. These activities may rely on cooperation between the districts and other agencies or school/community groups. Activities will align with the District’s:
   1. Mission and Strategic Plan
   2. Equity Plan
   3. Danielson’s Instructional Framework
   4. Family Engagement Policy and Procedures
4. Implement strategies to involve families in the educational process, including information about opportunities for volunteering and encouraging participation in various school and district activities; Provide access to educational resources for parents and families to support the education of their children.
5. Keep families informed through a diversity of equitable communication channels of the objectives of district educational programs, student rights and responsibilities, as well as of their child’s participation and progress with these programs.
6. Enable and provide opportunities for families to participate and provide input in district level decision making.

District Administrators

1. Allocate staff, time and resources to ensure effective implementation of this policy and procedure;
2. Work with staff and families to identify resources needed to implement planned family involvement activities and programs;
3. Provide time for district staff to share and replicate successful classroom strategies that promote and increase school-family partnerships;
4. Provide training opportunities for school staff to increase their skills in working effectively with all families and to enable them to provide family workshops that link family engagement to student learning;
5. Conduct both formal and informal meetings and gatherings that help to foster ongoing two way communications with families;
6. Provide a system where teachers, students, and families can resolve problems that arise in ways that promote the best relationships possible, allowing them to solve problems first before resorting to the inclusion of principals and other administrators;
7. Utilize a variety of language supports to provide assistance for families to understand topics such as the state academic content standards, and state and local academic assessments, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.
8. Work with staff and families to brainstorm possible activities and actions that are consistent with the family engagement policy and, when appropriate incorporate these into schools’ annual goals and/or the school improvement plan;
9. Recognize staff, families and community members who promote school-wide family partnerships; and
10. Monitor and evaluate with district assistance the effectiveness of family partnership efforts in the district.

School Staff

1. Allocate staff, time and resources to implement the family engagement policy at the school level;
2. Help families feel welcome by demonstrating excellent customer service and basic courtesy;
3. Treat all families and community members with respect; be sensitive to cultural differences and life circumstances among families;
4. Demonstrate flexibility when scheduling appointments and school events with families;
5. Communicate early and positively with families and continue these positive contacts throughout the year, including home visits during the year, if feasible;
6. An annual student led conferences and/or an annual parent meeting;
7. Invite parents and family members to observe and assist in classrooms;
8. Offer families opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children;
9. Share class/school discipline and homework policies with families and follow through in a timely manner if problems arise; and
10. Involve families in decision-making committees and other site based councils.

Evaluation

The content and effectiveness of this policy and procedure, and the individual school plans will be evaluated by the superintendent or his/her appointee annually with regard to the quality, equity, inclusiveness, additive & welcoming environments and the effectiveness of the strategies presented in the plan. The findings of the evaluation will be used to design strategies for more effective family involvement, and if necessary to revise this policy and procedure.

1. Each building in the district will jointly develop with and distribute to parents of students served in the program a written building-level policy;
2. The policy will outline how parents, school staff and students share responsibility for student achievement in meeting academic standards;
3. Parents will be notified of the policy in an understandable and uniform format;
4. To the extent practicable, the policy will be provided in a language the parents can understand; and
5. The policy will be evaluated with parents annually.

Title I Parental Involvement

Federal Requirements

The superintendent or designee will ensure that the district’s Title I Parent Involvement policy, plan and programs comply with the requirements of federal law.

1. The district will take the following actions to involve parents in the joint development of its district wide parental involvement plan at the individual Title I school buildings:
   1. An annual meeting of parents of participating Title I students will be held to explain the goals and purposes of the Title I program. Details will be outlined in each school’s Title I School Improvement Plan (SIP).
   2. Parents will be given the opportunity to participate in the development, operation and evaluation of the program. Details will be outlined in each school’s School Improvement Plan and
   3. Parents will be encouraged to participate in planning activities, to offer suggestions, and to ask questions regarding policies and programs. Same as above relative to SIP
2. The district will take the following actions to involve parents in the process of school review and improvement:
   1. Parents will be given the opportunity to review the school improvement plan at each Title I school building ; and
   2. Parents will be encouraged to participate in the building self-review through the annual Title I Parent Survey
3. The district will provide the following coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist Title I, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective parental involvement activities:
   1. Identify barriers to greater participation by parents in parental involvement activities;
   2. Use findings of the evaluation to design strategies for more effective parental involvement; and
   3. Revise, when necessary, the district and school parent involvement policies.
4. The district will coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies with similar strategies under the following other programs, such as:
   1. Extended Day Programs
   2. Extended School Year Programs
   3. Head Start;
   4. Learning Assistance Program;
   5. Special Education; and
   6. State-operated preschool programs.
   7. The district will facilitate removing barriers to parental involvement by activities such as:
      1. Conducting joint parent meetings with other programs;
      2. Holding meetings at various times of the day and evening;
      3. Arranging for in home conferences; and
      4. Title I funds may be used to facilitate parent attendance at meetings by payment of transportation, child care costs and translated materials and interpreter services.
5. The district will conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement policy.
6. The district will build the schools’ and parent’s capacity for strong parental involvement through the following:
   1. The school district will, with the assistance of its Title I, Part A schools, provide information to parents of children served by the school district or school, as appropriate, in understanding topics such as the following:
      1. The State’s academic learning requirements;
      2. The State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments;
      3. How to monitor their child’s progress; and
      4. How to work with with the school system
   2. The school district will, with the assistance of its schools, provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s academic achievement, by:
      1. Giving guidance as to how parents can assist at home in the education of their child;
      2. Holding parent meetings at various times of the day and evening;
      3. Providing opportunities for parents to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children;
      4. Submitting parent comments about the program to the district; and
      5. Providing parents with opportunities to meet with the classroom and Title I, Part A teachers to discuss their children’s progress.
7. School district personnel will work with teachers, principals and other staff, to reach out to communicate with, and engage parents as partners. The district will provide:
   1. An explanation of the reasons supporting their child’s selection for the program;
   2. A description and explanation of the school’s curriculum;
   3. Information in the academic assessment used to measure student progress; and
   4. Information on the proficiency levels students are expected to meet through any of the following; parent teacher conferences, mailed assessment information, phone calls, e-mails, home visits or other means.
8. The school district will take the following actions to ensure that information related to the school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the parents of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand:
   1. Distribute the Title I Family Involvement policy on a annual basis at the beginning of each school year. Copies can also be made available through each school office as well on the district and/or school web site. and
   2. To the extent needed and practicable, distribute the Title I Family Involvement policy in multiple languages or formats.
   3. To the extent needed and practicable, additional translated materials and translation services will be made available upon request.

School-Based Parent Involvement Policy

In addition to the district-wide policy on family involvement, each school offering Title I, Part A services will have a separate school building parent involvement policy.

The building-level Title I, Part A parent involvement policy will meet the following requirements:

1. Each building in the district receiving Title I, Part A funds will jointly develop with and distribute to parents of students served in the program a written building-level policy, agreed upon by parents of Title I served students;
2. The policy will outline how parents, school staff and students share responsibility for student achievement in meeting academic standards;
3. Parents will be notified of the policy in an understandable and uniform format;
4. To the extent practicable, the policy will be provided in a language the parents can understand; and
5. The policy will be evaluated with parents annually.