FILE: IFD

Cf: KA


PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

(TITLE 1)

Statement of Purpose

A major goal of the Livingston Parish Title 1 program is to encourage greater involvement of parents in the education of their children in developing strong partnership with teachers, principals, other staff, the community and their school. The Board shall solicit parental involvement through the implementation of programs, activities and procedures designed to enhance the involvement of parents in the educational process. Such activities shall be planned and implemented with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children.

Each LEA that receives Title 1 funds shall develop jointly with, agree upon, and distribute to parents of participating children a written parent involvement policy establishing the expectations for parent involvement and describing how the LEA will involve parents in the joint development of the plan.

The Livingston Parish School System is committed to the goal of providing quality education for every child in this district. The child benefits if the school and home form a partnership promoting high expectations for our children. Parents are the children's first teachers. Parents' support for their children and for the school is critical to their children's success at every step along the way. The Livingston Parish School District intends to include parents in all aspects of the district's Title 1 Program. The goal is a strong school-home partnership that will help all students in the district succeed.

Parental Involvement in Developing Policy

A district-wide Parent Advisory Committee, along with principals, teachers, Title 1 staff and supervisors shall monitor the Board's Parental Involvement policy. The Parent Advisory Committee shall consist of parents selected (or volunteers) in each Title 1 school attendance area. Special attention shall be given to recruit parents of children in the Title 1 Schoolwide or Targeted Assistance Program. The goal is to have at least one (1) parent from each school whose children are participating in the Title 1 program (or have participated in the past two (2) years) on the committee.

Annual Meeting for Title 1 Parents

An Annual Meeting shall be held in each year at the local level. Parents will be provided information about the new Title 1 guidelines and how they differ from the previous Chapter 1 Program in their school. Copies of the district's current Parental Involvement policy shall be distributed. Parents shall be given an opportunity to become involved in all aspects of the Parental Involvement Program on the school level. At this meeting, parents may volunteer to serve on the individual school advisory committee if slots are still available.

School-Parent Compact

Each school must share responsibility with parents for high student performance by developing a school-parent-student compact jointly with parents of children participating in the program. These compacts will outline how parents, staff and students will share responsibility for promoting high student achievement.

Parents will receive the compact from their child's school with a checklist of responsibilities that teachers, parents and students will have for helping students achieve the goals. The content of the compact will be discussed at the school meetings with the parent and child's teacher.

Parents are urged to discuss the compact with their children, before signing it and having their children sign.


Types of Parent Involvement

There are many ways in which parents can become involved with their children's education. The Livingston Parish School District values both at-home contributions and those which take place at school and in the community. Reading to children at home, talking with them at family mealtime, providing an at-home study period, monitoring the TV programs, and making sure homework assignments are complete are as important as volunteering at school and serving on advisory committees. Many types of parental involvement are needed in a school-home-community partnership that will help all our children to succeed. For additional ways parents can become involved, parents should check with the child's classroom teacher, building level principal, or the Title 1 Teacher.


Matching Programs to the Needs of the Parent and Child

Each year, the school will assess the needs of parents and their children in this parish, through a variety of measures - including surveys and questionnaires.

Workshops, training sessions and other programs will be available (some for parents, some for parents and children, some for parents, administrator and teachers) to match the expressed needs. Parents will be notified about these opportunities through the individual schools, District Title 1 Office and through the local media. Parents may call the District Title 1 office or their local school office at any time to express an interest in a particular workshop or to make suggestions for a workshop. Parents will be provided the opportunity to participate in various educational programs.

Staff-Parent Communication


Communication with parents will include a Title 1 newsletter distributed during the school year. There will also be notices, fliers, progress reports and calendar of activities sent home with children.

Communications will be made through telephone calls, letters, parent-teacher conferences, and home visits by request (home visit requests must be made by the parent, Superintendent, his/her designee or building level principal).

Parents are encouraged to talk to their child's teacher when they are not concerned about a problem, as well as when they are concerned about a problem. Teachers are encouraged to send notes and make telephone calls to parents when children are experiencing success, as well as when they are having difficulties. Parents may also call the school office or Parent Coordinator's office and ask for a translator for conferences. The staff will be receiving training on how to improve home-school communication; parents will be asked to participate in these training sessions.

Coordination, Technical Assistance and Other SupportThe Central Office Staff, District Title 1 Staff and School Board shall provide coordination, technical assistance and support necessary to assist participating schools in planning and implementing effective parent involvement. The Title 1 supervisory staff, parent coordinator and Social Service Facilitator shall coordinate parental involvement strategies with such programs as Head Start, Even Start, Parents as Teachers Programs, State-run preschool programs, Health and Human Services programs and other literacy training, when applicable.


Evaluation

A school level Title 1 Advisory Committee shall be involved in the process of school review and improvement. Parents of children in the Title 1 program will be a part of this group. The aim will be to evaluate the schools in this district, collecting information in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, visits to school and observations of classes.

There shall be an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the Title 1 Parental Involvement Program. The evaluation will include an assessment of how much parental involvement is increasing at the school and district level and what barriers to parental participation still need to be overcome. The school district will revise its Parental Involvement policy on the basis of the annual review.

This policy will be coordinated by the Title 1 Supervisory Staff, teachers throughout the district, and promoted by building level principals, parents, business partners and other school staff.

Ref: Title 1 Guidelines for Parental Involvement, Section 1118, Improving America's School Act of 1994.