For many of America's schools, involving parents in education is more than a good idea; it's the law. Schools that receive money from Title I under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) are required to involve parents in a number of different ways, or risk losing these federal education funds. Title I funds are provided to schools with a high number of students whose families have low income. This money is used to pay for programs that provide extra educational support for students who are struggling in reading and sometimes math. Currently over 50% of Maine's schools and the majority of Maine's school districts receive Title I funds.

The parent involvement requirements for Title I schools and districts are outlined in Section 1118 of the No Child Left Behind Act. The law is very specific about the ways in which parents must be involved. There are two documents that all Title I schools must have: a parent involvement policy and a home-school compact.

A parent involvement policy outlines specific steps the district and school will take to involve parents in the Title I program. These policies must be developed and updated by a committee that includes parents whose children receive Title I services. There are specific areas that must be addressed in every parent involvement policy. Schools and districts must document how they will include parents in decision-making, including developing the parent policy and regular review of the Title I program. Schools must provide a list of specific actions they will take to help parents better understand state standards (Maine's Learning Results), assessments, and how to work with children at home. They must also list specific ways they communicate with parents, and provide staff development activities to help teachers understand the importance of working closely with parents. Parent involvement policies should be written in a language that is easy for most parents to understand, and must be distributed to all parents whose children are involved in the Title I program.

Maine PIRC (Parent Information and Resource Center)
PO Box 2067 Augusta, ME 04338
1-800-870-7746 or (207) 623-2144
Website: www.mpf.org Email: parentconnect@mpf.org