1. Title One Parent Involvement
Renaissance Middle School
Tricia M. Rock, Principal
Parents Power Hour with Principal
September 25, 2015

2. Effective strategies to increase parent involvement programs
Engage in two-way, regular communication with families.
Start with a needs assessment like Project Appleseed’s Parental Involvement Checklist
for schools and the Parental Involvement Report Card for parents.
Tailor programs to schools' specific needs and be respectful of diversity.
Clarify how parents can be involved in their children's education by asking parents to take our Parental Involvement Pledge.
Foster a climate of mutual respect and trust.
Welcome families into the school.
(Blazer& Drake 2000)

3. Research identifies certain types of parental involvement and specific strategies as effective in supporting student learning.
Increasing the number of contacts between the school and the parent does appear to stimulate parent volunteerism.
Parent communication with school and parent participation in a PTSA can be influenced by schools. A study found that increased school-initiated contact resulted in reciprocal parent contacts.
Thus, enhanced school contacts with parents should increase the parents' contacts with school.
Creating opportunities to engage parents to a greater degree in school can increase their involvement in the school's organizational structure.
(Bourdieu 1990 & Feuerstein 2000)

4. Parent Involvement
The more involved you are in your child’s education, the more likely your child is to succeed in school.
Research shows that parent support is more important to school success than a student’s IQ, economic status, or school setting.

5. When Parents are Involved
Children get higher grades and test scores.
Children have better attitudes and behavior.
Children complete more homework.
Children are more likely to complete high school and enroll in post-high school education.

6. Parent Involvement Defined
The term parental involvement means the participation of parents in regular two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring that –
Parents plan 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, as appropriate, in decision making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child.
Other activities as described in section 1118 of NCLB
This definition, in conjunction with other provisions in NCLB, sets the parameters by which SEAs and LEAs and schools must implement policies, programs and procedures related to Title I, Part A Parent Involvement.

7. School, Family, & Community Partnerships: Caring for the Children We Share
There are three overlapping spheres of influence that directly affect student learning. With frequent interactions among schools, families and communities, more students are likely to receive common messages from various people about the importance of school, of working hard, of thinking creatively, of helping one another, and of staying in school. There are some practices that schools, family and community conduct separately and some that are conducted jointly to influence a child’s learning and development. Sometimes students are critical to the success of the family, the community or the school. Often, students are the parent’s main source of information about school.

8. Six Types of Parent Involvement
Parenting: Help all families establish home environments to support children as students
Communicating: Design effective forms of school to home communications about school programs and their children’s progress
Volunteering: Recruit and organize parent help and support
Learning at Home: Provide ideas to families about how to help students at home with homework and other curriculum-related activities, decisions an planning
Decision Making: Include parents in school decisions, developing parent leaders and representatives
Collaborating with the Community: Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning and development
What are your starting points?
Identify strengths
Identify needed changes
Determine expectations
Define your community
Link you actions to measurable goals

9. Type 1: Parenting Workshops, videotapes, websites
Parent education and other courses or training for parents (GED, family literacy)
Partnerships with local colleges/businesses
Parent resource center/Parent University offering
Family support programs to assist families with health, nutrition, and parenting
Home visits
Parent Mentor for Special Education/English Language Learners
School Annual Title I Meeting
Grandparents’ Day, Muffins for Mom, Doughnuts for Dad
Monthly Family Nights

10. Type 2: Communicating
Newsletter with calendar of events sent home and posted on website
Translations for ELL parents
Use of Translation Resource Persons (TRPs) for conferences and school events
School/Parent Compact
Social Media (Twitter)
Parent Involvement Policy- Development, Distribution and Feedback
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Progress Reports, Report Cards
ESEA Parent Notifications – TransAct Communication & Compliance Center

11. Type 3: Volunteering
Volunteer hours recognized in the school newsletter/website/Twitter and at the end of the year celebration
Volunteer tutors
Mentors
PTSA
Parent Support Group
Annual survey to identify interest, talents, and availability of volunteers
Utilize volunteers for phone trees or other structures to provide all families with needed information

12. Type 4: Learning at Home
Information for families on required skills in all subjects at each grade
Information on homework policies and how to monitor and discuss schoolwork at home
Information on how to assist students with skills they need to improve
Provide appropriate instructional materials through Learning at Home Toolkits
Calendars with daily or weekly activities for parents and students to do at home or in the community (school website)
Summer learning packets or activities
Family participation in helping students set academic goals for the year

13. Type 5: Decision Making School policy handbook District task forces
Encourage PTSA participation
Title I School/District Parent Advisory Council
School Governance Council
Networks to link all families with parent representatives
Surveys or phone calls to obtain parents’ input and reactions to school policies
School policy handbook
District task forces

14. Type 6: Collaborating With The Community
Information for students and families on community health, cultural, recreational, social support, and other programs and services
Information on community activities that link to learning skills and talents, including summer opportunities for students
School-business partnerships to attain school improvement goals
Open House
Family Nights
Curriculum Nights
Strategic partnerships to support school readiness and family literacy
Tutors
Mentors

15. General School Responsibilities
Develop a written parental involvement policy jointly with, and agreed upon by, parents of participating students
Notify parents of the existence of the policy and make the policy available to the community
Develop jointly with parents a school-parent compact
Convene an annual meeting to inform parents of their school’s participation in Title I and to explain Title I, its requirements, and their right to be involved
Offer meetings using a flexible schedule
Provide parents timely information
Provide assistance to participating parents on school-related, ESEA/NCLB and Title I requirements

16. School Responsibilities Continued…
Provide parent involvement materials and training
Educate teachers and other district staff on parental involvement
Coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs, activities and strategies with Migrant, Homeless, Vocational Education
Develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parent involvement activities
Conduct other activities as appropriate and feasible, such as the parent resource center
Involve parents in an ongoing and end of year assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of the parent involvement initiatives as a measure of school performance evaluations of the school

17. Building Capacity Section 1118 of NCLB requires 6 action and
8 recommended actions to ensure effective
Involvement of parents and to support
Partners among the school involved,
parents and the community to improve
student achievement.
How can schools assist parents in developing their capacity to support their children’s education:
Engage them at school so they understand what their children are learning
Give them a voice in what happens to their children
Provide information about how to help their children at home, what their children need to learn, and how to plan for college, postsecondary education and a career.
Foster social connections between parents and teachers
Build families understanding of the education system and how to guide their children through it successfully
Offer access to social services and community agencies
Identify and build on strengths in the community and among families

18. Title I Monitoring Documentation
School Parent Involvement Policy has been written and evidence that it is updated periodically
Evidence that School Parent Involvement Policies have been distributed to all parents of Title I, Part A participating students
School-Parent Compact has been developed and distributed to all parents of Title I, Part A participating students
Evidence that schools hold an annual meeting to inform participating parents about Title I programs
Evidence that the school is carrying out the six requirements to build parents’ capacity to be involved in the schools
Evidence that the school has informed parents about the existence of the Parent Resource Center

19. Building Capacity
Must ensure effective involvement of parents and support a partnership among the school, parents and community.
Provide assistance to parents on understanding topics.
Provide material and training for parents to work with their children to improve their children’s achievement.

20. Building Capacity
To educate teachers, pupil service personnel, principals and other staff, with the assistance of parents in the value and utility of contribution in the development of training.
To coordinate and integrate parent involvement program and activities with other federal programs ie: Head Start, Even Start, Public Preschools, Reading First.

21. Building Capacity
May pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement activities --- transportation and child care cost.
May train parents to enhance the involvement of other parents.
May establish a district-wide parent advisory council to provide advice on parental involvement.
May develop appropriate roles for community based organization and businesses in parent involvement activities.

22. School-Parent Compact
It must describe the high quality curriculum and instruction in an effective learning environment that enables children served under Title I Part A to meet the State’s student academic achievement standards.
Ways for Parents to be responsible for supporting their children’s environment.
Importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis.

23. School-Parent Compact School Responsibilities examples
Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction.
Hold parent-teacher conferences.
Provide parents with frequent reports on their student’s progress.
Provide parents reasonable access to staff.
Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their student’s class and to observe classroom activities.

24. School Parent Compact Parent Responsibilities examples
Parents will support our student’s learning and achievements in the following ways:
Make sure my student is in class everyday prepared to participate.
Make sure that homework is completed on time.
Monitor outside classroom activities.

25. School Parent Compact Student Responsibilities
Describe the ways in which students will support their academic successes.
Example: Do my homework everyday.
Ask for help when I do not understand.
Read for at least 30 minutes each day.
Make sure all notices and information is given to my parent or the adult responsible for my well being.

26. School-Wide Program
A Title I School-Wide program requires the school to employ strategies to increase parental involvement.
All parents in a school-wide program school are eligible to participate in parent involvement activities.
The focus of these activities is to raise the achievement and include the parents of the lowest-achieving students in order that they may better assist in the education of their child.
School Wide explanation

27. Resources
U.S. Department of Education – toolkit
Academic Development Resources
Parent Involvement Resource Center (PIRC)
Developing Meaningful Parent Involvement - LRP Publications

28. ISBE Resources
ISBE Parent Involvement Webpage
School Parental Involvement Policy
School Parent Compact

29. Cougar Highlights and Updates
In July 2015, RMS was removed from the priority/focus school list.
Since August 2015, OSS/ISS has decreased school-wide
Since August 2015, Attendance has been at 97% or higher
Leadership Academy Program
New Partnerships/programs have been implemented
Wildcat Blue Ribbon Scholars Breakfast
Wildcat Way (PBIS) Implementation
Parent volunteers are on the rise
SEED funds allocation 2015 (Cougar Academy)
Focus Area#3-Culture
AVID/STEAM pathway initiative(s) for 2016
Personalized Learning 1:1 devices for all students
Focus on Math/Reading ongoing
Tutorial Programs/After-School before school opportunties

30. ISS YTD Days Comparison

31. OSS YTD Days Comparison

32. Current Year OSS Data by Grade Level

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