Improved Student Achievement:

1. Improved Student Achievement: Through Effective Parent & Family Engagement Dr. Roberta Schrall

2. Impact of Family & Community Involvement on Student Achievement Research states: • Higher GPA, test scores, and graduation rates • More credits earned and classes with passing grades • Better school attendance • Increased motivation, better self-esteem • Improved behavior at home and in school • Lower suspension rates • Enhanced social skills and adaptation to school • Decreased use of drug and alcohol • Fewer instances of violent behavior Henderson, A.T and Mapp, K.L , (2002) , A New Wave of Evidence- The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement,

3. Goals of this Session: • Understand Title I fiscal requirements and procedures pertaining to parent and family engagement • Ability to implement and understand specific Title I rules and regulations pertaining to parent and family engagement • Present examples of effective parent and family engagement programs and strategies • Understand the approval process for program changes. PDE/ DFP is the final authority for Federal Programs.

4. Fiscal Requirements: • If your Title I allocation is $500,000 or more, 1% of the total allocation is required to be set-aside to conduct Parent Involvement Activities • EXAMPLE:

5. 90% of PF Engagement Funds are to Be Distributed to the Title I Schools

6. Parent & Family Engagement Funds Distributed to Schools:

7. Title I, Part A Meeting (Annual) • Schools invite all parents to an information meeting regarding the school’s participation in Title I, Part A programs and explain the requirements and their right to be involved (Section 1118 (c) (1) and (2), ESEA) • Schools provide to parents of participating children specific information about Title I, Part A meetings and their opportunity to request regular meetings (Section 1118 (c) (4), ESEA)

8. Parent Communication, Coordination and Collaboration- 3C’s Parent Involvement Policy Meeting (NCLB, Sec. 1118) • Parents are invited to develop, review, or revise the DistrictAND their SchoolParent Involvement Policy • Parent policy should address six requirements to build parent capacity • Suggested evidence to support the policy development for monitoring: • Parent Invitation, advertisement, website posting • Parent and Staff sign-in sheets • Agenda • How and when “Parent Policies” were distributed?

9. Establish Parent Advisory Committees to Elicit Parent Contributions • District-wide Parent Advisory Committee • Title I School Parent Advisory Committee • Sign-up at Annual Meeting/ Open House • Seek out PTA/ PTO officers and volunteers • Combine PAC with ongoing meetings • Parents input required in SW plans • Parent input is needed for District / School Parent Involvement Policies and compacts • Parents are usually interviewed during monitoring NOT REQUIRED BUT BEST PRACTICE! Parent Involvement increases Student Achievement

10. School – Parent Compact Annually sets out the respective responsibilities of teachers, students and parents in the educational process.

11. School-Parent Compact Must Describe: 1. School’s responsibility to provide high quality curriculum and instruction in a learning environment that enables students to meet the State’s student academic standards. 2. Parents responsibility: how they will support their child’s learning; monitoring attendance, homework completion, or television watching; volunteering in their child’s classroom, and participating in the decisions relating to education of their children and positive use of extracurricular time.

12. School-Parent Compact Must Describe, cont.: 3. The School-Parent Compact Should Describe Communication • The importance of communication between parents and teacher at a minimum includes: • Parent teacher conferences in which the compact is discussed as it relates to the child’s achievement • Frequent reports to parents on their child’s progress • Reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and observation of classroom activities

13. Six Parent & Family Engagement Requirements to Build Capacity for Parent Involvement • Provide assistance to parents in understanding: • State’s Academic Content Standards • Student Academic Achievement Standards • State and Local Assessments • Requirements of Title I • How to monitor a child’s progress • How to work with educators to improve academic achievement

14. PF Engagement Requirements, cont. • Provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve academic achievement, such as literacy and technology training. • Educate instructional staff, with parental assistance, in the “value and utility of contributions of parents. • How to reach out to parents • Communicate and work with parents as equal partners • Implement and coordinate parent programs • Build ties between parents and the school

15. 4. Coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement programs and activities with other programs, that encourage and support parents to participate in the education of their child. Headstart, Parents as Teachers, Early Reading First, Public Preschool, Parent Resource Centers

16. PF Engagement Requirements, cont. 5. Parent Communication • Information related to school and parent programs should be in a format and LANGUAGE that parents can understand.

17. PF Engagement Requirements, cont. 6. Parent Involvement Activities and Programs are Provided for Parents • This provision was included so that parents of LEP students, students with disabilities, and parents of migrant children would be included.

18. Technology All parents were invited to attend the evening activities.

19. Parents Right to Know Parents must be notified (annually) that they may request information regarding the qualifications oftheir child’s teacher(s) and paraprofessionals who provide instructional services to their children. Evidence: Copy of Annual Notification Parents must be notified that they have a right to opt their child out of assessments: State, Local, Subject area. Include a description of all assessments given. Evidence: Copy of Annual Notification Parents must be notified if their child is assigned to or being taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified in a core academic area. Evidence: copy of dated letter of notification to parent/ guardian

20. LOCAL REPORT CARDS: School Level Performance Profile To inform parents and the public of the schools and the districts academic progress. Must be disseminated.

21. Annual Progress Review • SEA’s are required to disseminate to parents, LEAs, teachers and other staff, students and the community the review of each LEA. • LEA’s are required to disseminate to parent, teachers, principals, schools and community the results of the review of the LEA and each school. • Both are to include the progress in carrying out the parent involvement responsibilities.

22. Effective Strategies: Eliminate Barriers Suggestions: • Parent Outreach - Teachers make individual contact with each of their student’s parents during the first four weeks of school • Teachers should share expectations for their students with parents • Parents should be invited and welcomed to volunteer (teacher expectations need to be explained)

23. Strategies for Parent andFamily Engagement Programs: • Combine meetings with school activities that attract parents • Add Title I to the PTA or PTO meeting (collect ideas/ suggestions) • Plan conferences and workshops to engage parents in working with their children at home • Plan family engagement programs that mix “FUN Activities” with learning opportunities for the child and the parents

24. Epstein’s Framework of Six Types of Parent Involvement 1. PARENTING: Help all families establish home environments to support children as students 2. COMMUNICATION: Design effective forms of school to home and home to school 3. VOLUNTEERING: Recruit and organize parent support

25. Types of Parent Involvement, cont.: 4. LEARNING AT HOME: Provide ideas on how to help students at home with homework and other curriculum related activities, decisions, and planning 5. DECISION MAKING: Include parents in school decisions, develop parent leaders 6. COLLABORATING WITH THE COMMUNITY: Identify and integrate resources from the community

26. Annual Title I Parent Conference 8:00- 8:25 Registration / continental breakfast 8:30- 8:45 Opening, introductions, Title I Info 8: 45-10:15 Keynote speaker 10:15-10:30 Break 10:30-11:30 Choice of three breakout sessions 11:30-12:20 Lunch 12:30-1:30 Choice of three breakout sessions 1:30-2:15 Keynote speaker 2:15-2:35 Drawing for baskets, games 2:35- Parent Evaluation- open ended

27. Frank Kros, Presenter , UDO President Upside Down Organization

28. aha!Process, Inc. A Ruby Payne Company, Jim Littlejohn

29. Family Engagement Night Registration at Conneaut Valley Elementary (Northwestern Pennsylvania)

30. Parents Learn About Technology I-Pads are being used in the classroom for learning activities and interventions

31. Building a Simple Circuit Parents work with their children at science work stations

32. Physical Education Bowling, rock wall climbing, scooter races were some of the activities

33. Small Incentive Parents needed to complete 4 activities

34. Title I Reading Carnival Middle School

35. Math Stations Middle School

36. 4 Paws and 4-H Club Middle School

37. Word Art Middle School

38. Reading Imagination Middle School

39. Where Children Spend Their Time School age children spend 70% of their waking hours (including weekends and holidays) outside of school.

40. PARENTS We need to build relationship between schools and home

41. Review: What % of your allocation is set–aside for PI activities? 1% of the total over $500,000 What % is distributed to the schools? 90% (or more) is distributed to the schools What parent notifications are required? Right to Know (qualification of teachers/paras) If a child is taught for 4 CONSECUTIVE weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified in a core academic area Right to opt out of assessments for their child

42. Review, cont.: What policies/ agreements must be updated annually? District Parent & Family Engagement Policy School Parent School-Parent Compact What meetings must be held each year? Annual Progress Review Title I Informational Meeting What evidence should be kept for monitors? Sign in sheets, agendas, surveys, revision dates evidence of distribution, website posting, etc.

43. Review: What strategies can be used to increase PI and build capacity? Parent Outreach Title I School Advisory Council District Wide Advisory Council Parent Surveys Parent / Family Engagement Nights Title I Parent Conference Early Childhood transitions/ collaboration Combined Venue for meetings Parent Volunteers

44. Improved Student Achievement: Through Effective Parent Involvement & Family Engagement Thank you to John Hines and Stephen Corsi from Conneaut School District for providing parent and family engagement photos. www.Eduplanet21.com Dr. Roberta Schrall dbschrall@zoominternet.net