Parent Involvement
Title I Part A Section 1118
A Plan for
Parent and Community Involvement
Marshall Elementary School
2010-2011
I. Mission and Beliefs of Marshall Elementary School
School Mission Statement:
The common mission of Marshall Elementary School is to create a
high performing, learning culture that enables students to reach
their potential for intellectual, physical, and social growth.
 School Beliefs:
 We believe that our school must have high academic
standards guided by research-based strategies and
differentiated instruction.
 We believe in a positive learning environment that enables
all students to maximize their learning potential.
 We believe in positive interaction and partnership between
home, school, and community in order to maintain the
school’s goals for student learning.
 We believe in meeting the needs of students through the
development of communication and interpersonal skills
which promote responsibility and respect for self and others.
 We believe in a safe, structured, and nurturing learning
environment.
 We believe in a variety of instructional strategies which
address any achievement gaps.
Our school parent involvement plan establishes the school’s expectation for
parental involvement and describes how the school will build strong
relationships with parents.
(a) Parents are notified of the policy in an understandable and uniform
format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language the
parents can understand.
Our policy is explained during our annual Back to School Parent Night,
which takes place at the beginning of each new school year. Portions of the
plan and specific events are relayed to parents via the school website and
school/class newsletters. Parental involvement is encouraged by the
principal through student agendas and use of the Community Safe phone
notification system. The plan is also posted on the school website.
(b) The school’s parent involvement policy/plan is made available to the
local community and updated periodically to meet the challenging needs
of parents and the school.
Parents can view our policy on the school website or have access to it on
site. Periodic updates are made to reflect school and family needs based on
parent input and surveys.
(c) The school has convened an annual meeting to inform parents about the
school’s parental involvement programs and rights of parents to be
involved.
Each grade level holds an annual Parent Night to discuss our policy. We
also host two events (Fall and Spring) to Celebrate Parents and encourage
their involvement in their child’s education. Also, we provide parents with
the opportunity to participate in a Technology/Testing Night. During this
event, parents participate in a hands-on explanation of the equipment their
children use daily. The system testing specialist is also on hand to explain
how test results are generated and what they mean for individual students.
(d) The school offers a flexible number of meetings- morning or evenings.
Since approximately 76% of our student population qualifies for free or
reduced lunch, we continually take measures to accommodate families from
diverse backgrounds.
 We offer our families opportunities to be involved and engaged in our
school operations during and after school.
 We provide academic support to students needing remediation
through our Building Bridges after school program. Teachers also
provide extra help to students in need.
 Marshall Elementary’s administration and teachers schedule
conferences before or after school and during planning times to
accommodate different schedules.
(e) Parents, or an adequate representation of parents, are involved in an
organized, ongoing, and timely way in the planning, review, and
improvement of the school parental involvement policy and joint
development of the school wide program plan. (TSIPP)
Annually, our School Wide Committee meets to discuss changes and
improvements that need to be made within our building. This committee is
comprised of the school principal, system supervisors, teachers, parents,
educational assistants, janitorial staff, and cafeteria personnel.
Parents, and all other stakeholders, are also involved in the creation of our
School Improvement Plan.
(f) The school provides parents with timely information about school
programs under NCLB section 1118.
In order to communicate regularly with parents:
 Marshall County School System creates a yearly calendar to be
distributed to all families. This calendar is included in student
handbooks and on the school and system’s website. It reflects
important school dates and events.
 Marshall County Schools is equipped with the Community Safe
communication system. Using this technology, our principal notifies
parents of upcoming events. She also uses it as an opportunity to
reinforce the importance of parental involvement.
 Student Planners are given to every student at the beginning of school
or upon enrollment. The planners outline attendance requirements,
class schedules, use of assigned textbooks, and expectations for
student learning and behavior.
 Teachers also use the planners to communicate with parents on a daily
basis.
 Our Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) sends home information
during the first week of school identifying opportunities for parents to
volunteer and become involved.
 All school events are posted on our school website.
 The school webmaster maintains a Parent Link on the school website.
This link provides parents with many resources for parental
involvement , homework help, parenting tips, etc.
 Teachers provide parents with their email addresses in order to
provide parents with an easy form of communication.
 Teachers send home weekly graded papers for parents to review.
They also distribute Progress Reports halfway through the grading
period. Report Cards are sent home every 9 weeks.
(g) The school provides parents a description and explanation of the
curriculum the school uses, forms of academic assessment used to
measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are
expected to meet.
Curriculum and assessment are ultimately two of the most vital areas on
which to educate our parents. Curriculum standards are addressed at our
Back to School Nights, at the Technology/Testing Night, and are available to
view on our school’s website.
The principal and teachers review the prior year’s test results. These state
results are sent home to parents, along with a brochure explaining the
results, prior to the first parent/teacher conference. Parents also receive
information regarding other assessments periodically throughout the year.
(h) Per parent request, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate
suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to
the education of their children, and respond to any suggestions as soon
as practically possible.
When a student is experiencing difficulty, teachers at Marshall Elementary
School conference with parents to discuss ways to motivate the child, offer
suggestions for remediation/enrichment, and solicit help from home.
Likewise, when a parent request a meeting with teachers, they come together
with the administrator to listen to the views and challenges faced by the
parent and offer suggestions to best meet the needs of the student. The
teacher and support staff work to implement recommendations, suggestions,
and requests for help made by parents.
(i) A process is in place to submit parent comments on the school wide
program (TSIPP) if it is not satisfactory to the parents when the school
makes the plan available to the district/LEA.
Parent comments are always welcome at Marshall Elementary School.
Parent representatives on the School Wide Committee, members of the PTO,
and parents involved in the School Improvement Plan provide input. These
groups meet periodically throughout the school year. There is also a link on
the school website for parents to provide feedback.
(j) Building capacity for involvement- Assistance is provided to parents in
understanding topics such as the State’s academic content standards,
State student academic achievement standards, State and local
academic assessments, how to monitor a child’s progress and work with
educators to improve student achievement.
 Parent training sessions are held by our system test coordinator and
school technology director.
 Our administrator informs parents of curricular changes and the
results of school test data through newsletters and via the school
website.
 Upcoming testing events are also displayed on the school website, the
school marquee, and in the school newsletter. The principal utilizes
the Community Safe software to also inform parents.
 The Parent Link on the school website offers information about State
testing and how to help children succeed.
(k) Building capacity for involvement- Materials and training are provided
to help parents work with their children to improve their achievement,
such as literacy training and using technology to foster parental
involvement.
The following opportunities are provided to parents:
 Family engagement materials are placed in a “Parent Resource
Center” located in the guidance classroom.
 “Technology/Testing Night”- Parents rotate through teacher led
stations learning about the use of software, document cameras,
Distance learning, school/teacher websites, use of “clickers” in the
classroom, and Flip Cameras.
 Parent Involvement activities are held by teachers during and after
school hours. Parents reading with students during the school day,
school & county-wide spelling bee, Grandparents Day during Book
Fair Week, and theme night activities to reinforce literacy are some
examples.
 Parents also have access to related links on our school’s website.
(l) Building capacity for involvement- Staff are educated with the
assistance of parents in the value and contributions of parents; and in
working with parents- how to reach out to, communicate with, and
work with as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent
programs, build ties between parents and the school.
The Marshall Elementary School faculty and staff attend Professional
Learning Communities (PLC) meetings monthly. During these meetings,
teachers brainstorm and research on-going ideas on how to increase and
promote parental involvement, collaboration, and contribution.
 All students and teachers at MES use grade appropriate agendas to
communicate with parents on a daily basis.
 Newsletters are sent home by classroom teachers. Email
communication is used between parents, administration, and teachers.
 Conferences between parents/teachers/administrator occur when need
arises, or at least once per year.
 The principal utilized the Community Safe phone notification system
to convey important dates, events, and reminders.
 The school website address is printed in student agendas and posted
throughout the building. The website includes information on the
following:
o School motto, mission statement, vision
o Educational sites for students, teachers, and parents
o School and System Calendar of Events
o Roster of Faculty and Staff
o Celebrations of students, faculty, and staff
o Information about PTO
 Grade level parent meetings are held to communicate class schedules,
attendance, use of agendas, and expectations for student learning and
behavior.
 Our Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) sends home information
during the first week of school with opportunities for families to
volunteer and become involved.
(m) Building capacity for involvement- Title I-A parental involvement
strategies are coordinated and integrated with parent involvement
strategies under other programs, such as Head Start, Reading First,
Early Reading First, Even Start, Parents as Teachers, Home
Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters, State-run preschool
programs, and Title III language instructional programs. (NA for State
Special Schools)
In an effort to smooth the transition from home to school for young children,
the following measures are in place:
 During the summer before Kindergarten, teachers use the Dial 3
program to screen children for school readiness. The results of the
screening are shared with parents.
 Kindergarten teachers host an Open House for the parents of future
students in the spring before their child begins school. During this
time, teachers welcome these parents to our building, gather
paperwork, communicate needs, and positively begin a relationship
with these parents.
 Students entering kindergarten in the fall begin on a staggered
schedule. The use of this schedule serves to ease the transition from
home to school.
(n) Building capacity for involvement- Ensure that information related to
school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to
parents in a format and, to the extent practical, in a language the
parents understand.
Every effort is made to accommodate and assist our parents with limited
English proficiency. Most school documents are available in both English
and Spanish. Marshall Elementary has a translator on site to assist parents
in reading and completing paperwork and to translate during meetings with
teachers and administrators.
Annually, parents with limited English proficiency meet with county ELL
representatives to discuss school policies and review school information.
During this time, parents and school representatives discuss how to help
each other.
(o) Building capacity for involvement-Provide other reasonable support for
parent involvement activities per parent request. (Example:
transportation, childcare)
Approximately 43% of our county’s student population is overweight or
obese. Marshall Elementary school offers an after-school exercise program
for parents and students. The program is for one hour, three days a week.
Parents and students are invited to participate in teacher led exercises.
Every effort is made to accommodate parents with limited English
proficiency. Translators are on site to assist parents during meetings and to
help read and complete paperwork.
During many parent events that occur after school, Marshall Elementary
teachers or volunteers provide childcare so that parents can be completely
focused on the topics being discussed.
The school staff and PTO seek to actively involve parents with opportunities
to volunteer within the school.
(p) Accessibility- Local educational agencies and schools, to the extent
practicable, shall provide full opportunities for the participation of
parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and
parents of migratory children, including providing information and
school reports in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language
parents understand.
Marshall Elementary School offers parents and students materials and
information in the family’s home language. Our on-site translator is always
available to interpret phone calls and conferences with parents. She, as well
as the administration and teachers, maintains an ongoing, personal
relationship with ELL students and their families. Annually, ELL parents
meet with county representatives to discuss school policy and review school
information. Once per year, MES also hosts an ELL dinner for students and
their families.