York Elementary Schoolwide Title I Parent Involvement Policy

2006-2007

 

The York Elementary Schoolwide Title I Program can only be effective if parents and the school form a true partnership for the purpose of providing high quality education so all students will achieve high academic standards and meet the state’s performance standards and the federal guidelines for “ No Child Left Behind Program”.

 

WAYS PARENTS WILL BE INVOLVED

I.  York Elementary will hold annual public meetings at convenient times to which all the parents will be invited.  The meetings will be held in the fall and will emphasize project plan implementation, project review, an explanation of the school’s parent involvement policy, the legal requirement, the school’s participation in the Title I Program, and the parents' right to be involved.

 

II.  All parents will be invited and encouraged to attend planning meetings held in the afternoon, evening, and morning.  At one of these meetings a school/parent compact will be developed for parents, students, and the school to jointly provide the following:

A.  The school will:

      1.  Provide high quality curriculum and research based learning materials and educational programs.

      2.  Provide parents with assistance in understanding academic achievement standards and assessments and how to monitor their children’s progress.

3.  Provide frequent opportunities for ongoing communication between parents and teachers through, at a minimum: annual parent/ teacher conferences (two per year or as the need arises), grade reports to parents (every 41/2 weeks and at the end of the nine week grading period), student work folders are also sent home every Thursday with a required parent signature sheet to be returned to the teacher, opportunities for parents to volunteer in classrooms, and to observe classroom and school activities.

B.    The parents will support their children’s learning by doing the following: 

1.  Encourage children to attend school regularly.

        2.  Encourage children to show positive school behavior. 

        3.  Review children’s homework.

        4.  Monitor television watching and encourage positive use of their children’s extracurricular time.

        5.  Volunteer in their children’s school and classroom if time or schedule permits.

        6.  Attend parent/ teacher conferences and participate, when appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children. 

  C.  The students will do the following:

        1.  Do homework and ask for help when they need to.

        2.  Read daily outside of school time.

        3.  Give parents all notices and information received from school every day.

        4.  Come to school ready to learn with necessary supplies.

        5.  Be respectful of others and themselves.    

 

The York Elementary Parent Involvement Policy and Compact will be developed/ revised at planning meetings and then distributed to all parents and school staff.  The policy will be evaluated annually to determine if it is increasing parent participation, especially that of the hard-to-reach parents.  The policy will be revised and parents will be involved in developing, reviewing, and revising the York Elementary’s Schoolwide Policy and the School Improvement Plan, which will be updated as appropriate to meet the changing needs of parents.  Any comments of dissatisfaction concerning the School Plan or Parent Policy will be attached and submitted to LEA.  Parents’ suggestions and concerns will be taken and answered as they are received.  Provisions will be  made for other reasonable support for parental involvement as parents may request.  

 

HOW WILL PARENTS BE CONTACTED

Parents will be recruited to participate in the decisions regarding the Schoolwide Title I Program.  They will be contacted through announcements in the newspaper, radio, letters sent home by students, telephone calls, school website, marquee sign, home visits may be made if needed, parent/ teacher conferences, and at school functions.  Parent volunteers, PTO, and community members will perform outreach with other parents in the community in order to get all parents involved in their children’s education.  Our goal is to increase parent participation each year.

 

INVOLVEMENT OF THE FENTRESS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT (LEA)

The LEA will be a constant source of support to York Elementary as it develops its Parent Involvement Program.  Support will include funding, materials, professional development training for staff, and other resources including assistance in coordinating with other parenting programs such as parenting classes and workshops held at the school.  Because we believe that parent involvement is integral to the educational success 

of York Elementary’s students, increased parent participation will be promoted in the following ways:

I.  York Elementary will receive district support in developing and improving parent involvement programs.  The support will include:

    A.  Staff development activities based on needs assessments

    B.  A manual on innovative parent involvement strategies

    C.  Assistance in coordinating with the Adult Education Program will provide parents with information about the program at the annual meetings.

    D. Coordination of business-school partnerships will be made with banking institutions, restaurants, and other businesses which support and contribute to the educational needs of York Elementary.

 

II.  Parents will receive school support, which will assist them in becoming full partners in their children’s education.  This will include the following methods:

      A.  Develop and implement parent involvement programs, which will make parents partners in their children’s education.

      B.  Keep parents informed by periodic newsletters, county newspaper, school newspaper, school website, and community bulletin board on television and radio.

      C.  Create opportunities for parents and community to visit the school.

      D.  Create and maintain opportunities for parents and community to provide input into the school program.

      E.  Schedule meetings at different times so more parents can attend.

      F.  Develop ways of parent/ teacher communication on an on going basis

      G. Include parents in the development and implementation of the Title I/ Schoolwide Program.

      H. To the extent possible, information sent home will be in the language and form that parents can understand.

      I.  Home visits may be made when necessary.

      J.  Training will be provided for all teachers, staff, and parents on how to work together in a joint effort to reach out, communicate with and form partnerships to improve student achievement.

      K. Training and materials will be provided to help parents at home to improve their children’s achievement.

      L.  Coordinate and integrate Parent Involvement Program activities with Head Start and Pre-School Programs.

      M.  Develop partnerships with community based organizations and businesses.

 

Parents and parent organizations will be informed of the existing and purposes of any resource center, training, and other information as it becomes available.

 

All information sent to parents will be in a manner that can be easily read and understood.  Provisions will be provided for parents with limited English.

 

 

York Elementary’s Schoolwide Title I Program will comply with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, that no one person in the United States shall, on the grounds of handicap, disability, age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other classification protected by Federal and/ or Tennessee State Constitutional and  or/ statutory law, be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of or be otherwise subject to discrimination under any programs or activity for which the applicant receives Federal financial assistance.