Education succeeds best when there is a strong partnership and communication between home and schools.  As key players in the education of their children, parents are involved in developing a policy which will achieve maximum effectiveness in the ties between home and school so that children will benefit from their time at school and the services provided by the Title I, Part A program.  The parent involvement policy is one that is subject to change and revision in order to remain effective in meeting the needs of children who live in a constantly changing society.  Parents and school personnel work together to achieve such a policy.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICIES AND PRACTICES

REQUIREMENTS AND HOW ACHIEVED

1. Requirement:  Involve parents in the joint development of the plan.

How Achieved:  Notices of meetings, meeting agendas, and minutes reflect parent participation.  An interpreter is provided if requested by the parent.

2. Requirement:  Provide coordination, technical assistance, and other support

      necessary to assist in planning and implementing effective parent involvement

      activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance.

      How Achieved:  School personnel are primarily responsible for these areas.

      Coordination, assistance, and support is achieved by providing a site and

      scheduling meetings to be as convenient as possible for parent to attend by

      scheduling some Title I meetings at a time when parents are coming to school for

      other activities such as Open House and athletic activities.

3. Requirement:  Build the district’s and parents’ capacity for strong parental

involvement.

How Achieved:  The school district listens to parents’ concerns and suggestions

 and attempts to respond to these things.  Communication between the home and

 the school is vital for strong involvement, and the district provides various

 avenues for communication: parents are encouraged to phone or personally

 contact their child’s teacher or administrator; weekly activity calendars and the

 school television station provide current information; progress reports are sent

 home prior to regular report cards if a student is having academic problems; and

 parents are contacted regarding any other areas where a one-on-one discussion

 is deemed necessary by school personnel.

4. Requirement:  Coordinate and integrate Title I, Part A parental involvement

 strategies with parental involvement strategies under other programs, such as

 Head Start, Reading first, Early Reading First, Even Start, Parents as Teachers,

 and Home instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters, and state-run preschool

 programs.

How Achieved:  Since Idalou ISD is located in a rural, sparsely

 populated area, many programs common to large districts are not part of the

 school system or community.  Parents with pre-school children do attend school

 functions and consequently, children are familiar with school before enrolling in

 pre-K or kindergarten.  Registration for pre-K and/or Kindergarten is scheduled

 each May as a child’s first formal experience in the public school setting.

5. Requirement:  Conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of

the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement policy in improving the

 academic quality of Title I, Part A schools, including identifying barriers to

 greater participation by parents in Title I, part A activities, and use the findings of

 such evaluations to design strategies for more effective parental involvement.

How Achieved:  parents and school personnel formulate a survey to be mailed

 with reports cards at the end of the 5^th six weeks to evaluate the effectiveness of

 the policy and to solicit ideas for improvement and/or additional activities for

 consideration.

6. Requirement:  Involve parents in the activities of Title I, part A schools.

How Achieved:  Parents are encouraged to do the following:

(1)    Read and discuss the student handbook prior to signing and returning to  school;

(2)   Emphasize the importance of education and encourage participation in school activities;

(3)   Stay informed about your child’s activities by attending parent conferences and other parent meetings;

(4)   Learn about the curriculum, student support services, and activities offered by the district;

(5)    Become familiar with the academic program and review teaching materials, textbooks, and other instructional aids;

(6)   Examine tests that your child has taken;

(7)   Monitor your child’s progress and contact teachers, the counselor, or the principal as needed;

(8)   Call the office to schedule appointments;

(9)   Review you child’s records when needed;

(10)Volunteer at school;

(11)Participate in parent organizations ranging from booster clubs to committees that assist the Board of Trustees in formulating education goals and objectives;

(12)Familiarize yourself with federally funded programs such as Title I that provide important educational support service for the school;

(13)Attend Board meetings to learn more about the operations of the district;

(14)Follow up on a matter not resolved administratively by presenting it to the Board for review according to policy; and

                  (15)Be aware of your right to temporarily remove your child from an instructional activity that conflicts with
                   your religious or moral beliefs, within the guidelines of the law.