Policy No. 3140

Parent Involvement

The Board of Trustees believes that positive parental involvement is essential to student achievement, and thus encourages such involvement in school educational planning and operations. The Board also recognizes and encourages parental involvement at home as this is a critical component to student success. The Board of Trustees directs the Superintendent to oversee home-school communication programs in all of our schools. Each school must develop home-school communications programming that is developmentally appropriate for the grade-span it serves.

Parents will become an integral part of the operation of the school in order to ensure high student achievement. There will be many opportunities for parents to be directly involved in the education of their children. Parental empowerment, as well as parental involvement, will be the goal at school. It is the school’s profound desire that once parents are familiar with the benefits available to them through involvement and support, parental volunteerism and involvement will become a part of the regular culture of the school learning community. The school is envisioned as a center for learning, actively involving parents, students, teachers, and community members in an ongoing learning process.

Opportunities will be provided for the parents to meet with the classroom and Title I teachers to discuss their child's progress. Parents will also receive guidance as to how they can assist in the education of their children at home. The required annual evaluation of the District’s Title I program shall include identifying: 

1. Barriers to greater participation by parents in program activities, with particular attention given to parents who are economically disadvantaged, disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background;
2. The needs of parent and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers; and
3. Strategies which can support successful school and family interaction.

Home School Organization (HSO)

The parents of the school will be encouraged to form and participate in a Home School Organization (HSO), for which they will be responsible. All parents will be eligible to participate. Membership will be voluntary, and members will develop their own bylaws and elect officers. They will work closely with the administration. Parent volunteers will be actively sought out to play a vital role at the school, conducting a wide variety of activities and events, including mentoring, forming special interest groups/clubs, giving expert presentations, helping in classrooms, joining in family activities, attending parent education evenings, and participating in teacher appreciation activities, community service projects, and after-school enrichment programs and celebrations. They will be able to share information through the newsletter and the website. They may also be involved in fundraising events. 

Education for parents will also be part of the school's plan for parental empowerment. Various workshops will be provided, such as computer literacy for school's database use and financial planning for college expenses. Parents will be encouraged to pursue their own education and training as well. The school will provide parents with information on students’ behavior and academic development, as well as on learning opportunities that encourage linguistic, intellectual, physical and social growth. Ongoing parent-teacher meetings will provide a periodic screening of students’ overall linguistic, physical and social development. The goals of these meetings will be to provide early detection of potential problems and to provide individual attention to specific cases.

Communication and Partnership

The following actions will be taken to improve communication and partnerships with parents:

• We will publish a clear policy welcoming parental involvement, publicize it, and post it in the school building in an obvious place for all to see.
• We will encourage home visits by teachers, which are a productive tool for parents’ education and the building of strong relations between students and teachers.
• We will organize the staff, so that at least one person knows each student’s progress level.
• We will make sure that the school office is friendly and that parents are treated with respect.
•  The school's web page and online database will be used effectively for constant communication between school and parents. Parents will have access to daily homework assignments, grades, and attendance via the school’s secure web page.
• We will help parents to get individual email accounts, if they need one.
• We will offer a flexible number of meetings, which will be decided within the course of the year, including Title 1 program meetings.
• We will offer information to parents on school-wide programs, including Title 1 program.
• We will provide workshops on how to use the school student database to get instant reports regarding student progress and on how to communicate with teachers.
• Descriptions of courses and the curriculum will be posted on the school's website.

Title I Parent Involvement

The purpose of Title I funding under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is to provide assistance to improve educational support to students who are at risk of failing to meet the State Standards. Students with disabilities, English Language Learners (ELL), and migratory students are eligible for Title I funded programs using the same criteria as other students who are selected. The District recognizes the rights of parents/persons in parental relation to be fully informed of all information relevant to their children, including children who participate in programs and projects funded by Title I.

Programs initiated with Title I funds are intended to help students succeed in the regular program, attain grade level proficiency, and improve achievement in basic and advanced level skills.

School will provide assistance to the parents of children served by the school in understanding such topics as the State’s academic content standards and student academic achievement standards, State and local academic assessments, and the requirements concerning these. Assistance will also be given on how to monitor a child’s progress and how to work with educators to improve the achievement of their children, as outlined above.

• Parents will be involved in the development of an school Title 1 plan.
• At the end of each academic year, a school's Title 1 Committee will evaluate the effectiveness of the parental involvement policy in improving academic quality and will make recommendations to the school administration for possible changes to the policy.
• Parents of Title 1 students will be notified by letter if their child is to be included in Title 1 services.
• Quarterly progress reports will be mailed to parents.
• If an identified Title 1 student no longer requires services, the parent will be notified by mail.
• School will be sending the attached Parent Compact to inform school parents regarding the methods school will use to communicate with them.
• The same Parent Compact will help parents understand how to contribute to their child’s education as equal partners.
• School will have orientation sessions, staff meetings, and staff development days to educate teachers, pupil services personnel and other staff on how to reach parents, how to communicate with and work with parents as equal partners, how to implement and coordinate parent programs, and how to build ties between parents and the school.
• Staff members will participate in HSO meetings and parent conferences.
• In order to encourage the assistance and contributions of parents, staff members and/or teacher representatives will work with parents as equal partners.
• Staff emails will be provided to the parents in order to communicate with teachers and other staff, in the interest of fostering communication between parents and the school.
• School will ensure that information regarding parent programs, meetings and other activities is sent to parents, to the extent practicable in a language the parents can understand.
• School staff will coordinate and integrate Title 1 strategies with those of other programs and solicit parental assistance through parent-teacher meetings, HSO meetings and interpretations of student performance in the classroom. Guidance counselors will help to coordinate the above mentioned activities between Schools staff and the parents.

NYCRR Part 14934 

CFR Part 75