2261.01 - PARENT PARTICIPATION IN TITLE I PROGRAMS

Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township

Bylaws & Policies

2261.01 - PARENT PARTICIPATION IN TITLE I PROGRAMS

In accordance with the requirement of Section 1118 of Title I, as amended by Section 1010 of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), programs supported by Title I funds must be designed and implemented in consultation with parents and family members of the students being served.

The Superintendent shall require that the Title I plan contains a written statement of guidelines which has been developed with, approved by, and distributed to parents and family members of participating students. The guidelines shall describe:

	A.	the School Corporation’s expectations and objectives for meaningful parent and family involvement in the program, including their participation in jointly developing the Corporation Title I plan and the development of support and improvement plans;

	B.	how the Corporation will provide coordination, technical assistance and how other support necessary to assist and build the capacity of all participating schools within the Corporation in planning and implementing effective parent and family involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance, which may include meaningful consultation with employers, business leaders, and philanthropic organizations or individuals with expertise in effectively engaging parents and family members in education;


	C.	an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parent and family engagement policy in improving the academic quality of all Title I schools to be conducted with meaningful involvement of parents and family members that includes identifying any barriers to greater parental involvement (such as limited English proficiency, limited literacy, economic disadvantage, disability, racial or ethnic minority background, etc.), determining the needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers, and devising strategies to support successful school and family interactions.

	D.	how the Corporation will coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies under Title I with parent and family engagement strategies, to the extent feasible and appropriate, under other Federal, State, and local laws and programs;

	E.	use of the findings of the annual evaluation referenced above to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parental involvement and to revise, if necessary, the parent and family engagement guidelines;

	F.	involvement of parents in the activities of Title I schools, which may include establishing a parent advisory board comprised of a sufficient number and representative group of parents or family members served by the Corporation to adequately represent the needs of the population served by the Corporation for purposes of developing, revising and reviewing the parent and family engagement guidelines; and

	G.	other activities to be conducted as appropriate to the plan and State or Federal requirements.

The Superintendent shall also require that each Title I participating school develops a specific plan, with parent and family engagement, to:

A.	convene an annual meeting at a convenient time to which parents of low-income students are invited and encouraged to attend, to inform the parents that the school receives Title I funds, receipt of these funds subjects the school to certain requirements, and the parents have a right to be involved;

B.	offer a flexible number of engagement meetings at convenient times for families and describe assistance to encourage parental involvement, such as child care, transportation, home visits, or similar aid;

C.	involve parents in an organized, on-going and timely way in the development, review and improvement of parent involvement activities;

D.	provide parents and families with:

	1.	timely information about Title I programs;

	2.	an explanation of the curriculum and achievement levels the school uses;

	3.	opportunities for regular meetings, upon request, to participate in decisions relating to their student’s education;


E.	develop jointly with parents of low-income students a school-parent agreement which outlines the responsibilities of families, the school, staff, and students for improved student academic achievement and develop a partnership to help students achieve State standards, including:

	1.	a description of the school’s responsibility to provide high quality curriculum, and instruction in a supportive, effective learning environment that enables students to meet the academic achievement standards and the ways in which each parent will be responsible for supporting learning, including volunteering in their child’s classroom and participating in decisions related to the education of their children;

	2.	the importance of communication between families and staff through, at a minimum, parent-teacher conferences in elementary schools, at least annually, during which the agreement/compact will be discussed as it related to the individual child’s achievement; frequent progress reports to the parents; and opportunities to volunteer in or observe their student’s class;

	3.	ensuring regular two-way meaningful communication between family members and school staff in a language they understand;

F.	ensure the effective involvement of parents and support a partnership among the school, parents and the community to improve student academic achievement by the following activities:

	1.	providing assistance to parents in understanding the State’s academic standards, State and local academic assessments, the requirements of Title I, and how to monitor a student’s progress and work with educators;

	2.	providing materials and training to help parents to work with their students to improve their achievement;


	3.	educating school personnel, with the assistance of parents, in the value an utility of the contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners;

	4.	integrating engagement strategies with other Federal and State programs, including preschool programs;

	5.	ensuring that information related to programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to parents in a format and a language the parents can understand;

	6.	providing other reasonable support for engagement activities;

	7.	providing opportunities for the informed participation of families with limited English proficiency or disabilities and families of migratory children in a format and language they understand;

	8.	providing reasonable support for parental involvement activities as parents request them;

	9.	arranging school meetings or conducting in-home conferences between teachers and parents who are unable to attend such conferences at school;

20 U.S.C. 6318 et seq., Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
Section 1010 of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
34 C.F.R. Part 200 et seq.