December 31, 2007
Dear County and District Superintendents, Direct-funded Charter School Administrators:
DEVELOPING AND DISTRIBUTING TITLE I PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICIES AND SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACTS
Recent monitoring from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) indicates that not all California local educational agencies (LEAs) are complying with Title I requirements regarding the development of LEA-level and school-level parental involvement policies and Title I school-parent compacts. The California Department of Education (CDE) has the responsibility to remind LEAs of their obligation under the funding they receive.
According to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, LEAs and schools must jointly develop with and distribute to parents of Title I students a written: 1) Title I LEA-level parental involvement policy that is evaluated annually, 2) Title I school-level parental involvement policy that is updated periodically, and 3) school-parent compact that is included in the school-level parental involvement policy.
Title I LEA-level Parental Involvement Policies
The Title I LEA-level parental involvement policy must be developed jointly with Title I parents, agreed on by the Title I parents, and distributed to Title I parents. It must describe how the LEA:
1) involves parents in the joint development of the LEA plan and in the process of school review and improvement;
2) provides coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary for effective parental involvement at schools to improve student achievement and school performance;
3) builds school and parent capacity for strong parental involvement;
4) coordinates and integrates Title I, Part A parental involvement strategies with parental involvement strategies of other programs;
5) conducts, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement policy;
6) involves parents in activities of schools served by Title I.
The LEA must conduct, with the involvement of Title I parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the Title I LEA-level parental involvement policy in improving the academic quality of Title I schools. If an LEA already has an LEA-level parental involvement policy that applies to all parents, the LEA may amend that existing policy to meet Title I requirements.
The California School Boards Association (CSBA) in collaboration with the CDE created a sample parental involvement board policy that meets Title I requirements and California Education Code (EC) Section 11504 requirements. It is available on the public access portion of their Web site at http://www.csba.org/Services/Services/PolicyServices/PolicyAdvisoriesBriefs.aspx (Outside Source) listed as Board Policy 6020 Parent Involvement and Administrative Regulation 6020 Parent Involvement. The CSBA policy and accompanying administrative regulation BP/AR 6020 Parent Involvement contain language satisfying both mandates and should be revised to reflect your district practice.
Title I School-level Parental Involvement Policies
The Title I school-level parental involvement policy must be jointly developed with, and distributed to, parents of Title I children. It should be a written policy that is agreed on by Title I parents and updated periodically to meet changing needs of parents and the school. If the school has a process for involving parents in planning and designing the school’s programs, the school may use that process if it includes adequate representation of parents of Title I children.
In California, if a school chooses to use the School Site Council as a means of involving Title I parents in the development of the Title I school-level policy, there must be a linkage from the School Site Council to Title I parents so that actual Title I parents may provide input into the policy. While a school may not designate a position on a School Site Council as a “Title I parent position,” after an election, the School Site Council may select certain parents to provide linkages with different groups of parents, of which Title I parents may be one. If a school opts to use this method, there must be a means for the School Site Council representative to have meaningful consultation with Title I parents to receive their input.
The term “school-level policy” may be confusing to LEAs as, under California law, only school boards may approve policy. Either or both of the following procedures may be used. The CSBA sample policy BP/AR 6020 Parent Involvement addresses how the LEA will meet school-level policy requirements at Title I schools, thus, providing an overarching board-approved policy for school site procedures. Each Title I school then develops its own Title I school-level parental involvement policy with input from its Title I parents. In addition to the above, or if the LEA does not choose to use the CSBA sample LEA-level parental involvement policy, the school may attach the Title I school-level parental involvement policy and its appended school-parent compact to the Single Plan for Student Achievement thereby permitting the policy to receive local school board approval.
Parents must be notified of the Title I school-level parental involvement policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand, and the policy must be made available to the local community. California EC Section 48985 requires that parental notifications be translated for any group of students who speak a primary language other than English and constitute 15 percent or more of a school’s total enrollment.
The Title I school-level parental involvement policy must describe the means for carrying out the following Title I parental involvement requirements:
1) Involvement of Parents in the Title I Program – the policy should describe the who, what, when, where, and how for:
- Convening an annual meeting to inform parents of Title I students of Title I requirements and their rights to be involved in the Title I program.
- Offering a flexible number of meetings.
- Involving parents of Title I students in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of its Title I programs and the Title I parental involvement policy.
- Providing parents of Title I students with timely information about Title I programs.
- Providing parents of Title I students with an explanation of the curriculum, assessments, and proficiency levels students are expected to meet.
- Providing parents of Title I students, if requested, with opportunities for regular meetings to participate in decisions relating to the education of their children.
2) School-Parent Compact - school-parent compact must specifically state how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and describe how the school and parents will develop a partnership to help children reach proficiency on the California content standards.
3) Building Capacity for Involvement- the policy should describe the who, what, when, where and how for:
- Assisting Title I parents in understanding academic content standards, assessments, and how to monitor and improve the achievement of their children.
- Providing materials and training to help Title I parents work with their children to improve their children's achievement.
- Educating staff, with the assistance of Title I parents, in the value of parent contributions and how to work with parents as equal partners.
- Coordinating and integrating the Title I parental involvement program with other programs and conducting other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children.
- Distributing to Title I parents information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities in a form and language that the parents understand.
- Providing support for parental involvement activities requested by Title I parents.
4) Accessibility – the policy should specifically describe how the LEA will provide opportunities for all Title I parents to participate, including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory students. (This includes providing information and school reports in a form and language parents understand.)
A draft sample Title I school-level parental involvement policy that will be used for discussion purposes in the technical assistance sessions referenced below is enclosed.
Title I School-Parent Compacts
The Title I school-parent compact is included in the Title I school-level parental involvement policy. It is jointly developed with Title I parents for all Title I children and outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement. It describes the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the State’s high standards. The legislation does not address the frequency of updating the Title I school-parent compact. ED program staff recommends that it be updated periodically along with the Title I school-level parental involvement policy. The Title I school-level compact is distributed to Title I parents and describes the following items in addition to items added by parents of Title I students:
- The school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction
- The parents’ responsibility to support their children’s learning
- The importance of ongoing communication between parents and teachers through, at least, annual conferences, reports on student progress, access to staff, and opportunities to volunteer and participate in and observe the educational program
Additional information about school-parent compacts may be found on the Parent/Family Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/pf/pf/.
Technical Assistance in Developing Title I Parental Involvement Policies and School-parent Compacts
CDE staff will be providing technical assistance covering the development of Title I LEA-level and school-level parental involvement policies and school-parent compacts at major statewide conferences and at local meetings for LEA staff in the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, and Santa Clara. A copy of the Title I Technical Assistance Plan for 2008 is enclosed.
Information about NCLB Title I, Part A, parental involvement requirements may be found on the CDE Parent/Family Involvement Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/sw/t1/titleIpf.asp. The information includes:
- A brochure titled “Parent Involvement in Title I Schools” that is available in multiple languages.
- The Non-Regulatory Guidance “Parental Involvement: Title I, Part A” (April 23, 2004) from the U.S Department of Education.
- The legislation: 20 USC 6318, also known as NCLB or ESEA Section 1118, Parental Involvement.
Parent Information and Resource Centers (PIRCS)
PIRCs are funded by the US Department of Education. They provide both local and statewide services. California has two PIRCs: PIRC1, Project Inspire at the California Association of Bilingual Education, Covina, CA and PIRC2, Cal-PIRC at Cambridge Academies, Modesto, CA. The Web site is located at http://www.nationalpirc.org/directory/CA-7.html (Outside Source).
PIRC1, Project Inspire is the result of a partnership among the California Association for Bilingual Education, the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, and the Alameda County Office of Education. Project Inspire provides parent training workshops and is funded through 2011. A list of workshop topics and a brochure in English and Spanish that describes services are available at http://www.bilingualeducation.org/programs_parent.php (Outside Source). Workshops are available in multiple languages.
PIRC2, Cal-PIRC, has established three Parent Information and Resource Center hubs in Northern and Central California. Cal-PIRC provides direct services to parents and schools in selected communities within Merced and Stanislaus Counties, and West Sacramento. It also provides support throughout the state through conferences, workshops, and a Web site. Cal-PIRC is funded through 2011. Whenever available, resources are posted in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, and Hmong. http://www.calpirc.org/ (Outside Source).
If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Carol Dickson, Education Programs Consultant, or Lucy Keola, Staff Services Analyst, Title I Programs and Partnerships Office, at 916-319-0854 or by e-mail at cdickson@cde.ca.gov or lkeola@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
William L. Padia, Deputy Superintendent
Assessment and Accountability Branch
WLP:cd
Enclosure 1: Draft Title I school-level parental involvement policy (3 Pages)
Enclosure 2: Title I Technical Assistance Plan for 2008 (2 Pages)
cc: Title I school principals
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814