KBF - Parent Involvement-Title I
PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN TITLE I
Acton School Committee endorses the parent involvement goals of Title I and encourages the regular participation by parents/guardians in all aspects of the school system’s Title I programs.
For the purpose of this policy, “parent/guardians” includes other family members involved in supervising the child’s schooling.
I. DISTRICT-LEVEL PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICY
In compliance with federal law, the school unit will develop jointly with, agree on with, and distribute to parents of children participating in the school system’s Title I programs a written district-level parent involvement policy.
Annually, parents/guardians will have opportunities to participate in the evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the school unit’s parent involvement policy, and to use the findings of the evaluation to design strategies for more effective parent involvement and suggest revisions to the policy.
II. SCHOOL-PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICY
As required by law, each school in the school unit that receives Title I funds shall jointly develop with a district wide parent advisory council a school parent/guardian involvement policy, including a “School-Parent Compact” outlining the manner in which parents, school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement in meeting State standards. The School-Parent Compact Policy will be distributed to all parents/guardians of children participating in the District’s Title I programs.
The “School-Parent Compact” shall:
A. Describe the District’s responsibility to provide a high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment enabling children in each Title I program to meet the State’s academic achievement standards;
B. Indicate the ways in which parents will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning, such as monitoring school attendance, homework completion, supervising television watching, volunteering in the classroom, and participating, as appropriate, in decisions related to their children’s education and use of extracurricular time.
C. Address the importance of parent-teacher communication on an ongoing basis, with, at minimum, parent-teacher conferences, frequent reports to parents, and reasonable access to staff.
III. PARENT INVOLVEMENT MEETINGS
The Title I school personnel and district wide Parent Advisory Council shall convene an annual meeting to which all parents/guardians of eligible children shall be invited to inform them about each eligible school’s participation in Title I and to involve them in the planning, review and improvement of the school’s Title I programs and the parent involvement policy.
In addition to the required annual meeting, another meeting shall be held at an alternate time of the day and/or in the evening as convenient to parents/guardians of students participating in Title I programs.
These meetings shall be used to provide parents with:
A. Information about programs the schools provide under Title I;
B. A description and explanation of the curriculum at each school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency level students are expected to meet;
C. Opportunities to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children; and
D. The opportunity to submit comments to the Office of the Superintendent/Principal or his/her designee should a parent/guardian be dissatisfied with the Title I program.
Title I funding, if sufficient, may be used to facilitate parent/guardian attendance at meetings through the payment of transportation and child care costs.
IV. PARENT RELATIONS
Parents/guardians of children identified for participation in a Title I program shall receive from the building principal and Title I staff an explanation of the reasons supporting their child’s selection, a set of objectives to be addressed, and a description of services to be provided. Parents will receive regular reports on their child’s progress and be provided opportunities to meet with the classroom and Title I teachers. Parents will also receive training, materials, and suggestions as to how they can assist in the education of their children at home..
V. DELEGATION OF RESPONSIBILITY
The Superintendent/Principal/designee shall be responsible for ensuring that the school unit’s Title I plan, programs, and parent involvement policies comply with applicable law and regulations and for developing administrative procedures, as needed, to implement this policy.
Legal references: 20 USC §6318
Adopted: June 9, 2009
Revised: February 8, 2024