NCLB and Title I Schools Houston Independent School District

NCLB and Title I Schools Accelerated curriculum Effective instructional strategies High-quality professional staff Extra help Parent involvement Title 1 is a federally funded program within No Child Left Behind that provides additional funds to schools with high numbers of children from low-income families. As a result of the conditions that often impact families who are poor (e.g., high mobility, unsafe communities, poor health), these children often fall behind in school and require additional resources to catch up and stay on track. Title 1 funds are used primarily to support teaching and can be spent for professional development, additional teachers to reduce class size, specialists in reading and math, paraprofessionals, and school reform programs. NCLB is very clear about the importance of engaging families in the Title 1 program. Not only must parents be included in the planning and implementation of parent involvement programs and procedures, but each school district must reserve not less than 1% of its total Title 1 grant to support activities to engage parents. There are six key leverage points for parent involvement in Title 1 that give parents the power to be effective partners with schools, and advocates for their children. Let’s explore what they are.

Parent Involvement Policy Every Title I school must have a written parent involvement policy, developed with and approved by parents. Every school receiving Title 1 funds must have in place a parent involvement policy. This policy should spell out how parents will be involved in a meaningful way in making decisions about the program and how they will be involved in the school. The policy must also be updated periodically to reflect the changing conditions for learning and needs of the parents and students.

Parent-School Compact Every Title I school must have a school compact, developed with and approved by parents. NCLB is very clear—a school-parent compact is a comprehensive plan for partnerships between families and schools that is linked to school goals for student achievement and success. The school compact should describe how the school, parents and students will work together to achieve student success. The compact should be more than a laundry list of what teachers will do and what parents will do. It is not intended to be voluntary for parents, students or teachers but rather a way to hold everyone accountable for doing their part. For example, a compact that says “the parent will contact the school once a month” does not send a message of partnership. But a compact that says “the parent will monitor his or her child’s progress and contact the teacher as soon as any problems arise” does send a message of partnership.

District Policy Every school district must have a written Title I parent involvement policy, developed with and approved by parents, and evaluated every year. Your school district must have a policy in place that describes how the district will: Involve parents in the development of a district-wide Title 1 plan. Involve parents in the process of school review and improvement.

Report Cards The school district must distribute a report card specifying how every school and the district as a whole are performing. The requirement that school districts distribute a report card specifying how each school individually and the district as a whole are performing applies to Title 1 and non-Title 1 schools as well as charter schools. The report card must include: Achievement information, broken down by subgroups. The subgroups are identified by race/ethnicity, disability, income, gender, English language learners and migrant workers. The percentage of students not tested, broken down by subgroups. Graduation rates for high school students, retention and promotion for middle grade students, and a similar indicator for elementary school students. Teacher qualifications, broken down by high-poverty and low-poverty schools. Although not required, the report card may include information about parent involvement.

Public School Choice If a Title I school has not made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) over the past two years parents have choices. Under this requirement, if a school continuously fails to make adequate yearly progress (AYP), parents can ask to transfer their children to a school that is making adequate yearly progress. they can understand.

State Review The State Education Agency (TEA) is responsible for monitoring Title I programs in its state. Each state education agency is responsible for reviewing the local districts’ parent involvement policies and practices to determine if they meet the law’s requirements. Additionally, every state must have a complaint procedure that parents can use.

Parental Involvement Required Parent Meetings Convene an annual meeting to inform parents of their school’s participation in Title I and to explain the requirements and parents’ rights to be involved. The District has mandated at least four (4) meetings a year including the annual required meeting.

Parental Involvement Communication Parental Involvement Policy School-Parent Compact Other notification letters will be sent home throughout the year to keep you informed regarding your child's education.

Let’s Work Together in 2013-2014 “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two.” George Bernard Shaw Encourage parents to be an integral part in their child’s education. Answer questions. Share any other important information that pertains to your PAC.