| School District of Colfax |
| Bylaws & Policies |
2261.01 - PARENT PARTICIPATION IN TITLE I PROGRAMS
In accordance with the requirements of Section 1118 of Title I, programs supported by Title I funds must be designed and implemented in consultation with parents of the students being served.
Development of Administrative Guidelines for Parent Participation
The District Administrator shall ensure that the Title I plan under Section 6312 contains administrative guidelines which have been developed and approved by the District and parents of participating students and distributed to parents. The guidelines shall describe how:
| A. | the District expects and encourages parents to be involved in the planning, review, and improvement of Title I programs, including their participation in the development of the plan under Section 1112 and the process for school review and improvement under Section 1116; | |
| B. | meetings will be conducted with parents including provision for flexible scheduling and whatever assistance the District may be able to provide parents in order to better ensure their attendance at meetings, and for providing information in a language the parents can understand; | |
| C. | meetings will include review and explanation of the curriculum, means of assessment, and the proficiency levels students are expected to achieve and maintain; | |
| D. | opportunities will be provided for parents to formulate suggestions, interact and share experiences with other parents, and participate appropriately in the decision-making about the program and revisions in the plan; | |
| E. | information concerning school performance profiles and their child's individual performance will be communicated to parents; | |
| F. | parents will be provided with assistance (e.g., literacy training and technology) in providing help to their children in achieving the objectives of the program by such means as ensuring regular attendance, monitoring television-watching, providing adequate time and the proper environment for homework; guiding nutritional and health practices, and the like; | |
| G. | timely responses will be given to parental questions, concerns, and recommendations; | |
| H. | the District will provide coordination, technical assistance and other support necessary to assist Title I schools to develop effective parental participation activities to improve academic achievement and school performance; | |
| I. | an annual evaluation of the parental involvement plan will be conducted with parents, identifying any barriers to greater parental involvement (such as limited English, limited literacy, economic disadvantage, disability, etc.) and how strategies will be devised to improve parental involvement and to revise, if necessary, this policy; | |
| J. | the parental involvement plan will be coordinated with other programs, such as Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, Parents as Teachers, and Home Instruction for Preschool Youngsters; | |
| K. | other activities will be conducted as appropriate to the plan and State and Federal requirements. |
The District Administrator shall also ensure that the guidelines include a school-parent compact developed jointly by the District and parents, which outlines the responsibilities of the school staff, the parents and the student for academic improvement. The school-parent compact shall include provisions addressing:
| A. | the school's responsibility to provide high quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive, effective learning environment; | |
| B. | parent's responsibility for such things as monitoring attendance, homework, extra-curricular activities, and excessive television watching; volunteering in the classroom; and positive use of extra-curricular time; and | |
| C. | the importance of parent-teacher communication on an on-going basis through at least annual parent teacher conferences to discuss achievement and the compact; frequent progress reports to parents; reasonable access to staff; and to opportunities to observe and participate in classroom activities. |
Informing Parents of Their Right to be Involved in Development and Administration of this Policy
The District Administrator shall also assure that each Title I participating school develops a specific plan, with parental involvement, which:
| A. | convenes an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which parents of participating children are invited and encouraged to attend, to explain the school's involvement under Title I, the requirements to develop this policy, and the parents' right to be involved; | |
| B. | involves parents in an organized, on-going and timely way in the development, review, and improvement of parent involvement activities; | |
| C. | provides participating students' parents with: |
| 1. | timely information about the Title I programs; | ||
| 2. | an explanation of the curriculum, the forms of academic assessment, and the proficiency levels expected; | ||
| 3. | regular meetings, upon request by a parent, to make suggestions and receive response regarding their student's education. |
Notice to Parents and Updating the Policy
The District will notify all parents of this policy, the guidelines, and the school-parent compact in a language understandable to the parents, to the extent practicable. Additionally, this policy will be made available to the local community and will be updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.
20 U.S.C. 6318 34 C.F.R. Part 200 et seq.
© Neola 2003