English PDF: DistrictTitleIParentInvovlementPolicy92011.pdf
Spanish PDF: DistrictTitleIParentInvovlementPolicy92011_Spanish.pdf

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COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 30

DISTRICT-WIDE PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICY

 

PART I.              GENERAL EXPECTATIONS

This policy was established jointly by staff and parent members of the District Leadership Team for Community School District 30  community, including parents of children attending district schools receiving funds under Title I, Part A, and sets forth the minimum expectations regarding the activities, strategies and services to be employed and implemented by local schools and supported by the district to ensure that Title I Part A requirements for parent involvement and consultation in support of improved student achievement are met.  District 30 also supports the establishment and maintenance of strong and effective school-home partnerships that foster meaningful relationships between District 30 schools and families.   

Community School District 30 agrees to communicate and implement the following statutory requirements in support of district schools receiving Title I funds:

1.     Community School District 30 will support school-level programs, activities and procedures to encourage 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).  These programs, activities and procedures will be planned and operated by schools with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children. 

2.     Consistent with section 1118, Community School District 30  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.

3.     Community School District 30 will incorporate this district-wide parental involvement policy into the New York City Consolidated Application developed under section 1112 of the ESEA. 

4.     In carrying out the Title I, Part A parental involvement requirements, to the extent practicable, Community School District 30 and its schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency and parents with disabilities, 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.

5.     If the New York City Consolidated Application developed under section 1112 of the ESEA, is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, Community School District 30 will submit any parent comments with the plan when Community School District 30 submits the plan to the New York State Department of Education.

6.     Community School District 30 will provide additional guidance to ensure that schools involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the one percent (minimum set-aside) of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parental involvement is spent in support of the activities articulated in the school’s Parent Involvement Policy. 

7.     Community School District 30 will be guided 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, guardians, persons in parental relationship and foster parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring—

(A)  that parents, guardians, persons in parental relationship and foster parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;

(B)  that parents guardians, persons in parental relationship and foster parents,  are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;

(C)  that parents, guardians, persons in parental relationship and foster 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.

 

PART II. DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE DISTRICT WILL IMPLEMENT REQUIRED DISTRICT WIDE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS

1.     Community School District 30, will with the assistance of its schools,  take the following actions to involve parents in the joint development of its district wide parental involvement plan under section 1112 of the ESEA in support of district schools receiving Title I funds: 

 

1. Support the efforts of a dedicated district or borough level staff member to act as a liaison to Title I schools and coordinate technical assistance, guidance, and support, as needed, under the direction of the Community Superintendent and in collaboration with the Division of Family and Community Engagement  to ensure that schools are aware of these requirements;

 

b.    Ensure, in collaboration with the Division of Family and Community Engagement  and/or the Borough or District Family Advocate, that a duly established District Leadership Team is formed in compliance with the requirements of Commissioner’s Regulation 100.11 and current Chancellor’s Regulation A-655 and includes the appropriate representation from parent leadership or their designees;

3. Ensure, in collaboration with the Division of Family and Community Engagement  and/or the Borough or District Family Advocate, that each school has a duly established Parent Association or Parent-Teacher Association by the end of each school year to ensure that parent leadership is in place by July 1^st;

 

4. Ensure, in collaboration with the Division of Family and Community Engagement and/or the Borough or District Family Advocate, that each school has established a School Leadership Team that includes elected representation of parents that constitute fifty-percent (50%) of the total number of team members. (A minimum of ten members is required as per Chancellor’s Regulation A-655).

 

5. Ensure in collaboration with the Division of Family and Community Engagement  and/or the Borough or District Family Advocate that Parent Association or parent members of the Parent-Teacher Association members understand the role of parents elected to serve as their representatives on the PA or PTA Executive Board, Borough and District Presidents’ Council, School Leadership Team, District Leadership Team and Community and Citywide Education Councils;

 

f.     Ensure, in collaboration with the Division of Family and Community Engagement  and/or the Borough or District Family Advocate, that District 30 has a duly established Presidents’ Council with representation from each district school in accordance with the current Chancellor’s Regulation A-660 and the council’s bylaws;

g.    Facilitate the establishment of a District Title I Parent Committee or Advisory Council[1] to ensure Title I parent representation from all district schools including high schools and active participation on the District Leadership Team in the development of the New York City Consolidated Application,  District 100.11 Plan, and NCLB Addendum, including the District Parent Involvement Policy (DPIP). (Note: While there is no federal requirement to form a District Parent Advisory Council or DPAC, Chancellor’s Regulation A-655 does allow for representation from the DPAC on the District Leadership Team.  In those cases where parents decide that Title I consultation will be facilitated through the District Presidents’ Council it is not necessary to form a DPAC).

8. Ensure that the Title I parent governance structure selected by parents for Title I consultation and planning is in place and receives support and ongoing professional development opportunities to help build their capacity and parent leadership within our schools and district. 

 

9. Ensure that the DPIP is translated in the dominant languages spoken by parents in the district and distributed widely to all schools within the district receiving Title I funding;

 

10. Facilitate the annual review and evaluation of the DPIP to determine the effectiveness of the policy and make revisions when necessary to improve the policy and the quality of parental involvement;

 

k.     Provide and facilitate multiple opportunities for parents throughout the year to provide input regarding the District Parent Involvement Policy at public district meetings (e.g., District Leadership Team meetings and CEC meetings or other forums (with translation and interpretation support as needed) in collaboration with the Division of Family and Community Engagement and/or the Borough or District Family Advocate.

 

2.     Community School District 30, in collaboration with the Office of School  Development and other offices as appropriate, will ensure that district schools receiving Title I funds take the following actions to involve parents in the process of school review and improvement under section 1116 of the ESEA:

 

a.     Provide timely access to information regarding NCLB requirements, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) made by schools, low performing schools, school choice, supplemental educational services, teacher qualifications, and other critical information related to Title I programs and school improvement initiatives to local leadership structures that represent parents and families such as: District Leadership Teams, Community and Citywide Education Councils, Borough and District Presidents’ Councils, and Title I District Parent Advisory Councils (if applicable) and at regularly scheduled public meetings.

b.    Inform parents of the process describing how and why schools are identified for school improvement interventions;

c.     Provide parents of children attending such schools with the following information in a timely manner:

1)     an explanation of what the identification means, and how the school compares in terms of academic achievement to the other elementary, intermediate or secondary schools served by the LEA and the State educational agency involved;

2)     the reasons for the identification;

3)     an explanation of how the parents can become involved in addressing the academic issues that caused the school to be identified for school improvement;

4)     an explanation of the parents’ option to transfer their child to another public school, including the provision of transportation to the new school, and information on the academic achievement of the school or schools to which the child may transfer.

5)     a notice explaining how parents can obtain supplemental education services (SES) for their children if the school is in improvement status, The notice will include:

a)     the identify of approved SES providers of those services available within the district;

b)    a brief description of the services, qualification, and demonstrated effectiveness of the providers.

d.    Publish and disseminate to parents and to the public, information regarding any actions taken by the district to address the problems that led to the identification of the school for improvement including:

1)     an explanation of what the district is doing to address the problem of low achievement;

2)     an explanation of what the school is doing to address the problem of low achievement; and,

3)     a description of corrective action or restructuring plans.

e.     Provide parents with information on the professional qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals.

 

3.     Community School District 30 will, with the assistance of its schools, 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 in support of district schools receiving Title I funds by taking the following actions: 

 

a.     Collaborate with the Office of School Development to provide professional development opportunities for administrators and staff in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build partnerships  between parents and the school;

b.    Collaborate with the Office of School Development to provide professional development opportunities for Title I parents and families in how to work with educators to improve student achievement and school quality;

c.     Seek assistance from the Division of Family and Community Engagement  and/or  the Borough or District Family Advocate to ensure that one of the following options (if applicable), in addition to the Parent Association or Parent Teacher Association[2] for  Title I Governance Structure (e.g., subcommittee of the Parent Association, parent subcommittee of the Parent-Teacher Association, Parent Advisory Council) is formed in each district school receiving Title I funding; 

d.    Ensure that school and parent leaders have access to resources and guidance which will allow them to become more knowledgeable about the provisions of Title I and NCLB legislation through support, materials and  training;

e.   Ensure, in collaboration with the Division of Family and Community Engagement and/or the Borough or District Family Advocate), that district schools, maintain on file copies of parent involvement policies and School-Parent Compacts from each school;

f.     Collaborate with the Division of Family and Community Engagement  to ensure that each district Title I school conducts the required Title I Parent Annual meeting each fall and shares information with parents about the school’s Title I status and program, their right to be involved, and the requirements under Title I, Part A;

g.    Communicate with district schools to ensure that the information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to parents in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand using the school’s Translation and Interpretation allocation.

 

4.     Community School District 30 will encourage its schools with early childhood grades to coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies under 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, with other parent involvement programs by: 

a.     Partnering with Early Childhood staff at the central, borough and school level to plan and facilitate meetings and other activities for parents and families;

b.    Collaborating with Pre-K Borough Director, Pre-K Borough Instructional Manager, Pre-K Family Worker and Pre-K Social Worker to conduct extensive outreach to parents and families providing salient Pre-K information regarding enrollment, program standards, comprehensive services, school-age programs and other specific supports as requested by the parent or family;

c.     Facilitating home-school connections;

d.    Working with classroom staff/teacher to engage parents and build their capacity to support their children’s education;

e.     Facilitating activities that will raise the literacy level of families in partnership with internal and external partners (e.g., Community Based Organizations) that provide GED and ESL classes and other related services);

f.     Coordinating transition activities at two levels: a) home to pre-school and b) pre-school to school age (e.g., workshops, fairs, conferences) (utilizing combined school-level resources with district Title I schools, Pre-K/Head Start program and community partners) to build relationships and capacity and create a seamless transition for children and their families;

g.    Facilitating the sharing of student information with parents including (e.g., results of initial screening and ongoing progress/monitoring;

h.     Providing materials for parents to support their children’s education;

i.      Facilitating the translation of materials and other resources in the dominant languages spoken by parents;

j.      Encouraging and supporting parents in full participation in the education of their children by (monitoring attendance, homework completion, and positive use of extra-curricular time); and

k.     Providing for the health and well-being of their children including, but not limited to discipline, nutrition, and hygiene.

 

5.     Community School District 30, will with the assistance of its schools, 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 in support of district schools receiving Title I funds and:

 

a.     Provide, to the extent feasible, full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school and district reports in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand:

b.    Offer flexible meeting times for parents, such as meetings in the mornings, or evenings to accommodate parent schedules;

c.     Present the District Parent Involvement Policy annually in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand during regularly scheduled District Leadership Team meetings; Involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way in the opportunity to review and respond in writing to the Parent Involvement Policy evaluating its content and effectiveness; and

d.    Use the findings of the evaluation of the parental involvement policy and activities to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, with the involvement of parents, its parental involvement policies.

 

6.     Community School District 30 will,  with the assistance of its schools collaborate with the Office of School Development and the Division of Family and Community Engagement  to help schools build capacity for creating effective parental involvement models, and support the partnership among the schools involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement by taking the following actions: 

 

a.     Provide assistance to parents in understanding such topics as the State’s academic content standards and State student academic achievement standards, State and local assessments, the requirements of Title I, Part A and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.

b.    Provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.

c.     Provide training for parents and parent leaders of Parent Associations, Parent-Teacher Associations, District and Borough Presidents’ Councils, School and District Leadership Teams, school and district Title I Parent Governance Structures and Community and Citywide Education Councils;

d.     Disseminate timely information about conferences, workshops and symposiums to parents, citywide parent leadership structures and Parent Coordinators;

e.     Provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this section as parents may request.

 

 

7.     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 in support of district schools receiving funds under this part, by: 

 

1. Encouraging schools to donate time, materials, and other resources to support district-wide parent involvement activities and events;

 

b.   Providing access to space, where feasible, to support parenting and adult education classes (e.g., ESL, GED, job readiness);

 

3. Offering access to district-wide training to parents regarding the use of Achievement Reporting and  Innovation System (ARIS) to track their children’s progress;

 

4. Offering access to district-wide training for parents regarding the use of nySTART and other accountability tools;

 

8.     Community School District 30 will, with the assistance of its schools, 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, implement and coordinate parent programs and build ties between parents and schools in support of district schools receiving funds under this part, by taking the following actions: 

 

a.     Hosting, in collaboration with the Office of School Development, the Division of Family and Community Engagement   and New York State Education Department, an annual district orientation for principals, teachers, staff and parents regarding Title I programmatic requirements.

b.    Sharing professional development materials and other resources and guides made available by the Department of Education and New York State Education Department with school communities; and

c.     Hosting district-wide events to showcase best practices demonstrated by schools that build and sustain successful school-family partnerships and relationships.

 

 

PART III.    DISCRETIONARY DISTRICT-WIDE PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS 

           

District 30, with the assistance of its schools, is fully committed to meaningful parent involvement and will ensure the operation of programs, activities, and procedures for the involvement of parents in all District 30 schools, with Title I, Part A programs, consistent with section 1118 of the elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  In doing so, the district is committed to:

 

• provide 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;
• train parents to enhance the involvement of other parents;
• adopt and implementing model approaches to improving parental involvement;
• establish a district-wide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in Title I, Part A programs;
• develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses, including faith-based organizations, in parental involvement activities; and
• provide other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under section 1118 as parents may request.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART IV.          ADOPTION 

 

This District Parent Involvement Policy for Community School District 30 has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs and the District Leadership Team, as evidenced by district-level meeting notices, attendance sheets, minutes, feedback forms and/or surveys from meetings where the District Parental Involvement Policy was shared and discussed.  This evidence will remain on file in the district office and be subject to review and/or audit by city, State or federal officials or their representatives.  

 

This policy was adopted by the District Leadership Team for Community School District 30 on September 20, 2011, and will be in effect for the period of one year.  The school district will distribute this policy to all parents of participating Title I, Part A children in the dominant languages spoken by parents in District 30 schools receiving funds under Title I, Part A on or before October 31, 2011.  The annual evaluation of the District Parent Involvement Policy took place September 20, 2011.

 

A signed version of the District Parent Involvement Policy is available for review at the District Office.