Title I, Part A Parental Involvement
Title I, Part A Parental Involvement
In today’s session the following will be addressed:
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History and NCLB definition
District and Title I school responsibilities
Shared and optional responsibilities in building capacity for involvement
Six types of involvement
Parental notice requirements
Funding and principles
Allowable and non allowable expenditures
Monitoring
Resources
Questions/answers and contact
History of Title I, Part A Parental Involvement
In the 1970s parental involvement referred primarily to policy involvement. Parents of
Title I children receiving Title I services had a role in designing and overseeing Title I
programs to respond to the needs of disadvantaged children rather than the general
school population.
In the 1980s-90s, Congress placed greater emphasis on having schools help parents to
help their children in the educational process such as homework monitoring,
enhanced communication between teachers and parents, home visits, and schoolparent compacts.
The 2001 law emphasized a new role for parents: consumers of education provided by
local schools with new parent reporting requirements, so parents are more informed,
with consumer options such as supplemental services and school choice.
Parental Involvement Under No Child Left Behind
The statute defines Title I, Part A parental involvement as the participation of parents
in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic
learning and other school activities, ensuring that—
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Parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
Parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education
at school;
Parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as
appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the
education of their child; and
Other activities are carried out, such as those described in ESEA Section
1118 (Parental Involvement).
ESEA Section 1118- District Parental Involvement Responsibilities
In acceptance of Title I, Part A funding:
Written parental involvement policy shall be developed jointly with, agreed upon
with, and distributed to parents of participating children. The policy will be
incorporated into the LEA plan and establish the agency’s expectation for parent
involvement. District policy must contain ESEA Section 1118 (2) Written Policy A-F.
The policy describes how the LEA will involve parents in the:
• joint development of the district plan (ESEA Section 1112)
• process of school review and improvement (ESEA Section 1116)
Annually evaluate the parental involvement policy for content and effectiveness by
parents and educational stakeholders. Identify the barriers to participation- parents
who are economically disadvantaged, disabled, LEP, limited literacy, minority
background. Use the evaluation findings to design more effective parental
involvement strategies and to revise the PI policies.
ESEA Section 1118- District Parental Involvement Responsibilities
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LEA will provide coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to
assist schools in planning and implementing effective parent involvement activities
to improve student academic achievement and school performance.
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Build the schools’ and parents’ capacity for strong parental involvement (training,
timely information, two way communication, understandable language,
translation)
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Coordinate and integrate parent involvement with other programs such as Head
Start, Even Start, Parents as Teachers, Home Instruction Program for Preschool
Youngsters
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Involve parents in the activities of the schools
ESEA Section 1118- Each Title I School Shall (Must):
Policy Involvement Subsections (b) and (c)
1. Jointly develop and update periodically with parents a school parental involvement policy which is
made available to parents
2. Convene an annual meeting to explain the Title I Programs
3. Offer flexible number of meetings– morning or afternoon
4. Involve parents in in an organized, ongoing, and timely way in planning, review, and improvement of
Title I, Part A programs including the school parental involvement policy and the joint development of
the schoolwide program plan (school improvement plan) section 1114(b)(2)
5. Provide parents timely information about Title I school programs
6. Provide parents a description and explanation about:
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school’s curriculum;
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forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress; and
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proficiency levels students are expected to meet
7. Upon the request of parents, schools provide opportunities for regular meeting
8. If the schoolwide program plan is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, submit any parent
comments on the plan when the school makes the plan available to the local educational agency.
The School-Parent Compact
ESEA Section 1118- Each Title I School Shall (Must):
Policy Involvement Subsection (d)
SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HIGH STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTDescribes the school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a
supportive and effective learning environment that enables children served under Title I, Part A
to meet the State’s student academic achievement standards;
Describes ways in which parents will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning, for
example: monitoring attendance, homework completion, television watching, volunteering in
their child’s classroom, participating as appropriate in decisions relating to the education of their
children, and positive use of extracurricular time; and
The importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis through,
at a minimum—
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Parent-teacher conferences in elementary schools, at least annually, during
which the compact will be discussed as it relates to the individual child’s
achievement;
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Frequent reports to parents on their child’s progress; and
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Reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their
child’s class, and observation of classroom activities.
ESEA Section 1118- Each Title I School and District Shall
(e) Build Capacity For InvolvementTo ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the
school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic
achievement, each school and local educational agency assisted under this part —
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(1) shall provide assistance to parents of children served by the school or local
educational agency, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the State's
academic content standards and State student academic achievement standards,
State and local academic assessments, the requirements of this part, and how to
monitor a child's progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of
their children;
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(2) shall provide materials and training to help parents to work with their children
to improve their children's achievement, such as literacy training and using
technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement;
ESEA Section 1118- Each Title I School and District Shall
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(3) shall educate teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other staff,
with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents,
and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal
partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between
parents and the school;
(4) shall, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent
involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading
First, Even Start, the Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the
Parents as Teachers Program, and public preschool and other programs, and
conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and
support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children;
(5) shall ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings,
and other activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and,
to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand;
(14) shall provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement
activities under this section as parents may request.
ESEA Section 1118(e) Building Capacity For Parental Involvement
Optional- Each Title I School and District May
Funding and carrying out “may” is optional in the law.
• (6) may involve parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators
to improve the effectiveness of such training;
• (7) may provide necessary literacy training from funds received under this part if the local
educational agency has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for such
training;
• (8) may pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement
activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in schoolrelated meetings and training sessions;
• (9) may train parents to enhance the involvement of other parents;
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(10) may arrange school meetings at a variety of times, or conduct in-home conferences between
teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are
unable to attend such conferences at school, in order to maximize parental involvement and
participation;
(11) may adopt and implement model approaches to improving parental involvement;
(12) may establish a districtwide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to
parental involvement in programs supported under this section;
(13) may develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parent
involvement activities.
Six Types Of Involvement
Dr. Joyce L. Epstein, Founder and Director
National Network of Partnership Schools at John Hopkins University
The six types of family involvement:
• Parenting
• Communicating
• Volunteering
• Learning at home
• Decision making
• Collaborating with the community
http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000/nnps_model/school/sixtypes.htm
Parenting Strategies
Sample Practices
• Workshops, videotapes, computerized phone messages on parenting and child
development at each age and grade level
• Parent education and other courses or training for parents (e.g., GED, family
literacy, college or training programs)
• Family support programs to assist families with health, nutrition, and parenting,
including clothing swap shops, food co-ops, parent-to-parent groups
• Home visiting programs or neighborhood meetings to help families understand
schools and to help schools understand families
• Annual survey for families to share information about their children's goals,
strengths, and special talents
Communication Strategies
Sample Practices
• Conferences with every parent at least once a year with follow-ups as needed
• Language translators to assist families as needed
• Student work sent home weekly or monthly for parent review and comments
• Parent and student pickup of report cards
• Regular schedule of useful notices, memos, phone calls, other communications
• Effective newsletters including information about questions, reactions, and
suggestions
• Clear information about choosing schools, and selecting courses, programs, and
activities within schools
• Clear information on all school policies, programs, reforms, assessments, and
transitions
• Annual survey of families on students' needs and families' suggestions and
reactions to school programs
Volunteering Strategies
Parents and Community Members
• Assist schools and students as aides, tutors, coaches, lecturers, chaperones, and
other leaders
• Attend assemblies, performances, sports events, recognition and award
ceremonies, celebrations, and other events
Sample Practices
• Annual survey to identify interests, talents, and availability of volunteers
• Parent room or family center for volunteer work, meetings, and resources for
families
• Class parent, telephone tree, or other structures to provide all families with
needed information
• Parent patrols to increase school safety
• Annual review of schedules for students' performances, games, and assemblies to
encourage all families to attend
Learning At Home Strategies
Provide Information
• How to help at home with homework
• Curriculum-related decisions
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Sample Practices
Information for families on required skills in all subjects at each grade
Information on homework policies and how to monitor/discuss schoolwork at home
Information on how to assist students with skills that they need to improve
Regular schedule of interactive homework that requires students to demonstrate
and discuss what they are learning in class
Calendars with daily or weekly activities for parents and students to do at home or
in the community
Summer learning packets or activities
Family participation in helping students set academic goals each year and plan for
college or work
Decision Making Strategies
Participation and Leadership
• PTA/PTO membership, participation, leadership,
• Advisory councils, school improvement teams
• Title I councils, school-site management teams, other committees
• Independent school advisory groups
Sample Practices
• Active PTA/PTO or other parent organizations, advisory councils, or committees
(e.g., curriculum, safety, personnel) for parent leadership and participation
• Action Team for School, Family, and Community Partnerships to oversee the
development of the school's program with practices for all six types of involvement
• District-level advisory councils and committees
• Information on school or local elections for school representatives
• Networks to link all families with parent representatives
• Independent advocacy groups to lobby for school reform and improvements
Collaborating With The Community Strategies
The community contributes to the schools, students, and families as business
partners, agencies, cultural groups, health services, recreation, and other groups and
programs. The schools, students and families contribute to the community with
service learning and special projects to share talents and solve local problems.
Sample Practices
• Information for students and families on community health, cultural, recreational,
social support, and other programs or services
• Information on community activities that link to learning skills and talents, and
student summer programs
• "One-stop" shopping for family services through partnerships of school,
counseling, health, recreation, job training, and other agencies
• Service to the community by students, families, and schools -recycling projects,
art, music, drama; activities for senior citizens, tutoring or coaching programs
• Participation of alumni in school programs for students
• School-business partnerships
Parents As Informed ConsumersTitle I, Part A Parental Notice Requirements
The law requires many different kinds of information and notices. Some notifications have
specific guidelines about distribution.
Notifications are distributed:
• District and school websites
• Letters home
• Local newspapers
• School newsletters
• Title I brochures
• District and school meetings
• Student handbooks
• Media
Parents As Informed ConsumersTitle I, Part A Parental Notice Requirements
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Annual district and school report card
Individual student assessment reports
Schools identified for school improvement, corrective action, or restructuring
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Written district and school level parental involvement policies
Written complaint procedures
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Parents’ right to know – teacher and paraprofessional qualifications
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Parents’ right to know –Student report card
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Parents’ right to know - non-highly qualified teachers
Title I, Part A Parental Notice Requirements
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School meeting about Title I, Part A programs and requirements
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Meetings to inform parents of limited English proficient children
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Notice to parents of limited English proficient students identified for participation
in a language instruction educational program
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Military recruiter access to student
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Homeless children services
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Student privacy
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Waiver Request
Title I, Part A Funding Facts
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Tennessee generated approximately $260 million in Title I, Part A funding in 2012-13 to be
used for improving the academic achievement of the disadvantaged including neglected
children, homeless children, migrant children, and parental involvement. The school district
poverty rate is determined by the U.S. Census.
To generate funding the number of economically disadvantaged children ages 5-17, foster
children, neglected children, and families receiving TANF, Medicaid, or free and reduced
school lunch program are counted.
Title I funds are divided to schools based on poverty. A school district annually ranks all of
its public schools in order of poverty from the highest to lowest percentage of children from
low-income families. The LEA must distribute Title I funding to schools with poverty exceeds
75 percent. Any remaining funding is then distributed to schools in rank order.
Title I is supplemental funding used to add to existing, regular services. It must be tracked to
an allowable purpose. Funds are used to support the district strategic plan and school
improvement plan. It can pay for salaries, learning materials and supplies, and professional
development.
Funds are not used to supplant. Title I funds do not pay for items that are paid with other
local, state, or federal funds. Title I can’t pay for an expenditure if it was paid for by state,
local, or other federal funds the previous year.
Expenditures are expected to be reasonable and necessary as well as allowable.
Parental Involvement Funding
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By federal law, school districts receiving $500,000 or more in Title I, Part A set
aside 1% for parental involvement. The 95% of 1% is distributed to the Title I
schools. Parents in district and school committees/ meetings determine how Title
I, Part parental involvement funding is spent.
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LEAs receiving less than $500,000 in Title I Part A funds are required to carry out
the provisions of ESEA Section 1118, but the LEAs are not required to set aside
funding. The LEAs may opt to set aside a certain percentage at their own
discretion.
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Parental involvement funding is used for parent information and training, required
parental notification, and activities outlined in ESEA Section 1118 Parental
Involvement.
Parental Involvement Activities And Allowable Expenditures
(Partial List)
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Meetings to discuss school and parental involvement program, and engage parents in
planning, development, and evaluation of the Title I Programs
Parent training and materials on topics such as the state performance standards, school
curriculum, student academic assessments, family literacy, math night, teacher-parent
conferences, parenting skills building
Allowable costs: meeting advertisement, invitations, flyers, newsletters, training materials,
paper, pens, drinks, light refreshments
Translation of information for parental outreach for parental involvement into language
spoken by a significant percentage of parents of Title I participating children. Districts that
have Title III use it for English Language learners.
Communication: internet, telephone, newsletters; postage, and printing to reach parents for
training, announcements, and parental notice requirements: report cards, progress review,
schools identified for school improvement, corrective action, or restructuring; supplemental
services notice, written parental involvement policies, written SEA complaint procedures,
parents’ right to know-teacher and paraprofessional qualifications; limited English proficient
students-general and language instruction educational programs
Allowable Parental Involvement Expenditures (Partial List)
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Contracts with community based organizations to provide parent involvement services
Distribution of home based educational activities
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Payroll costs related to work on parental involvement activities
Equipment and supplies for a parent resource room
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Title I funds can supplement pre-k programs that operate in the LEA to purchase
consumables such as paper, glue, scissors, etc. for make and take projects that promote early
learning, and books for a loan program or check out system.
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Reasonable and necessary refreshments or even a light meal is an allowable expense if the
training is long and part of the parent training or the parent advisory committee is meeting
during meal time. As a guideline drinks are allowable for meetings and trainings that are an
hour or more in length.
Non-Allowable Title I Expenditures per EDGAR (Incomplete List)
by Brustein and Manasevit, Attorneys at Law
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Be cautious about personal items, gifts, and door prizes
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Promotional items, memorabilia, and public relations
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Non-parental involvement activities such as student recruitment, books for students
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General purpose equipment
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Entertainment costs such as live music, liquor
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Purchase, rental, maintenance, and repair of buildings or vehicles
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Paying for employee positions such as a janitor, therapist, or nurse (supplanting)
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Audit costs
Resources
Family and Community Engagement website, Tennessee Department of Education
http://www.tn.gov/education/fedprog/fpparentinvolve.shtml
Main page- Tennessee Best Practices and Strategies in Parental Involvement
Four links: Parents, Educators, Parents and Educators, Community
Under Link for Educators:
* Section 1118 Parental Involvement Regulations
* Parental Involvement: Title I, Part A Non Regulatory Guidance
* Toolkit for Title I Parental Involvement
* Sample School Parental Involvement Plan (containing action steps and calendar)
* TSBA templates for federal and state- parental involvement policy
Questions?
Liz Roper
Tennessee Department of Education
Family and Community Engagement Consultant
615-253-0047
Elizabeth.Roper@tn.gov