PARENTS » CDS: Title I School-Level Parent and Family Engagement Policy 2021-2022

CDS: Title I School-Level Parent and Family Engagement Policy 2021-2022

JACK LONDON CDS

Jack London CDS has developed a written Title I parent and family engagement policy with input from Title I parents and agreed upon by Title I parents. The Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy was jointly developed and reviewed by parents, teachers, and staff by evaluating the policy and getting feedback about how to refine the policy. The policy was reviewed and approved by the School Site Council on October 13, 2020. The school will notify all parents about the policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent possible, in a language parents understand.

This policy describes the means for carrying out the following Title I parent and family requirements:

Section I: Involvement of Parents in the Title I Program

To involve parents in the Title I program at Jack London CDS, the following practices have been established:

  • The school convenes an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to inform parents and family members of Title I students about Title I requirements, the school’s involvement in the program, and about the right of parents to be involved in the Title I program. The Annual Title I Meeting will be held in the fall to review the requirements of the Title 1 program.
  • The school offers a flexible number of meetings for Title I parents, such as meetings in the morning or evening. Meetings will be advertised with sufficient time to inform parents.  They will be held at flexible days and times to allow for increased parent participation.
  • The school involves parents of Title I students in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s Title I programs, including the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s Title I parent and family engagement policy and the joint development of the School Plan for Student Achievement. School data and input from all stakeholders will be used to review and develop the Parent and Family Engagement Policy and School Plan for Student Achievement each year and approve them through the School Site Council.
  • The school provides parents of Title I students with timely information about Title I programs.
    Parents will have the opportunity to hear about the Title I programs during School Site Council Meetings, Schoolwide Behavior Support Team meetings, and monthly Coffee with the Principal meetings.
  • The school provides parents of Title I students with a description and an explanation of the curriculum used at the school, the academic assessments used to measure student progress, and the achievement levels students are expected to meet with the state standards.
    During School Site Council meetings, parent workshops and monthly Coffee with the Principal meetings, parents will have the opportunity to review school-wide data including Reclassification Rates and Smarter Balanced Assessment Results in English and Mathematics and learn about instructional initiatives. During the monthly parent meetings parents will have the opportunity to learn about their child’s progress and the support provided in each content area.
  • If requested by parents of Title I students, the school provides opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate in decisions relating to the education of their children, and to respond to any such suggestions as soon as possible. Parents are informed of the English Learner Advisory Committee meetings, School Site Council meetings, and monthly Coffee with the principal meetings. These meetings are opportunities for parents to provide their input and get timely responses to their concerns.
  • If the School Plan for Student Achievement is not satisfactory to Title I parents, the reasons will be shared in this policy. This policy will be amended yearly to reflect changes and improvements to improve parent engagement and student achievement.

Section II: Building Capacity for Involvement

Jack London CDS engages Title I parents and family members in meaningful interactions with the school to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school to improve student achievement. It supports a partnership among staff, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement. To help reach these goals, the school has established the following practices:

  • The school provides Title I parents with assistance in understanding the State’s academic content standards, state and local academic assessments, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children. Content standards are explained to parents during monthly parent meetings and Parent Conferences. Workshops provide information on academic assessments and how to support students at home. Parent receive student progress reports every two weeks.
  • The school provides Title I parents and family members with materials and training to help them work with their children to improve their children's achievement, paying special attention to support for foster parents. Workshops will be provided for parents in the Parent Center. Topics for workshops include state academic content standards, state and local academic assessments including alternate assessments, Reclassification criteria, how to support their children at home, the importance of school attendance, LAUSD graduation requirements, and strategies to support Special Education students.
  • With the assistance of Title I parents, the school educates teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, assistant principals and other school leaders, and other staff about the value  and utility of the contributions of parents and family members, and about how to reach out to, and communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners to build ties between parents and the school. Staff and faculty will be provided professional development sessions on how to effectively communicate and work with parents as equal partners.
  • The school coordinates and integrates the Title I parent and family engagement program with other programs, and conducts other activities, such as Parent and Family Centers, to encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children. School Jack London CDS School will collaborate with high schools to create a community of schools to support families. An active Parent Center will be available to coordinate parent events and workshops.
  • The school distributes information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities to Title I parents and family members in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language that they understand. Information is disseminated via School Site Council meetings, English Learner Advisory Committee meetings, monthly Coffee with the Principal meetings, and ConnectEd messages.
  • The school provides support for parent and family involvement activities requested by Title I parents. Parent input and suggestions for workshop topics are welcomed. Parent have an opportunity to provide input and suggestions during any formal meeting or may directly meet with school administrators.

Section III. Accessibility

Jack London CDS provides opportunities, to the extent practicable, for the participation of all Title I parents and family members, including parents and family members with limited English proficiency, parents and family members with disabilities, and parents and family members of migratory students. Information and school reports are provided in a format and language that parents understand.  Information will be distributed via School Site Council meetings, monthly Coffee with the Principal meetings, and Title I Meetings.

Section IV: Shared Responsibilities for High Student Academic Achievement

Jack London CDS distributes to parents of Title I students a School-Parent Compact. The Compact, which has been jointly developed with parents and approved by them, outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement. The Title I School-Parent Compact was jointly developed and reviewed by parents, teachers, and staff by evaluating the compact policy and getting feedback about how to refine the compact to reflect the school’s academic initiatives. The policy was reviewed and approved by the School Site Council. The school will notify all parents about the compact in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent possible, in a language parents understand.

The Compact describes specific ways the school and families will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve California’s high academic standards. It addresses the following legally required items, as well as other items suggested by parents of Title I students. The compact explains the shared responsibilities of the school, parents, ad student improving student achievement.

  • The school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables children to meet California’s academic standards
  • The ways that parents can volunteer in their child’s classroom
  • The ways that parents can participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and positive use of extracurricular time. 
  • The ways parents will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning
  • The importance of ongoing communication between parents and teachers on an ongoing basis through, at a minimum, the following:
  • annual parent-teacher conferences in elementary schools during which the compact shall be discussed as the compact relates to the individual child’s achievement
  • frequent reports to parents on student progress
  • reasonable access to staff
  • communication regarding opportunities for parents to volunteer and participate in their child’s class and opportunities to observe classroom activities
  • ensuring regular two-way, meaningful communication between family members and school staff, and, to the extent possible, in a language that family members can understand

This policy and compact was adopted by JACK LONDON CDS on October 13, 2020 and will be in effect for the entire school year.  It has been distributed to all parents on October 15, 2020 and is made available to the local community by person during parent meeting, school website and mail.