“There is no topic in education on which there is greater agreement than the need for parent involvement. Everyone wants more and better involvement, but most educators need help in how to develop productive programs of school-family-community partnerships.”- Joyce Epstein[1]

About This Handbook

Developed by Maine’s Parent Information and Resource Center (Maine PIRC), this resource book is designed to help Maine schools use research and proven practices to develop strategic plans for better parent and community engagement. It contains the most current state and federal guidelines for family involvement in Maine schools, and suggests a process that schools can use to develop compliant, meaningful parent involvement programs.

Maine PIRC has worked for over a decade with schools across the state to develop policies and programs that will increase the level of family involvement in education. The process outlined in this resource book is guided by federal and state regulations, and informed by the local experiences of Maine PIRC Regional Involvement Coordinators.

Maine PIRC staff worked closely with the Maine Department of Education to edit and review all information and materials contained in this document.

Maine Parent Information and Resource Center

The U.S. Department of Education created the first Parent Information and Resource Centers (PIRCs) in 1995 to provide parents and schools with training, information, and technical assistance to understand how children develop and what they need to succeed in school. Today, more than 70 PIRCs operate in almost all of the states across the nation. They work closely with parents, educators and community organizations to strengthen partnerships so that children can reach high academic standards.

Maine’s Parent Information and Resource Center (Maine PIRC) is a project of the Maine Parent Federation and has been providing assistance to Maine schools since 1995. Maine PIRC offers free technical support to schools as they work toward building family involvement in education. PIRC staff can help with all aspects of involving families, from planning a one-time parent night to developing your district’s long term parent involvement plan. Maine PIRC collaborates regularly with the Maine Department of Education to assist Title I schools in meeting the parent involvement requirements of Section 1118.

A quick phone call or email to Maine PIRC can get your school:

· Printed materials for parent resource shelves

· Workshops for families on educational topics

· Facilitation of strategic planning sessions for parent involvement committees and other stakeholders

· Guidance on updating parent policies and compacts

· On site technical support for parent involvement program development

Maine PIRC currently focuses on providing on-site technical assistance to schools on the state’s Continuous Improvement Priority and Monitor Lists, those receiving Title I funds, and schools with Gear Up programs. We provide printed materials to all schools at no cost. There is no charge for any of Maine PIRC’s services.

Parent and Community Involvement

What is parent involvement?

The Federal Department of Education says that parent involvement in education is the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities. Schools with a strong commitment to involving families ensure that:

· parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning.

· parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school.

· parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included in decision making.

· parents are represented on school advisory committees.

Why Involve Parents?

What the research says

Over twenty years of research and hundreds of scientific studies have consistently shown that families have a major influence on their children’s achievement in school. In the 2003 publication, A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement, Anne Henderson and Karen Mapp examined multiple parent involvement studies and developed the following conclusion.

Taken as a whole, these studies found a positive and convincing relationship between

family involvement and benefits for students, including improved academic achievement.

This relationship holds across families of all economic, racial/ethnic, and educational

backgrounds and for students at all ages.[2]

Many of the studies included in A New Wave of Evidence found that students with involved parents, regardless of income or background, were more likely to:

· earn higher grades and test scores

· enroll in higher-level programs

· pass their classes

· attend school regularly

· have better social skills

· graduate and go on to postsecondary education.

School improvement plans

Research shows that parent involvement programs can make a big impact on school improvement. Schools seem to have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, by including parent involvement initiatives as an important part of the school improvement plan.

Recent studies by researchers with the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) have shown a direct correlation between active parent involvement programs and improved student performance.[3] For instance, when educators focused on effective communication, and involved families and community members in activities regarding student behavior, schools reported fewer disciplinary actions with students from one year to the next (Sheldon & Epstein, 2002). Another study showed that when educators communicated clearly with families about specific attendance issues, schools’ rates of average daily attendance increased and chronic absence decreased from one year to the next (Epstein & Sheldon, 2002; Sheldon & Epstein, 2004).

School improvement was not limited to behavioral issues. NNPS researchers also found a direct link between parent involvement and improved academic achievement. Schools implementing math programs that included parent-child homework and materials to take home increased the percentage of students attaining math proficiency from one year to the next (Sheldon & Epstein, 2005a). A review of literature on family involvement with students on reading indicated that specific family involvement interventions positively impacted students’ reading skills and scores (Sheldon & Epstein, 2005b).

Increased parent involvement can also lead to greater resources for schools. In A New Wave of Evidence, Henderson and Mapp[4] note the impact of parent and community organizing on school resource improvement, and cite the following positive effects for schools:

• Upgraded school facilities.

• Higher-quality learning programs for students.

• New resources and programs to improve teaching and curriculum.

• New funding for after-school programs and family supports.

Maine’s Parent and Community Involvement Indicators

The research indicating the connection between parent involvement and student achievement has been so compelling that parent involvement requirements have been written into many regulations guiding the school improvement process. The No Child Left Behind Act requires that schools receiving Title I funds meet a number of different involvement requirements, including having parents on school improvement committees. The 2005 Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) includes new indicators for parent involvement in the state performance plan. The Maine Department of Education includes parent and community involvement indicators in the Learning Results Implementation Self-Assessment Tool.

This handbook will guide you through all of Maine’s mandates and recommendations for parent involvement in schools. It will also provide you with the tools you need to turn the suggestions into comprehensive programs that will benefit all students in your school.

There are three sets of formal parent involvement indicators currently being used by the Maine State Department of Education. These indicators measure evidence of parent involvement in Title I programs, Special Education programs, and in all districts as part of the Learning Results implementation process. Maine’s Parent Involvement Indicators can be found in the following documents, which are available with citations at the end of this handbook.

· Coordinated NCLB program pre-review report from Maine DOE Title I, p. 36

· Special Education Part B State Performance Plan and Parent Survey SY05-06, p. 32

· Maine DOE Learning Results Implementation Self-Assessment Tool indicators 4 and 9, p. 26

Text Box: The following pages contain all of the indicators in the above reports compiled into lists, and in a chart that demonstrates how they work together. The lists and the chart represent a combination of both mandates and strong recommendations from the above documents; to determine requirements, please see the original documents at the end of this handbook.

Title IA Parent Involvement Indicators

· Annual parent meeting to discuss Title I program

· Parent notification of rights

o Rights regarding student directory information

o Right to request qualifications of teachers

o Notification if child is taught 4 or more weeks by teachers who is not “highly qualified”

o Child’s selection/qualification for Title I services

· School and district parent involvement policies

· School and district parent compacts

· Regular progress reports

· Parent involvement in development of Title I policy and plan

· Training programs for parents based on parental needs assessment

· Title I services integrated with preschool/Head Start, LEP, Special Ed, Homeless services

Special Education Parent Involvement Indicators

· Special assistance (i.e. childcare) to participate in IEP

· Information given to parents about support organizations

o Provide information on transition agencies

· Regular communication regarding child’s progress

o Evaluation reports are understandable

o Written information is understandable

· Variety of ways to communicate with teachers

o Teachers are available to speak to parents

o Teachers treat parents as team members

o Teachers seek out parent input

o Staff person available to answer parents’ questions

· Parent training about special education issues

· Parents are full members of the Pupil Evaluation Team

· Information provided on parent options in the event of a disagreement with a decision

Learning Results Implementation Self-Assessment Tool: Parent Involvement Indicators

Family and Community Support

· Parent-teacher organizations

· Home-school compacts

· Attendance at school events

· Translated communication

· Community advisory meetings

· Volunteering

· Parent educational activities

o Broad representation across community

· Ongoing family/community communications

· Families involved in governance of schools

Planning for Continuous Improvement

· Numerous stakeholders involved in improvement process

· Communicate with community about improvement

Community Connections

· Public forums/community dialogues

· Parent-Teacher organizations

· Cable TV

· Newspaper articles

· Bulletin boards/exhibits/displays

Communication to Stakeholders

· Parent-student-teacher conferences/goal setting meetings

· School website

· School newsletters

· SAU newspapers

· SAU communication plan

· Standards-based report cards

· Brochures/pamphlets

· Parent education on curriculum, expectations, and assessment system

Charting Maine’s Parent/Community Involvement Indicators

INDICATOR	IMPLEMENTING LEARNING RESULTS	TITLE IA	SPECIAL EDUCATION

COMMUNICATION
School newsletter
Standards based report cards
Regular progress reports
Student eEvaluation reports understandable
Written materials easy to understand
Variety of ways to communicate with teachers
Ongoing two-way communication
Translations/Respect for Cultural Heritage
Newspaper articles
School/district website
Parents notified of rights and options
Parent-teacher conferences
Brochures/pamphlets
Annual Parent Meeting
Staff available for questions

	IMPLEMENTING LEARNING RESULTS	TITLE IA	SPECIAL EDUCATION
PARENT EDUCATION
Regular, ongoing program based on needs assessment
Brochures, pamphlets, bulletin boards, displays
Parents linked with agencies to assist transition
Parent educational events on curriculum, standards, and assessments
Documentation of attendance at parent events: #s and community representation

Developing a Comprehensive Parent Involvement Plan

“In order for families and communities to become informed about and involved in children’s education and in the schools, partnerships must be viewed as an essential component of school organization. A good program must be planned, just as a reading or math program is planned, rather than be treated as an optional activity or a matter of public relations. It takes time, organization, and effort to develop and sustain an effective partnership program.”—Joyce Epstein[5]

Over the past ten years, Maine PIRC has worked with dozens of schools throughout the state to develop parent involvement plans. While each school has unique strengths and needs, Maine PIRC has developed a basic process for building involvement that has been successful at the program, school, and district levels.

Text Box: North Elementary School in Skowhegan has a Principal Advisory Board that meets regularly with the school principal to discuss issues, provide parent perspective, and plan for activities.

Step One: Build Capacity- The Parent Advisory Committee

Step Two: Assess Current Practices

Step Three: Create the Program

Step Four: Collect Evidence

Step Five: Continue to Grow

Step One: Build Capacity- The Parent Advisory Committee

Maine PIRC has long advised Title I schools and districts to form a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) in order to create and update Title I parent involvement policies and compacts. These Title I PACs were often formed only to create or review the policies, and disbanded shortly thereafter.

Over the years, we at Maine PIRC have found that a working PAC is much more valuable than we previously imagined. Parent Advisory Committees provide an opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss academic and school community issues, something that does not always happen within the PTO structure. Well-established PACs can take on the dual role of a “think tank” that considers parent and school issues, and an “action team” that plans and implements programs to support meaningful parent involvement. PACs can be formed at the district, school, and individual program (i.e. special education) level.

Although we at Maine PIRC have chosen to keep using the Title I term Parent Advisory Committee, we do see the role of the PAC as more than just advisory. The most successful PACs we have worked with do much more than advising; they are involved in needs assessment, program planning, implementation of programs and activities, and follow up assessment. Some schools choose to call their group Parent Involvement Committees. The National Network of Partnership Schools uses the term Action Team for Partnerships. Whichever title you choose to give your group, it is important to acknowledge the group’s intention for active participation.

As a result of the high level of success and efficiency in needs identification and program planning that we have seen in PACs throughout the state, Maine PIRC staff now make the recommendation that every school we work with, not just those receiving Title I funds, establish and maintain a working Parent Advisory Committee. We can provide technical assistance, including on-site consultation and facilitation, to schools that need help getting started with their PAC.

Who should be involved

Text Box: Union 30 employs a community outreach coordinator whose charge is to recruit, train, and oversee volunteers. The coordinator holds monthly volunteer training sessions on topics related to safety, responsibilities, and confidentiality. PACs are as diverse as the different communities across Maine, and we encourage schools to consider the needs of those in their school community when planning initial PAC meetings. We recommend that schools work to include more than the “usual parents” (i.e. PTO presidents) when forming a PAC. It’s important to have many different stakeholders at the table, including parents from underrepresented communities. For many reasons, engaging the parents who are not typically involved can be a challenge. We recommend keeping the goal of diversity in mind and beginning meetings with the parents who come forward.

Research[6] suggests a number of different reasons why parents decide to become involved. Organizers should consider and build upon the following factors when inviting parents to join the PAC:

· Psychological motivators encourage involvement

o Parents have an active role construction (believes he or she should be involved)

o Parents have a positive sense of efficacy for helping the child succeed in school (believes his/her involvement will make a difference for the child)

· Parents perceive invitations to involvement from others

o General school invitations (e.g., welcoming school climate)

o Specific invitations from the child

o Specific invitations from the teacher

· Parents perceive that life context variables allow and enable involvement

· Parents believe they have knowledge and skills that will help the child succeed in school

· Parents believe that they have time and energy for involvement

Many schools ask Maine PIRC for guidance when deciding who should be involved in a PAC. We have seen many different sizes and types of groups work in different communities, and recommend considering the needs of your individual school community and the focus of the group. The National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) provides the following guidelines for recruiting members[7]:

Text Box: Lake Region Middle School hosts a regular parent-teacher discussion group. The Parent-Teacher Partnership meets monthly to discuss topics of importance to the middle school years. Parents and administrators take equal responsibility and share roles for planning and facilitating meetings.

· Two or three teachers from different grade levels

· Two or three parents with children in different grade levels and/or the parent liaison, and/or a parent association officer

· One administrator

Action Teams also may include at least:

· One member from the community at large

· Two students from different grade levels (at the high school level)

· Others who are central to the school's work with families including: cafeteria worker, school social worker, guidance counselor, or nurse

Qualities of a great group

Parents and teachers are often unaccustomed to working together at the planning level, and it’s important to take some time before and at the first meeting to establish a shared understanding. All group members need to understand the purpose of the PAC, to view their role and contributions in a positive light, and to have a general understanding of what to expect at meetings.

Research[8] shows the importance of building a group that:

· Utilizes each participant’s experiences and strengths

· Takes participants’ positive and negative experiences into account

· Encourages active brainstorming and planning

· Encourages on-going evaluation and adjustment of approaches, plans, programs

· Has strong, informed principal and district support

Leadership

Shared responsibility works very well in Parent Advisory Committees. We recommend that a general leader be identified as someone who is responsible for setting up meetings and monitoring follow-up on action plans. This task often falls to the person who initiated the PAC (usually school staff or administrators).

Text Box: SAD 57, Sanford, and SAD 54 all employ parent outreach coordinators whose primary role is to promote parent involvement in education and to build strong home- school connections. Activities of the parent outreach coordinators include workshops for families, support for teachers, and resource and program development. We’ve found it useful to have other responsibilities be shared among members, divided according to tasks rather than perceived authority. This promotes commitment and ownership among group members. We advise PAC initiators to look to individual strengths and invite group members to take on the following regular tasks:

· Meeting planning (usually done by the general leader)

o Securing and opening a meeting space

o Producing an agenda based on the previous meetings’ notes

· Meeting facilitation (these tasks may be separated)

o Opening the meeting

o Keeping discussion to agenda items

o Timekeeping

· Taking notes at meetings

· Maintaining communication between members (often through email)

o Sharing notes from meetings

o Sending reminders and notices

Other tasks will be identified as the PAC begins working, and we recommend that the group leader or note taker ask for commitments from individual members to be responsible for task completion. These responsibilities should always be recorded in the meeting notes.

The National Network of Partnership Schools makes the following recommendations for team leaders:[9]

· The chair may be any member who has the respect of all other members

· Co-chairs are recommended

· Leaders should have excellent communication skills

· A leader, or at least one member of the team, should also serve on the school improvement team or other decision making body

· Leaders should have a good understanding of partnership practices

Planning great meetings

Great energy and enthusiasm for a group can be lost when meetings are not planned well. Maine PIRC staff has worked closely with schools throughout Maine to ensure the success of many different Parent Advisory Committees, and there are a few simple details that we have seen make or break a group.

Text Box: Ella R. Hodgkins Middle School has an active PAC that meets every month. The group’s primary focus is to plan activities to enhance the educational experience. The PAC seeks corporate sponsorship to support participation in educational activities, including student leadership training at Camp Kieve. Meeting organizers who are sensitive to the specific needs of the group are much more likely to develop a successful working committee. It’s important to consider any special needs members might have, and to provide interpreters for participants who are deaf or English language learners. Providing childcare and snacks are simple but important ways that schools show parents how much they value their participation. Some schools use older students from the district to provide childcare. Snacks and drinks are appreciated at any meeting, and they send a welcoming message to parents and their children.

Setting meeting times so working parents can attend is also important. The best time for meetings varies across communities. Consider the schedule of your parents when planning meeting times: Do many parents commute to and from work? How will meeting times impact family routines like meals and bedtime? Do the parents you have invited have access to reliable transportation? When you have found a meeting time that seems to work for everyone, sticking to a regular schedule (same time and day of the month) helps everyone plan ahead.

Defining a purpose for the group is the first, and most important, step to take to ensure the success of your PAC. It’s fundamentally important that everyone understand the purpose for their meeting. Begin your first PAC meeting with an explanation of what a PAC is, why it’s important to your school, and what members can expect to accomplish at meetings.

We have found it very helpful to start PACs off in the right direction by providing a brief training on information they will be expected to be working from during meetings. Maine PIRC has provided abbreviated training sessions for PACs on Title I policy requirements, parent involvement research, and the purpose of a PAC. We encourage schools to give PACs the tools they need to work successfully and to enlist outside help when appropriate.

These are questions that should be answered at the first PAC meeting:

Why should we focus on parent involvement? (What the research says)
What is a PAC?
What do we hope to accomplish? (Broad goals of group…the PAC will define specific goals at future meetings.)
What can we expect to do at meetings?
What training/support do we need?
How often will we meet?
What dates/times work for regular meeting(s)?
What is the best way to communicate with one another between meetings?
What are our immediate next steps?
Who is responsible for each task?

Step Two: Assess Current Practices

Text Box: Wiscasset primary school holds PAC meetings at the end of the school day so parents picking up their children can attend the meeting. Childcare and snacks are provided. Meetings focus on policy review and activity planning, and include time for open discussion between parents and teachers. When the PAC has been established and all members understand their role, it is best to begin creating a parent involvement program by building on what already exists. We recommend that PACs begin by completing an inventory of present practices. The chart listing all of Maine’s indicators can be a good tool to use to complete this inventory. Current practices that don’t appear on the chart should also be listed.

Title I PACs that are addressing only Title IA programs may choose to use their parent involvement policy and the policy checklist in the materials section of this handbook as a place to begin their inventory, as all Title I parent activities are driven by the policy.

The inventory of current practices can be completed during PAC meetings or by school staff before the first meeting. We have seen it done successfully both ways, and recommend that school communities make the decision based on the number of PAC meetings planned and the amount of time they will have together. Schools that choose to complete the inventory of existing practices before the meeting should present the completed list as a draft at the PAC meeting and ask for member input.

Step Three: Create the Program

Goal Setting

When the inventory of current practices has been completed, PACs are often able to easily identify areas in need of improvement by comparing current practices with the various parent involvement indicators. The next step for the PAC is to brainstorm activities that will fill identified areas of need, and then to prioritize from this list of ideas. The amount of time spent on brainstorming and prioritizing varies among groups, but does not need to take more time than is allowed in one meeting. If prioritizing activities presents a challenge, it may be necessary to take a vote.

Some PACs assign priority to activities that align with goals in the school’s improvement plan. This model is promoted in the National Network of Partnership Schools model[10]. NNPS recommends reviewing the school improvement plan, then designing (or selecting from your existing list) activities that will support the school’s goals for improving student progress. According to NNPS, this model of program planning can be particularly effective at the middle and high school levels.

Action Planning

When you have established your goals for the year, it’s time to put them into action. Good action plans have the following qualities:

· Reflect group goals

· Focus on achievable actions

· Set a timeline

· Text Box: Portland Public Schools employ Partnership Developers whose primary focus is to promote business sponsorship of educational activities. Partnership Developers work with local businesses to raise funds for enrichment activities in the Portland schools. Assign responsibilities

It’s important that all members of the PAC receive a printed copy of the action plan (a sample form is provided in the Materials section) with responsibilities and timelines listed. The action plan should be reviewed regularly, to help the group stay focused on task completion and to make adjustments as necessary.

Funding Parent Involvement Programs

Funding for parent involvement programs does not need to be significant. Many schools fund parent activities with funds contributed by the Parent Teacher Organization. Title IA programs have some funds allowed for parent involvement activities. The National Network of Partnership Schools conducted a study in 1999 that reviewed the ways schools fund parent involvement programs[11]. They found that schools draw from a variety of sources, including Title I, Title VI, Title VII, and Safe and Drug Free Schools. The study estimated a “per pupil expenditure” for parent involvement programs, and found that, on average, about $10-12 per student covers parent involvement program costs at school level, and about $5-$7 per student covers parent involvement program costs at district level. It’s important to remember that many of the parent involvement activities that are listed in the indicators are regular events that already happen at the school. A good parent involvement program incorporates what already exists, and builds upon it with minimal cost but with maximum benefit.

Step Four: Collect Evidence

Every school Maine PIRC has worked with in the past decade has some level of parent involvement, but very few have kept good documentation of activities and programs. While schools that receive Title I funds are required to keep good records of parent outreach and education, all schools can benefit from such documentation. Parent involvement programs that are well documented are more likely to continue over the years, despite staff and parent changes.

Maine PIRC recommends using a three ring binder to keep all parent involvement documentation. A parent involvement binder should include all policies and compacts, flyers, attendance sheets and feedback forms, minutes from PAC meetings, etc. Keeping good files in one binder can be an important step to viewing parent involvement as a program.

Step Five: Continue to Grow

When schools have established good parent involvement programs, it’s important that the PAC continue to meet to assist the continued growth of the program. Maine PIRC recommends meeting 3 or more times a year to complete needs assessment, evaluations, and action plans. Strong parent involvement programs build upon the assets of the school, and seek to create solutions to the challenges.

Specific program needs

Title IA

According to Maine State Department of Education staff, Maine’s Title I programs are most often cited for failure to comply with federal parent involvement regulations. For the past two years, Maine PIRC and Maine DOE staff have been working together to provide Title I programs with the support they need to comply with requirements and to develop meaningful parent involvement programs.

Districts and schools that receive Title IA funds have very specific requirements for parent involvement, all of which are defined in Section 1118 of NCLB. Section 1118 is provided in full in the Title I Materials section at the end of this handbook. Maine PIRC has developed a number of different resources for schools to use as they update their policies and compacts, many of which are also provided.

When Maine PIRC staff provides technical assistance to Title I programs, we work with staff to achieve five broad goals.

Goal One: District Parent Involvement Policy

Ö Every district receiving Title IA funds must have a district parent involvement policy that is current, was developed with parents, meets all the requirements of Section 1118 NCLB, and lists specific actions the district will take to increase parent involvement.

Goal Two: School Parent Involvement Policies

Ö Every school receiving Title IA funds must have a school level parent involvement policy. This can be the district policy adopted at the school level, with specific school-level activities listed. All school parent involvement policies must also be current, developed with parents, meet all the requirements of Section 1118 NCLB, and list specific activities that the school will take to meet the parent involvement goals.

Goal Three: Parent Advisory Council (District/School levels)

Ö Title IA does not require a PAC, but Maine PIRC strongly recommends it. A successful PAC can serve as an ongoing “think tank” and “action team” for parent involvement. We recommend that the Title I PAC meet regularly throughout school year, to provide parent feedback for Title I program and to complete the annual review of policy/compact

Goal Four: Parent-School Compact

Ö Every school receiving Title IA funds must have a parent-school compact that is current, developed with parents, and meets all 1118 requirements Text Box: The Gray/New Gloucester district has developed a special education Parent Involvement Committee that meets regularly to discuss issues and host educational evenings for parents. .

Goal Five: Organized Parent Involvement Materials

Ö Good record keeping is essential for Title IA programs. Districts and schools should keep binders that contain policies, compact, and supporting materials, including:

o yearly action plans

o flyers/feedback forms

o needs assessment surveys

o notes from PAC meetings

The process PIRC staff use to develop parent involvement programs in Title I schools is also available in flow chart form in the Materials section.

Special education

Parent involvement programs that target the needs of parents whose children receive special educational services can benefit from the same general organizational approach that uses the PAC as the “vehicle” for creating and maintaining the parent involvement program.

We recommend developing a Parent Advisory Committee (or subcommittee) that focuses exclusively on special education issues. A Special Education PAC that meets regularly throughout the school year can provide a valuable opportunity for parents and special educators to discuss general issues, target areas of need, and plan and implement support and training programs for parents. Parents whose children have IEPs or 504 plans have a great need for training in order to be full participants in their child’s educational process. We recommend using the PAC to develop a strong parent education program.

As always, beginning with a needs assessment that reflects the indicators is a good place to start. The Maine DOE will be using a Parent Survey to report on the quality of parent involvement in special education on the state performance plan. This state survey is included in the materials section at the end of the handbook, and can be a good tool to guide the development of a local needs assessment. When the local needs assessment has been completed, the Special Education PAC can use the information to develop an achievable list of actions and activities.

ME Special Ed SPP Part B Parent Involvement Survey 05-06 Pilot If you need help with this survey please put your telephone number in the space below and return the survey using the self-addressed stamped envelop provided. Someone from the Department of Education will contact you. Phone number ___________________________

Directions: This is a survey for parents whose child or children have received or are receiving special education services. Your answers will help guide efforts to improve services and results for children and families. For each statement below, please select one of the following choices as you recall your past experiences: Never, Rarely, Often, Always. You may skip any item that you feel does not apply to you or your child.	Never	Rarely	Often	Always
1. I am considered an equal partner with teachers and other professionals in planning my child's program.
2. I was offered special assistance (such as child care) so that I could participate in the Individualized Educational Program (IEP) meeting.
3. All of my concerns and recommendations were documented on the IEP.
4. I have been asked for my opinion about how well special education services are meeting my child's needs.
5. My child's evaluation report is written in terms I understand.
6. Any written information I receive is written in an understandable way.
7. Teachers treat me as a team member.
8. Teachers and administrators seek out my input.
9. Teachers and administrators encourage me to participate in the decision-making process.
10. Teachers and administrators ensure that I have fully understood the Procedural Safeguards [the rules in federal law that protect the rights of parents].
11. The school has a person on staff who is available to answer my questions.
12. The school communicates regularly with me regarding my child's progress on IEP goals.
13. The school gives me choices with regard to services that address my child's needs.
14. The school offers me training about special education issues.
15. The school offers me a variety of ways to communicate with teachers.
16. The school gives me the help I may need to play an active role in my child's education.
17. The school explains what options I have if I disagree with a decision of the school.
18. The principal sets a positive and welcoming tone in the school.
19. Over the past year, special education services have helped me and my family know where to go for support to meet our needs.
20. Over the past year, special education services have helped me and my family get the services that my child and family need.
21. Over the past year, special education services have helped me communicate more effectively with the people who work with my child and family.
22. Over the past year, special education services have helped me and my family know about my child's and family's rights concerning special education services.

23. What is the name of the school where your child receives special education services?

______________________________________________________________________


*Please complete the questions on the opposite side.*			*(over)*

24. Please indicate your current involvement with Special Education Services
____ 1. My child has only been referred for services
____ 2. My child has been determined eligible for services
____ 3. We are currently waiting for services to begin
____ 4. We have been receiving services

25. How old was your child at the time you completed this survey? _________

26. What grade is your child in? _________

27. How old was your child when he or she was first referred to Special Education?
_____ 1 Birth to 5 years
_____ 2 6 to 10 years
_____ 3 11 to 15 years
_____ 4 more than 15 years old

28. Is your child a boy or a girl?
_____ 1 Boy
_____ 2 Girl

29. What is your child’s race / ethnicity
_____ 1 White
_____ 2 Black or African-American
_____ 3 Hispanic or Latino
_____ 4 Asian or Pacific Islander
_____ 5 American Indian/Alaskan
_____ 6 Multi-racial

30. What is your relationship to the child?
_____ 1 Mother
_____ 2 Father
_____ 3 Guardian
_____ 4 Surrogate Parent
_____ 5 Foster Parent
_____ 6 Grandparent



Thank you very much for your participation in this survey. Please place the survey in the self-addressed-stamped envelop that came with the survey and put it in the mail. Your answers will be combined with others who completed this survey and kept in the strictest confidence. Again, thank you for completing the survey.

If you would like to see the results of this survey please check the box

YES	NO

Parent Involvement Policy Checklist

1. Was your Parent Involvement Policy developed with and agreed on by parents of participating children?

2. Will your Parent Involvement Policy be distributed to the parents of participating children?

3. Is your Parent Involvement Policy written in an understandable format and provided in a language that parents of participating children can understand?

4. Does your Parent Involvement Policy state that an annual meeting will be held to inform parents of the school’s participation in the Title I program, to explain the requirements of the program and their right to be involved?

5. Does your Parent Involvement Policy state that parent meetings, including parent conferences, will be held at different times during the day?

6. Does your Parent Involvement Policy state that Title I funds may be used to pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with parent involvement activities, including transportation and childcare costs, or home visit expenses to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions?

7. Does your Parent Involvement Policy state how parents will be involved in the planning, improvement, and annual review of the schools Parent Involvement Policy?

8. Does your Parent Involvement Policy state how your school will provide parents of participating children with timely information about the Title I program?

9. Does your Parent Involvement Policy state how your school will provide parents of participating children with a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet?

10. Does your Parent Involvement Policy state how your 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?

YES	NO

11. Does your Parent Involvement Policy state that a school-parent compact was jointly developed with parents and that it outlines how parents, the entire school staff and students will share in the responsibility for improved student achievement?

12. Does the Parent Involvement Policy state how your school will provide assistance to parents in understanding the State’s academic content standards and the State student achievement standards, local academic assessment and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with teachers to improve the achievement of their children?

13. Does your Parent Involvement Policy state how the school will provide the material 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?

14. Does your Parent Involvement Policy state how your school will ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings and other activities will be sent to the parents of participating children in a format and in a language the parents can understand?

15. Does your school coordinate and integrate Parent Involvement strategies with other programs such as Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, Parents as Teachers, and state run preschool programs?

16. Does your school educate all staff with the assistance of parents on the importance of parent involvement in their child’s education, and how to communicate with and work with parents as equal partners?

17. Is your school working with your local PIRC and informing parents and parental organizations of the existence and purpose of such centers?

18. Does your Parent Involvement Policy state how parents will be involved in the

planning, review, and improvement of the school’s Title I program?

NCLB SEC. 1118: TITLE I PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT ·

(a) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY POLICY-

(1) IN GENERAL- A local educational agency may receive funds under this part only if such agency implements programs, activities, and procedures for the involvement of parents in programs assisted under this part consistent with this section. Such programs, activities, and procedures shall be planned and implemented with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children.

(2) WRITTEN POLICY- Each local educational agency that receives funds under this part shall develop jointly with, agree on with, and distribute to, parents of participating children a written parent involvement policy. The policy shall be incorporated into the local educational agency's plan developed under section 1112, establish the agency's expectations for parent involvement, and describe how the agency will —

(A) involve parents in the joint development of the plan under section 1112, and the process of school review and improvement under section 1116;

(B) provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist participating schools in planning and implementing effective parent involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance;

(D) coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies under this part with parental involvement strategies under other programs, such as the Head Start program, Reading First program, Early Reading First program, Even Start program, Parents as Teachers program, and Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters, and State-run preschool programs;

(E) conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement policy in improving the academic quality of the schools served under this part, including identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in activities authorized by this section (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background), and use the findings of such evaluation to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, the parental involvement policies described in this section; and

(F) involve parents in the activities of the schools served under this part.

(3) RESERVATION-

(A) IN GENERAL- Each local educational agency shall reserve not less than 1 percent of such agency's allocation under subpart 2 of this part to carry out this section, including promoting family literacy and parenting skills, except that this paragraph shall not apply if 1 percent of such agency's allocation under subpart 2 of this part for the fiscal year for which the determination is made is $5,000 or less.

(B) PARENTAL INPUT- Parents of children receiving services under this part shall be involved in the decisions regarding how funds reserved under subparagraph (A) are allotted for parental involvement activities.

(C) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS- Not less than 95 percent of the funds reserved under subparagraph (A) shall be distributed to schools served under this part.

(b) SCHOOL PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY-

(1) IN GENERAL- Each school served under this part shall jointly develop with, and distribute to, parents of participating children a written parental involvement policy, agreed on by such parents, that shall describe the means for carrying out the requirements of subsections (c) through (f). Parents shall be notified of the policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language the parents can understand. Such policy shall be made available to the local community and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.

(2) SPECIAL RULE- If the school has a parental involvement policy that applies to all parents, such school may amend that policy, if necessary, to meet the requirements of this subsection.

(3) AMENDMENT- If the local educational agency involved has a school district-level parental involvement policy that applies to all parents, such agency may amend that policy, if necessary, to meet the requirements of this subsection.

(4) PARENTAL COMMENTS- If the plan under section 1112 is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the local educational agency shall submit any parent comments with such plan when such local educational agency submits the plan to the State.

(1) convene an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents of participating children shall be invited and encouraged to attend, to inform parents of their school's participation under this part and to explain the requirements of this part, and the right of the parents to be involved;

(2) offer a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide, with funds provided under this part, transportation, child care, or home visits, as such services relate to parental involvement;

(3) involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of programs under this part, including the planning, review, and improvement of the school parental involvement policy and the joint development of the schoolwide program plan under section 1114(b)(2), except that if a school has in place a process for involving parents in the joint planning and design of the school's programs, the school may use that process, if such process includes an adequate representation of parents of participating children;

(4) provide parents of participating children —

(A) timely information about programs under this part;

(B) a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet; and

(C) 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; and

(5) if the schoolwide program plan under section 1114(b)(2) is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, submit any parent comments on the plan when the school makes the plan available to the local educational agency.

(d) SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HIGH STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT- As a component of the school-level parental involvement policy developed under subsection (b), 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 State's high standards. Such compact shall —

(1) describe the school's 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 State's student academic achievement standards, and the ways in which each parent will be responsible for supporting their children's learning, such as monitoring attendance, homework completion, and television watching; volunteering in their child's classroom; and participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and positive use of extracurricular time; and

(2) address the importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis through, at a minimum —

(A) parent-teacher conferences in elementary schools, at least annually, during which the compact shall be discussed as the compact relates to the individual child's achievement;

(B) frequent reports to parents on their children's progress; and

(C) reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child's class, and observation of classroom activities.

(e) BUILDING CAPACITY FOR INVOLVEMENT- To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, each school and local educational agency assisted under this part —

(1) shall provide assistance to parents of children served by the school or local educational agency, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the State's academic content standards and State student academic achievement standards, State and local academic assessments, the requirements of this part, and how to monitor a child's progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children;

(2) shall 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 parental involvement;

(3) shall educate teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school;

(4) shall, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, the Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, and public preschool and other programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children;

(5) shall ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand;

(6) may involve parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of such training;

(7) may provide necessary literacy training from funds received under this part if the local educational agency has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for such training;

(8) may pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions;

(9) may train parents to enhance the involvement of other parents;

(10) may arrange school meetings at a variety of times, or conduct in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend such conferences at school, in order to maximize parental involvement and participation;

(11) may adopt and implement model approaches to improving parental involvement;

(12) may establish a districtwide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in programs supported under this section;

(13) may develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parent involvement activities; and

(14) shall provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this section as parents may request.

(f) ACCESSIBILITY– In carrying out the parental involvement requirements of this part, local educational agencies and schools, to the extent practicable, shall provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports required under section 1111 in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language such parents understand.

(g) INFORMATION FROM PARENTAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCE CENTERS- In a State where a parental information and resource center is established to provide training, information, and support to parents and individuals who work with local parents, local educational agencies, and schools receiving assistance under this part, each local educational agency or school that receives assistance under this part and is located in the State shall assist parents and parental organizations by informing such parents and organizations of the existence and purpose of such centers.

(h) REVIEW- The State educational agency shall review the local educational agency's parental involvement policies and practices to determine if the policies and practices meet the requirements of this section.

Federal Department of Education Sample Template: Title IA Parental Involvement Policy ·

SAMPLE TEMPLATE*

NOTE: In support of strengthening student academic achievement, each local educational agency (LEA or school district) that receives Title I, Part A funds must develop jointly with, agree on with, and distribute to, parents of participating children a written parental involvement policy that contains information required by section 1118(a)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (district wide parental involvement policy). The policy establishes the LEA’s expectations for parental involvement and describes how the LEA will implement a number of specific parental involvement activities, and is incorporated into the LEA’s plan submitted to the State educational agency (SEA).

School districts, in consultation with parents, may use the sample template below as a framework for the information to be included in their parental involvement policy. School districts are not required to follow this sample template or framework, but if they establish the district’s expectations for parental involvement and include all of the components listed under “Description of How District Will Implement Required District wide Parental Involvement Policy Components” below, they will have incorporated the information that section 1118(a)(2) requires be in the district wide parental involvement policy. School districts, in consultation with parents, are encouraged to include other relevant and agreed upon activities and actions as well that will support effective parental involvement and strengthen student academic achievement.

* * * * *

PART I. GENERAL EXPECTATIONS (Sample Template)

[NOTE: Each district in its District-wide Parental Involvement Policy must establish the district’s expectations for parental involvement. [Section 1118(a)(2), ESEA.] There is no required format for those written expectations; however, this is a sample of what might be included.]

The name of school district agrees to implement the following statutory requirements:

· The school district will put into operation programs, activities and procedures for the involvement of parents in all of its schools with Title I, Part A programs, consistent with section 1118 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Those programs, activities and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children.

· Consistent with section 1118, the school district will work with its schools to ensure that the required school-level parental involvement policies meet the requirements of section 1118(b) of the ESEA, and each include, as a component, a school-parent compact consistent with section 1118(d) of the ESEA.

· The school district will incorporate this district wide parental involvement policy into its LEA plan developed under section 1112 of the ESEA.

· In carrying out the Title I, Part A parental involvement requirements, to the extent practicable, the school district and its schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports required under section 1111 of the ESEA in an understandable and uniform format and, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.

· If the LEA plan for Title I, Part A, developed under section 1112 of the ESEA, is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the school district will submit any parent comments with the plan when the school district submits the plan to the State Department of Education.

· The school district will involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the 1 percent of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parental involvement is spent, and will ensure that not less than 95 percent of the one percent reserved goes directly to the schools.

· The school district will be governed by the following statutory definition of parental involvement, and expects that its Title I schools will carry out programs, activities and procedures in accordance with this definition:

Parental involvement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring—

(A) that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;

(B) that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;

(C) that parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child;

(D) the carrying out of other activities, such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA.

· [For States where a Parental Information and Resource Center is established] The school district will inform parents and parental organizations of the purpose and existence of the Parental Information and Resource Center in the State.

PART II. DESCRIPTION OF HOW DISTRICT WILL IMPLEMENT REQUIRED DISTRICT WIDE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS (Sample Template)

[NOTE: The District wide Parental Involvement Policy must include a description of how the district will implement or accomplish each of the following components. [Section 1118(a)(2), ESEA.] This is a “sample template” as there is no required format for these descriptions. However, regardless of the format the district chooses to use, a description of each of the following components below must be included in order to satisfy statutory requirements.]

1. The __name of school district________ will take the following actions to involve parents in the joint development of its district wide parental involvement plan under section 1112 of the ESEA:

(List actions.)

2. The __name of school district________ will take the following actions to involve parents in the process of school review and improvement under section 1116 of the ESEA:

(List actions.)

3. The name of school district will provide the following necessary coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist Title I, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective parental involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance:

(List activities.)

4. The name of school district will coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies in Part A with parental involvement strategies under the following other programs: [Insert programs, such as: Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, Parents As Teachers, Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters, and State-operated preschool programs], by:

(List activities.)

5. The _name of school district_ will take the following actions to conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this parental involvement policy in improving the quality of its Title I, Part A schools. The evaluation will include identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in parental involvement activities (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background). The school district will use the findings of the evaluation about its parental involvement policy and activities to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary (and with the involvement of parents) its parental involvement policies.

(List actions, such as describing how the evaluation will be

conducted, identifying who will be responsible for conducting it, and

explaining what role parents will play)

1. The ___name of school district___________ will build the schools’ and parent’s capacity for strong parental involvement, in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, through the following activities specifically described below:

A. The school district will, with the assistance of its Title I, Part A schools, provide assistance to parents of children served by the school district or school, as appropriate, in understanding topics such as the following, by undertaking the actions described in this paragraph --

· the State’s academic content standards,

· the State’s student academic achievement standards,

· the State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments,

· the requirements of Part A,

· how to monitor their child’s progress, and

· how to work with educators:

(List activities, such as workshops, conferences, classes, both in-State and out-of-State, including any equipment or other materials that may be necessary to ensure success.)

B. 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, such as literacy training, and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement, by:

(List activities.)

C. The school district will, with the assistance of its schools and parents, educate its teachers, pupil services personnel, principals and other staff, in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to implement and coordinate parent programs and build ties between parents and schools, by:

(List activities.)

D. The school district will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, and public preschool and other programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children, by:

(List activities.)

E. 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:

(List actions.)

PART III. DISCRETIONARY DISTRICT WIDE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS (Sample Template)

NOTE: The District wide Parental Involvement Policy may include additional paragraphs listing and describing other discretionary activities that the school district, in consultation with its parents, chooses to undertake to build parents’ capacity for involvement in the school and school system to support their children’s academic achievement, such as the following discretionary activities listed under section 1118(e) of the ESEA:

· involving parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of that training;

· providing necessary literacy training for parents from Title I, Part A funds, if the school district has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for that training;

· paying reasonable and necessary expenses associated with parental involvement activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions;

· training parents to enhance the involvement of other parents;

· in order to maximize parental involvement and participation in their children’s education, arranging school meetings at a variety of times, or conducting in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend those conferences at school;

· adopting and implementing model approaches to improving parental involvement;

· establishing a district wide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in Title I, Part A programs;

· developing appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses, including faith-based organizations, in parental involvement activities; and

· providing other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under section 1118 as parents may request.]

* * * * *

PART IV. ADOPTION (Sample Template)

This District wide Parental Involvement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs, as evidenced by ______________________.

This policy was adopted by the __name of school district __ on __mm/dd/yy______ and will be in effect for the period of _______. The school district will distribute this policy to all parents of participating Title I, Part A children on or before _________________.

_______________________________

(Signature of Authorized Official)

_______________________________

(Date)

*This sample template of a District Wide Parental Involvement Policy is not an official U.S. Department of Education document. It is provided only as an example.

School-Parent Compact Sample Template·

SAMPLE TEMPLATE*

NOTE: Each school receiving funds under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) must develop a written school-parent compact jointly with parents for all children participating in Title I, Part A activities, services, and programs. That compact is part of the school’s written parental involvement policy developed by the school and parents under section 1118(b) of the ESEA. The compact must outline 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 State’s high standards.

Schools and parents may use the sample template below as a framework for the information to be included in their school-parent compact. Schools and parents are not required to follow this sample template or framework, but if they include all of the bolded items listed under “Required School-Parent Compact Provisions” below, they will have incorporated all of the information required by section 1118(d) to be in the school-parent compact. Schools and parents, in consultation with students, are encouraged to include other relevant and agreed upon activities and actions as well that will support effective parental involvement and strengthen student academic achievement.

* * * * *

SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT

The name of school , and the parents of the students participating in activities, services, and programs funded by Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (participating children), agree that this compact outlines how the parents, the entire school staff, and the 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 that will help children achieve the State’s high standards.

This school-parent compact is in effect during school year .

REQUIRED SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT PROVISIONS

(provisions bolded in this section are required to

be in the Title I, Part A school-parent compact)

School Responsibilities

The name of school will:

Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the participating children to meet the State’s student academic achievement standards as follows:

[Describe how the school will provide high-quality curriculum and instruction, and do so in a supportive and effective learning environment.]

Hold parent-teacher conferences (at least annually in elementary schools) during which this compact will be discussed as it relates to the individual child’s achievement. Specifically, those conferences will be held:

[Describe when the parent-teacher conferences will be held.]

Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress. Specifically, the school will provide reports as follows:

[Describe when and how the school will provide reports to parents.]

Provide parents reasonable access to staff. Specifically, staff will be available for consultation with parents as follows:

[Describe when, where, and how staff will be available for consultation with parents.]

Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and to observe classroom activities, as follows:

[Describe when and how parents may volunteer, participate, and observe classroom activities.]

Parent Responsibilities

We, as parents, will support our children’s learning in the following ways:

[Describe the ways in which parents will support their children’s learning, such as:

· Monitoring attendance.

· Making sure that homework is completed.

· Monitoring amount of television their children watch.

· Volunteering in my child’s classroom.

· Participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to my children’s education.

· Promoting positive use of my child’s extracurricular time.

· Staying informed about my child’s education and communicating with the school by promptly reading all notices from the school or the school district either received by my child or by mail and responding, as appropriate.

· Serving, to the extent possible, on policy advisory groups, such as being the Title I, Part A parent representative on the school’s School Improvement Team, the Title I Policy Advisory Committee, the District wide Policy Advisory Council, the State’s Committee of Practitioners, the School Support Team or other school advisory or policy groups.

—–

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS

Student Responsibilities (revise as appropriate to grade level)

We, as students, will share the responsibility to improve our academic achievement and achieve the State’s high standards. Specifically, we will:

[Describe the ways in which students will support their academic achievement, such as:

· Do my homework every day and ask for help when I need to.

· Read at least 30 minutes every day outside of school time.

· Give to my parents or the adult who is responsible for my welfare all notices and information received by me from my school every day.]

Additional Required School Responsibilities (requirements that schools must follow, but optional as to being included in the school-parent compact)

The name of school will:

1. Involve parents in the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s parental involvement policy, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way.

2. Involve parents in the joint development of any schoolwide program plan, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way.

3. Hold an annual meeting to inform parents of the school’s participation in Title I, Part A programs, and to explain the Title I, Part A requirements, and the right of parents to be involved in Title I, Part A programs. The school will convene the meeting at a convenient time to parents, and will offer a flexible number of additional parental involvement meetings, such as in the morning or evening, so that as many parents as possible are able to attend. The school will invite to this meeting all parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs (participating students), and will encourage them to attend.

4. Provide information to parents of participating students in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon the request of parents with disabilities, and, to the extent practicable, in a language that parents can understand.

5. Provide to parents of participating children information in a timely manner about Title I, Part A programs that includes a description and explanation of the school’s curriculum, the forms of academic assessment used to measure children’s progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.

6. On the request of parents, provide opportunities for regular meetings for parents to formulate suggestions, and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children. The school will respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.

7. Provide to each parent an individual student report about the performance of their child on the State assessment in at least math, language arts and reading.

8. Provide each parent timely notice when their child has been assigned or has

been taught for four (4) or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified within the meaning of the term in section 200.56 of the Title I Final Regulations (67 Fed. Reg. 71710, December 2, 2002).

Optional School Responsibilities

To help build and develop a partnership with parents to help their children achieve

the State’s high academic standards, the name of school will:

1. Recommend to the local educational agency (LEA), the names of parents of participating children of Title I, Part A programs who are interested in serving on the State’s Committee of Practitioners and School Support Teams.

2. Notify parents of the school’s participation in Early Reading First, Reading First and Even Start Family Literacy Programs operating within the school, the district and the contact information.

3. Work with the LEA in addressing problems, if any, in implementing parental involvement activities in section 1118 of Title I, Part A.

4. Work with the LEA to ensure that a copy of the SEA’s written complaint procedures for resolving any issue of violation(s) of a Federal statute or regulation of Title I, Part A programs is provided to parents of students and to appropriate private school officials or representatives.

__________________ __________________ _______________

School Parent(s) Student

__________________ __________________ _______________

Date Date Date

(PLEASE NOTE THAT SIGNATURES ARE NOT REQUIRED)

*This sample template of a School-Parent Compact is not an official U.S. Department of Education document. It is provided only as an example.·

	Does your program or school have this policy or engage in this activity?	What is the percentage of involvement in establishing these policies or engaging in this activity for all families and for parents of children with disabilities?
ACTIVITY	No Yes If rating is (0), go to next activity. Do not complete other column (percentage) for any activity rated (0).	All Families Parents of Children with Disabilities
1.0 Parenting
1.1. Establishes policies that support and respect family responsibilities, communicating the importance of positive relationships between parents and their children and respecting the diverse parenting traditions and practices within the community.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
1.2 Provides information, training and assistance to all families, not just those who want information or can attend meetings, on (a) parenting, (b) child and adolescent development, and (c) creating home environments that support development and learning.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
1.3 Disseminates information that is scientifically based, clear, in a language and format all families can understand, and directly linked to children’s development and learning.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
1.4 Offers family support programs or assists families in accessing community resources to meet their basic needs (e.g., housing, health and mental health, nutrition, safety).	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
1.5 Has a family room or family resource center for parent meetings, volunteer activities, videos, publications, and other information for families.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
1.6 Has a family coordinator/liaison, either volunteer or paid, responsible for connecting families and educators.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
1.7 Offers family learning workshops (i.e., opportunities for families and children to learn together) on topics suggested by families, held at times and places that are accessible to families.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
1.8 Sponsors parent education and other courses or training for parents and community members (e.g., GED, family literacy, college, or training programs).	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
1.9 Makes home visits or hosts neighborhood meetings to help families understand schools and to help schools understand families.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
1.10 Involves all families in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of family involvement activities.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
	Does your program or school have this policy or engage in this activity?	What is the percentage of involvement in establishing these policies or engaging in this activity for all families and for parents of children with disabilities?
ACTIVITY	No Yes If rating is (0), go to next activity. Do not complete other column (percentage) for any activity rated (0).	All Families Parents of Children with Disabilities
2.0 Communication
2.1 Uses different methods to regularly communicate with families and to facilitate two-way interactions, home-to-school and school-to-home.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.2 Communicates (telephone, e-mail, website) frequently with all families about intervention/curriculum, placement expectations, homework, special services and how parents can support their child’s development and learning.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.3 Has written materials that are (a) clear, (b) in a language and format families can understand with interpreters and/or translators readily available, (c) in large print, or (d) on audiotape to enable families with limited English proficiency or emerging literacy to assist in understanding the communication and to participate in meetings.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.4 Regularly reviews the readability, clarity, form, and frequency of all memos, notices, and other print and non-print communications.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.5 Obtains ideas of families to improve the design and content of major communications such as newsletters, report cards, and conference schedules.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.6 Regularly produces newsletter with up-to-date information about the program or school, special events, organizations, meetings, and parenting tips.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.7 Uses alternative methods, including technology, hosting neighborhood meetings, and/or through the media to communicate with families and community members.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.8 Regularly sends home portfolio of child/youth activities or work for parent review and comment.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.9 Immediately notifies families when their child has academic or behavioral problems.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.10 Has a process for resolving family concerns and replies promptly to parent requests, questions, and suggestions.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.11 Regularly sends home “warm” messages about child progress and notifies families about any awards and recognition.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
	Does your program or school have this policy or engage in this activity?	What is the percentage of all families and families of children with disabilities who participate in or are impacted by this activity?
. ACTIVITY	No Yes If rating is (0), go to next activity. Do not complete other column (percentage) for any activity rated (0).	All Families Parents of Children with Disabilities
2.0 Communication (continued)
2.12 Conducts orientation for new children/youth and their families to support transition	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.13.Schedules parent-teacher conference with all families at least once a year, with additional follow-up or conference time as needed or requested	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.14 Conducts an annual survey of families to share information and concerns about student needs and reactions to school and their satisfaction with their involvement in school	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.16 Disseminates information on school reforms, policies, discipline, assessment; Provides clear information about the curriculum, assessment, achievement levels, and report cards (how grades are earned) (NCLB)	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
2.17 Provides opportunities for families and educators to share information on family, child’s needs, strengths and special talents, learning preferences, and goals.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.0 Volunteering
3.1 Hires a family coordinator/liaison to coordinate the volunteer program.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.2 Ensures that policies, office greetings, signage, correspondence, and other interactions create a family-friendly environment that encourages parents and community members to volunteer.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.3 Conducts an informal inventory (online, telephone, paper, interviews, focus groups) of current family involvement.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.4 Surveys families to identify the interests, talents, and availability of parent (and community) volunteers.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.5 Identifies and reduces barriers family involvement by providing childcare, transportation, flexible schedules, and meeting the unique needs of families with limited English proficiency.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.6 Provides a parent/family room for volunteers to work, met, and access resources about parenting, childcare, tutoring, homework, and other things that effect their child’s development and learning.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
	Does your program or school have this policy or engage in this activity?	What is the percentage of involvement in establishing these policies or engaging in this activity for all families and for parents of children with disabilities?
ACTIVITY	No Yes If rating is (0), go to next activity. Do not complete other column (percentage) for any activity rated (0).	All Families Parents of Children with Disabilities
3.0 Volunteering (continued)
3.7 Acknowledges many different ways families can be involved by creating volunteer opportunities at home, school, work or in the community.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.8 Reviews schedules of performances, sports events, and assemblies for daytime and evening audiences, enabling more families to be involved.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.9 Creates culturally (and individually) appropriate volunteer opportunities, which specifically includes minority families, families with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, families with low income, and migrant families.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.11 Conducts screening, provides orientation and training, and ensures activities are meaningful by matching interests, availability, and talents of volunteers to needs of program/school.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.12 Develops a volunteer database and distributes a directory.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.13 Establishes a system (class parents, telephone tree, or other structures) to provide all families with needed information.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.14 Evaluates the volunteer program	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
3.15 Formally recognizes families and other community members for volunteer activities.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
4.0 Learning At Home
4.1 Informs families of expectations for development and learning in all domains or content areas, at each age and grade level.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
4.2 Asks parents for ideas about what they need to help their children learn at home; Ask parents for their ideas to link the curriculum to home and the community.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
4.3 Provides families with information on fostering learning at home, providing appropriate assistance, monitoring home work, encouraging their children’s success, and giving feedback to staff.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
4.4 Regularly assign interactive homework (e.g., weekly or twice a month) for which children/youth take responsibility to discuss with their families the important things they are learning.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
	Does your program or school have this policy or engage in this activity?	What is the percentage of involvement in establishing these policies or engaging in this activity for all families and for parents of children with disabilities?
ACTIVITY	No Yes If rating is (0), go to next activity. Do not complete other column (percentage) for any activity rated (0).	All Families Parents of Children with Disabilities
4.0 Learning At Home (continued)
4.5 Provides calendars with daily or weekly activities for families to do at home and in the community.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
4.6 Disseminates information or provides workshops to assist families in understanding how their child/youth can improve skills, get help when needed, meet expectations, and perform well on evaluations.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
4.7 Shares the importance of reading at home and encourages parents to listen to their child read or to read aloud with their child.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
4.8 Involves all families in setting goals, selecting courses, and program (and in planning for post-secondary education).	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
4.9 Assists staff in recognizing the unseen ways in which families contribute to their children’s learning at home, including by verbally encouraging children to do well, monitoring homework, and involving children in community activities.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.0 Decision Making
5.1 Has an active PTA, PTO, or other parent organizations, advisory councils or committees	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.2 Includes a member of parent-teacher organization serves as liaison to school improvement team.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.3 Includes parent representative on all advisory councils, improvement teams, or other committees.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.4 Has parent representatives on district-level or state-level advisory councils or committees.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.5 Involves parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely way in the planning, review, and improvement of programs.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.6 Involve parents in school policies, selecting school staff, and revising school and/or district curricula.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.7. Includes parent leaders representative of the diversity of our community.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.8 Develops formal networks to link all families with their parent representatives for decision-making and leadership.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
	Does your program or school have this policy or engage in this activity?	What is the percentage of involvement in establishing these policies or engaging in this activity for all families and for parents of children with disabilities?
ACTIVITY	No Yes If rating is (0), go to next activity. Do not complete other column (percentage) for any activity rated (0).	All Families Parents of Children with Disabilities
5.0 Decision Making (continued)
5.9 Includes youth in all decision-making groups.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.10 Treats family concerns with respect, deals with conflict openly and respectfully, demonstrates an interest in developing solutions.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.11 Asks involved parents to make contact with less involved families to solicit their ideas and report back to them.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.12 Has an action team for partnerships to develop a goal-oriented program (improve achievement of all students) with practices for all six types of family and community involvement	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.13 Provides information to families on school or local elections for school representatives	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.14 Supports independent advocacy groups to lobby for school improvements and reform.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5.15 Offers education and training for all parents to become decision-makers and occupy leadership roles.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
6.0 Collaboration with the Community
6.1 Publishes a community resource directory for families (and students) with information on community agencies, programs, and services; on cultural, recreational, academic, health and mental health, social and other resources.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
6.2 Ensures equal opportunities for all children/youth and their families to obtain services and participate in community programs.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
6.3 Develops partnerships with local businesses and civic organizations to advance learning and assist schools and families.(mentoring, “adopting” classrooms, speaking to classrooms, and helping with fund-raising).	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
6.4 Solves turf problems of roles, responsibilities, funds, staff, and location for collaborative activities.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
6.5 Provides youth with opportunities for service learning, linking the curriculum and school to the community.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
6.6 Opens program or school for use by the community after regular hours.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
6.0 Collaboration with the Community (continued)
6.7 Encourages employers to adopt policies and practices that promote and support families’ involvement in their children’s education.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
6.8 Works with local businesses to offer students the opportunities to enhance work skills;	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
6.9 Offers comprehensive wraparound services for families, through partnerships between school and counseling, health, recreation, job training, and other agencies	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
6.10 Provides after school programs for children/youth in partnership with families, businesses, agencies, and the community.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
6.11 Arranges for children/youth, families, and the school to provide service to the community.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
6.12 Encourages participation of alumni in school programs for students.	0 1	0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Research Based Activity Recommendations

The following recommendations for activities to increase parent involvement are taken directly from A New Wave of Evidence. The full document can be accessed at http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/evidence.pdf.

Recommendation 1. Recognize that all parents, regardless of income, education level, or cultural background, are involved in their children’s learning and want their children to do well in school.

· Ask families about ways they encourage their children at home and ways to share their cultural traditions.

o Explore ways to enhance what families are already doing.

· Create small, friendly settings that will encourage families to speak, during occasions such as

o class meetings

o teacher/parent conferences

o grade-level potluck dinners

o family breakfasts

· Invite families to class to tell their education stories.

o What were the schools they attended like?

o How were their parents involved in their learning?

o What people and experiences helped them to learn?

· At every conference with families, ask about their expectations for their children’s education.

o Make sure their children are enrolled in the program and taking the courses that will prepare them for that future.

Recommendation 2. Create programs that will support families to guide their children’s learning, from preschool through high school.

Elementary and Middle School:

· Interactive homework that involves parents with their children’s learning.

· Workshops on topics that parents suggest such as

o building their children’s vocabulary

o developing positive discipline strategies

o supporting children through crisis

· Regular calls from teachers, not just when there are problems, about how their children are doing in class.

· Learning packets in reading, science, and math, as well as training in how to use them.

· Meetings with teachers to talk about their children’s progress and what they’re learning.

High School:

· Regular meetings with teachers and counselors to plan their children’s academic program.

· Information about program options, graduation requirements, test schedules, and postsecondary education options and how to plan for them.

· Explanations of courses students should take to be prepared for college or other postsecondary education.

· Information about financing postsecondary education and applying for financial aid.

At all levels, work with families to support children in making transitions. Children of

all ages do better when they make a solid adjustment to school.

· Offer families and students tours of the school and opportunities to visit and observe in the classrooms.

· Meet with students and families at the feeder schools or programs to introduce staff

o Explain the school’s programs and answer questions.

· Make home visits the summer before school starts to build a relationship with each family.

· Work with families to prepare children for the next level and help them plan for the future.

Recommendation 3. Work with families to build their social and political connections.

· Promote families’ connections

o with each other

o with teachers and other school staff

o with community groups.

· Translate all communications with families into their home languages and provide an interpreter at meetings.

· Offer childcare, meals, and transportation for major activities at school.

· Ask families questions, including

o best times for them to attend events at school

o what kind of events they would like to attend

o what they think would make the school better

· Make the school a laboratory of democracy.

o Support families’ involvement in decision making.

o If you have a school governance council, offer training for parent and community members of the council.

o Ask the superintendent, board members, and district staff to meet with families at the school and explain what they do.

§ Work with families to develop an agenda for the meetings so they can voice their concerns.

o Give families information about how the education system (and local government) works.

§ Make field trips to district offices and school board meetings.

o Keep voter registration forms and information about local government agencies in the school office or family center.

o Develop a student-run voter registration drive.

o Invite candidates for school board and other local offices to speak to families at the school.

o Open the school to community meetings.

· Engage families in planning how they would like to be involved at school.

o Consult a representative sample of parents and families, not just the PTO leadership, about school policies and proposed actions.

o Involve families in action research.

§ Ask them to develop and conduct surveys of other families.

§ Invite them to observe in the classroom, review books and materials, and visit other schools to gather ideas.

· Make it easy for parents to meet and discuss concerns with the principal, talk to teachers and guidance counselors, and examine their children’s school records.

· Invite families to attend staff development sessions and faculty meetings.

· Offer workshops on communicating with their children with topics parents suggest, such as

o talking with children about drugs

o dating

o problems with friends

Recommendation 4. Develop the capacity of school staff to work with families and community members.

Few teacher preparation programs include instruction on how to partner with parents

and community. Such programs should be developed to include a focus on the importance

of partnership with parents and community to improve student achievement.

All school staff, from the principal to the custodian, need opportunities to learn more

about this area.

Design pre-service and in-service educational opportunities for all school staff that

· help all staff recognize the advantages of school, family, and community connections.

· explore how trusting and respectful relationships with families and community members are achieved.

· enhance school staff’s ability to work with diverse families.

· enable staff to make connections with community resources.

· explore the benefits of sharing power with families and community members.

Recommendation 5. Link family and community engagement efforts to student learning.

Develop or adopt programs to engage parents in working with their children to develop

specific skills. Use features of programs that research has linked to gains, such as:

· Demonstrate an activity for parents, engaging parents in role-playing the parts.

· Give materials to each family, offering advice as they use them.

· Help parents assess children’s progress and steer children to next steps.

· Lend materials to use at home.

Work with local after-school programs to link their content to what students are learning in class through activities like these:

· Form a partnership between after-school program staff and teachers.

o Encourage them to share ideas and knowledge about the students, observe each other at work, and attend staff development sessions to update and build their teaching skills.

o Inform them about the school’s curriculum and learning programs (especially math and reading).

· Share textbooks and other learning materials.

· Give program staff information about students’ progress and academic needs.

Link the school’s traditional staples of parent involvement to learning with activities like these:

· Incorporate information on standards and exhibits of student work at open houses and back-to-school nights.

· Engage parents and students in math and reading games at Family Nights.

o Explain where students’ skills need to be stronger.

o Use scoring guides in such projects as making kites to let parents know what a scoring guide is and how to use it.

· Use the school newsletter to discuss test results and how students are doing to meet higher standards.

Recommendation 6. Focus efforts to engage families and community members in developing trusting and respectful relationships.

Any attempt to form genuine collaborations among school staff, parents, and community

members must start with building relationships of respect. The building of relationships

must be intentional and consistent. Adopt simple but effective practices of teacher outreach to families.

One study found three practices that were related to gains in elementary students’ reading and math scores:

· Meeting face to face.

· Sending materials on ways to help their child at home.

· Telephoning both routinely and when a child was having problems.

Allow school staff the resources and time to create programs that

· invite and welcome parents and community members.

· honor the contributions and accomplishments, no matter how large or small, of families and community members.

· connect families and community members to learning goals for children.

Recommendation 7. Embrace a philosophy of partnership and be willing to share power with families.

· Make sure that parents, school staff, and community members understand that the responsibility for children’s educational development is a collaborative enterprise.

· Adopt a philosophy that family and community engagement is a key component of your whole school reform plan.

o Several studies found that when school, family, and community connection initiatives were a part of a comprehensive plan to improve student achievement, the programs engaged and sustained the involvement of families and community members and organizations.

o Find workable ways to involve families and community members in planning, establishing policy, and making decisions.

Partnership means sharing power with families and community members. Both lose interest in partnering with schools when their participation is token. Try the following:

· Explore national school reform initiatives with a comprehensive approach that includes a school, family, and community component.

· Provide training for school decision-making groups on how to work effectively.

· Avoid using parents and community members to merely rubberstamp decisions.

Recommendation 8. Build strong connections between schools and community organizations.

· Work with community-based organizations (CBO’s) to offer programs that encourage reading, writing, and studying during evenings, weekends, and summer.

· Involve CBO’s in your school council or school-improvement team. Youth-serving agencies (like the Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA) and religious organizations can help schools support student achievement by:

o providing tutoring and academic support linked to the school’s curriculum.

o helping students to organize and manage their time effectively.

o teaching study skills and how to use reference materials and other educational materials.

o advising families about planning for their children’s future education and career.

Open the school to community groups and agencies that can offer services to families through a family resource center. Invite them to serve on your school council or school-improvement team. Here are examples of supports and services they can offer for families and community members:

· Health care and mental health services.

· Targeted academic assistance to struggling students.

· Family literacy, adult education, and high school equivalency programs.

· Job training, career counseling, and other vocational services.

· Recreation, arts, and social activities.

Collaborate with community-organizing groups that want to improve the school. Be willing to let them help set the agenda for change. They can put pressure on the school district and elected officials for new resources in ways that school staff cannot. Teachers and principals in low-performing schools in urban areas have worked with local organizers by:

· Opening the doors to community action research teams seeking to assess the quality and safety of school facilities.

· Meeting with parents, family members, and community residents organized by these groups to discuss making improvements to teaching and learning at the school.

· Assisting parents and community members in researching and adopting academic programs that will enrich the school’s curriculum.

· Designing new, improved school facilities that include science labs and family centers.

· Writing grant proposals to the National Science Foundation and other funders for new programs.

· Developing designs for new small schools in existing schools and other facilities.

· Negotiating with district officials to create school-improvement zones eligible for increased professional development, more resources for parent engagement, and new reading programs.

Coordinate efforts to reach families with community organizations, including religious

groups. Such groups have worked to engage families by:

· Conducting house calls and neighborhood walks to identify the key issues in the neighborhood and school and identify local leaders.

· Holding focus groups and other small meetings to discuss pressing concerns and talk about how to solve them.

· Providing training for parents and residents about how the system works, the larger context for their issues, and how to use their power.

· Showing demonstrations of support for the local school.

· Arranging large meetings for parents and residents and inviting public officials to meet with the community.

o The goal is to obtain support for a community-developed agenda (repairs, increased funding, after-school programs) and show the strength of the community.

Strategies for Improving Parent Involvement and

Community Support:

Best Practices in Maine

The following ideas were compiled at various Maine PIRC conferences throughout the state. We have included them here as a list of “best practices” for schools to share.

Volunteering:

Improve recruitment, training, work and schedules to involve families as volunteers and audiences at the school and other locations that support student and school programs.

Best Practice Strategies

v Invite parents to be room parents

v Include a Parent Outreach Coordinator as Staff (paid or volunteer)

v Older students mentoring younger students

v Senior Citizens as “Foster Grandparents”

v Integrate parents’ specialized skills into academic lesson plans

v Think “outside the box” to include volunteer opportunities for all parents regardless of schedules, gender, availability or access to resource

v Invite, invite, invite! Reach out, and call and ask

Communication:

Provide effective school-to-home and home-to-school communications.

Best Practice Strategies:

v Homework Hotlines

v Parental phone trees (“Grapevines”)

v School web sites maintained for the purpose of homework information, calendar of events, school policies

v Positive telephone calls (and/or e-mail) for students and teachers

v Weekly or monthly newsletters (teacher written/student written)

v Home visits

v Daily Communication/Homework Books

v Teacher Presentations to the PTA

v Parent-Teacher discussion groups

Learning At Home:

Involve families with their children in learning activities at home; to include homework and other curriculum related activities and decisions.

Best Practice Strategies:

v Provide parents with specific information about grade expectations

v Ask parents what they need in order to help their children

v Parents provided with training on how best to assist their children at home

v Weekly updates to let parents know what will be discussed in the classroom

v Suggest material to enhance learning and/or strengthen weaknesses through practice.

v Incorporate family activities around curriculum (Museums, Library, etc.)

v Create a “Family” homework assignment

v Assign “homework” that turns life activities into learning activities (such as chores)

v Discuss current events (age appropriate)

v Consider family culture and how it relates to lesson plans

Parenting:

Assist families with parenting and child rearing skills, understanding child and adolescent development, and setting home conditions that support children as students at each age and grade level. Assist schools in understanding families.

Best Practice Strategies:

v Know the resources in your area that support and educate on parenting skills issues

v Open a Family Resource Center at your school

v Invite parents to school for lunch

v Expand range of parental outreach via use of e-mail

v Newsletters

v Maintain a PTA or school web page with links to educational resources

Collaborating With The Community:

Coordinate resources and services for families, students and the school with businesses, agencies, and other groups, and provide services to the community.

Best Practice Strategies:

v Think beyond fundraising: Team with local business in the education experience (i.e. reading buddies)

v Network with organizations such as Chamber of Commerce, Elks, Rotary, Kiwanis, etc.

v Invite members of the community into the school to share their expertise or knowledge of a specific topic

v Research community resources.

v Form long-term relationships/partnerships with outside agencies

v Ask local businesses to “Adopt a Classroom” and become involved

throughout the school year.

v Hold collaborative meetings with other parent organizations to

share ideas and discuss ways to work together and to co-sponsor educational events.

Decision Making:

Include families as participants in school decisions, governance and advocacy through PTA/PTO, school councils, committees and other parent organizations.

Best Practice Strategies:

v Form a Principal Advisory Board (with parent and teacher representatives from each classroom and the principal) to discuss issues, concerns and solutions.

v PTA/PTO

v School Committees

v Advisory Boards on specific topics: homework policies, dress codes, after school program, school policies

v Include parents in the development of Title IA School Parent Compact and Parent Involvement Plan.

National Network of Partnership Schools

Middle and High School Goal Oriented Partnership Activities ·

HIGH SCHOOL EXAMPLES for a One-Year Action Plan that May Help Reach Results for MATH

TYPE 1 Continuing education classes for family members only or for family members and students together, i.e. computer classes or GED/ABE classes

TYPE 2 Student recognition page in the school newsletter highlighting students improving and excelling in math

TYPE 3 Parents as audience members for math bowl or other math competition

TYPE 4 Information on math course requirements to prepare for postsecondary education

TYPE 5 PTA/PTO support for math through purchase of manipulatives, calculators, computers, and other materials

TYPE 6 After school program with local college students as math tutors

MIDDLE SCHOOL EXAMPLES for a One-Year Action Plan that May Help Reach Results for ATTENDANCE

TYPE 1 “Attendance Summit” for parents featuring guest speakers focused on the importance of good attendance. Include speakers such as school administrators, counselors, legal experts, health service providers, and family members.

TYPE 2 Recognition postcards for good or improved attendance

TYPE 3 Family members volunteer as attendance monitors

TYPE 4 Interactive homework for which student and family member together make a poster about the importance of good attendance

TYPE 5 Leadership, decision-making, and /or empowerment training for parents

TYPE 6 Display in local businesses and other community sites the student-parent posters on good attendance

MIDDLE SCHOOL EXAMPLES for a One-Year Action Plan That May Help Reach Results for TRANSITIONS

TYPE 1 Fifth- or Sixth-graders’ Scavenger Hunt around the school for information about the school, its teachers and staff, programs, curriculum, and resources

TYPE 2 A “Sixth Grade Teachers Walk to Welcome the Community” where teachers meet families and students in the community before the school year starts

TYPE 3 Family donations of food, drinks, paper plates, and cups for a start-the-school year kickoff event (i.e. ice cream social)

TYPE 4 Videotapes (starring current middle school parents, teachers, and students) that inform families about ways to help students through middle school

TYPE 5 An Action Team committee focused on transitions

TYPE 6 Collaborating with feeder schools and hosting joint events

HIGH SCHOOL EXAMPLES for a One-Year Action Plan that May Help Reach Results for TRANSITIONS

TYPE 1 Ninth-graders’ Scavenger Hunt around the school for information about the school, its teachers and staff, programs, curriculum, and resources (with parents invited)

TYPE 2 A panel discussion for eighth grade students and their parents to hear from ninth-graders and staff members of the Ninth Grade Academy

TYPE 3 Special invitations for families to attend ninth grade events such as sporting events, concerts, and plays

TYPE 4 Videotapes (starring current high school parents, teachers and students) that inform families about ways to help students through high school

TYPE 5 An Action Team committee focused on transitions

TYPE 6 Collaborating with feeder schools and hosting joint events

MIDDLE SCHOOL EXAMPLES for a One-Year Action Plan that May Help Reach Results for READING

TYPE 1 Parent workshops on structuring a learning environment at home and/or monitoring homework completion

TYPE 2 A Reading Tips page of the school newsletter with suggestions for parents on how to read with their teen and information on the school’s reading/ language arts program

TYPE 3 Family members volunteer as literacy tutors and reading buddies during the school day or in an after school program

TYPE 4 TIPS interactive homework for reading/ language arts (prototypes available through NNPS)

TYPE 5 PTA/PTO supported fundraiser for books, magazines, and other materials for the school media center

TYPE 6 Solicit donations from local businesses to be used as incentives for a reading campaign

HIGH SCHOOL EXAMPLES for a One-Year Action Plan That May Help Reach Results for POSTSECONDARY PLANNING

TYPE 1 Informative workshops on course credits, college financial aid opportunities, SAT and achievement test, and career choices of school alumnae

TYPE 2 Series of videotapes that families can borrow to learn more about course selection and postsecondary planning

TYPE 3 Parent-student field trips to local colleges and universities

TYPE 4 Interactive homework that requires students to discuss with a family member their personal goals and career plans

TYPE 5 A postsecondary planning committee with parents, teachers, and students to implement school-wide activities on college awareness and career options

TYPE 6 College club that fosters awareness of and develops the skills and knowledge for postsecondary opportunities

[6] Weiss, et al, Conference Paper: Research and Evaluation of Family Involvement in Education: What Lies Ahead? http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/content/projects/fine/resources/conference/aera_hoover-dempsey_handout.pdf

[8] Weiss, et al, Conference Paper: Research and Evaluation of Family Involvement in Education: What Lies Ahead? http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/content/projects/fine/resources/conference/aera_hoover-dempsey_handout.pdf

[11] Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Clark, L. A., and Van Voorhis, F. E. (1999). Costs and benefits: School, district, and state funding for programs of school, family, and community partnerships. Paper presented at the 1999 annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Chicago.

·These are all the indicators referencing parent involvement/notification. The full pre-review report is available at: http://www.maine.gov/education/nclb/monitoring/documents/MonitoringReport_001.xls

· There are no specific required materials currently in use in Maine to support meeting the parent involvement indicators in the Learning Results. We have found the following support materials helpful in our work with schools around the state.

	IMPLEMENTING LEARNING RESULTS	TITLE IA	SPECIAL EDUCATION
COLLABORATIVE DECISION MAKING
Parent advisory committee
Community advisory meetings/public forum
Full parent participation in educational team decisions
Parent input on educational program requested regularly
Parents involved in policy development
Home-school compacts
Parents on school improvement committees

CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITY
Services linked with preschools/Head Start
Parents given info about support organizations
Collaboration with Parent Information Resource Center
Communicating via Cable TV
Parent-Teacher Organization supports academics
School building frequently used by community

FFY	Measurable and Rigorous Target
2005 (2005-2006)
2006 (2006-2007)
2007 (2007-2008)
2008 (2008-2009)
2009 (2009-2010)
2010 (2010-2011)

CAT	Monitoring Components (Revised 12/7/04)	Y/N/NA	Staff Responsible	Evidence (To Be Completed by State NCLB Staff)
ALL	12. Have parents been notified of the LEAs student directory information policy, either through Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) or NCLB, and their right to withdraw release of their child's student directory information? Sec. 9528, ESEA
ALL	13. Have parents at all Title IA schools been notified of their right to request the professional qualifications of their child's teacher? Have copy available. Sec. 200.61 and Sec. 1111(h)(6)(A)
ALL	14. Has each Title I school provided each parent “timely" notice that the parent’s child has been assigned, or has been taught for 4 or more consecutive weeks by, a teacher who has not met the highly qualified teacher requirements? Section 1111(h)(6)(b).
IA	16. Are parents/guardians informed that their child has been selected for Title IA services in Targeted Assistance Schools? Please have a copy of this notification available. Title I, Part A, Policy Guidance, April 1996
IA	17. Does the LEA schedule an annual parents’ meeting to discuss the Title IA program and its requirements/policies along with an explanation of the parents' rights to be involved in the program planning and evaluation. Sec. 1118(c)(1), ESEA
IA	18. Do Title IA schools have a School-Parent Compact? Please have a copy available. Sec. 1118(d)(1), ESEA
IA, IC	19. Are parents/guardians of Title IA students and Title IC (Migrant) students informed about the progress their children are making? Please have copy of progress reports and other reports sent to parents available. Sec. 1118(d)(2)(B), ESEA
IA, IC	20. Are all policies and procedures regarding parental/guardian involvement available in writing and distributed to Title IA parents and Title IC (Migrant) parents? Please have these materials available. Sec. 1118(a)(2) and Sec. 1118(b)(1), ESEA
IA, IC	21. Are parents/guardians of Title IA students and Title IC (Migrant) students involved in the development of the Title IA plan? Sec. 1118(a)(2)(A) ESEA
IA, IC	22. Are parents/guardians of Title IA students and Title IC (Migrant) students involved in project implementation? Sec. 1118(c)(3), ESEA
IA, IC	23. Are parents/guardians of Title IA students and Title IC (Migrant) students involved in project evaluation? Sec. 1118(a)(2)(E), ESEA
IA, IC	24. Are parents/guardians of Title IA students and Title IC (Migrant) students involved in the development and revision of Parental Involvement Policies? Sec. 1118(c)(3), ESEA
IA, IC	25. Has the LEA developed training programs for parents of Titles IA and Title IC (Migrant) children that reflect their needs and evaluated the effectiveness of these training programs and parental involvement activities? Please have a copy of the needs assessment and schedule available for reviewers. Sec. 1118(a)(2), ESEA and Sec. 1304(c)(3), ESEA
IA/IC	28. Are NCLB services, in particular IA and IC services, linked to and integrated with: Sec. 1112(b)(E)(ii), ESEA

Activity	Who is responsible	By when	Results

Title IA Parent Involvement Indicators

Special Education Parent Involvement Indicators

Learning Results Implementation Self-Assessment Tool: Parent Involvement Indicators

Support Materials

Title IA Materials

How to Use These Materials

School-Parent Compact Sample Template·

Learning Results Materials·

Successful Approaches to Parent Involvement in All Schools

THE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL-FAMILY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS: EPSTEIN’S SIX TYPES OF INVOLVEMENT

THE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL-FAMILY-COMMUNITY

PARTNERSHIPS: EPSTEIN’S SIX TYPES OF INVOLVEMENT