Parent and Family Engagement Policy and School-Parent Compact

Fannie Lou Hamer Middle School will support parents and family members of Title I students by:

• providing materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their achievement level, e.g., literacy, math and use of technology;
• providing parents with the information and training needed to effectively become involved in planning and decision making in support of the education of their children;
• fostering a caring and effective home-school partnership to ensure that parents can effectively support and monitor their child’s progress;
• providing assistance to parents in understanding City, State and Federal standards and assessments;
• sharing information about school and parent related programs, meetings and other activities in a format, and in languages that parents can understand; and,
• providing professional learning opportunities for school staff with the assistance of parents to improve outreach, communication skills and cultural competency in order to build stronger ties between parents and other members of the school community.

In developing the Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy, parents of Title I participating students, parent members of the school's Parent Association (or Parent-Teacher Association), as well as parent members of the School Leadership Team, were consulted on the proposed Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy and asked to survey their members for additional input. To increase and improve parent involvement and school quality, the school will:

• actively involve and engage parents and family members in the planning, review and evaluation of the effectiveness of the school's Title I program as outlined in the School Comprehensive Education Plan, including the implementation of the school's Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy and School-Parent Compact;
• engage all parents in discussion and decisions regarding the required Title I, 1% set-aside funds, which are allocated directly to the school to supplement parent and family engagement activities, including family literacy and parenting skills;
• ensure that the Title I funds allocated for parent and family engagement are utilized to implement activities and strategies as described in the school's Parent and Family Engagement Policy and the School-Parent Compact;
• support school-level committees that include parents who are members of the School Leadership Team, the Parent Association (or Parent-Teacher Association) and Title I Parent Advisory Council. This includes providing technical support and ongoing professional learning, especially in developing leadership skills;
• maintain a Parent Coordinator (or a dedicated staff person) to serve as a liaison between the school and families. The Parent Coordinator or a dedicated staff person will provide parent workshops based on the assessed needs of the parents of children who attend the school and will work to ensure that the school environment is welcoming and inviting to all parents. The Parent Coordinator will also maintain a log of events and activities planned for parents each month and file a report with the central office.;
• conduct parent workshops with topics that may include: parenting skills, understanding educational accountability grade-level curriculum and assessment expectations; literacy, accessing community and support services; and technology training to build parents' capacity to help their children at home;
• provide opportunities for parents to help them understand the accountability system, e.g., ESSA/State accountability system, student proficiency levels, Annual School Report Card, School Quality Report, Quality Review Report, Learning Environment Survey Report;
• host the required Annual Title I Parent Meeting each school year to advise parents of children participating in the Title I program about the school's Title I funded program(s), their right to be involved in the program and the parent and family engagement requirements under Title I, Part A, Section 1116 and other applicable sections under ESSA;
• schedule additional parent meetings, e.g., quarterly meetings, with flexible times, such as meetings in the morning or evening, to share information about the school's educational program and other initiatives of the Chancellor and allow parents to provide suggestions; and,
• translate all critical school documents and provide interpretation during meetings and events as needed.

• hosting educational family events/activities during Parent-Teacher Conferences and throughout the school year;
• encouraging meaningful parent participation on School Leadership Teams, Parent Association (or Parent-Teacher Association) and Title I Parent Advisory Council;
• supporting or hosting Family Day events;
• establishing a Parent Resource Center/Area or lending library; instructional materials for parents;
• encouraging more parents to become trained school volunteers;
• providing written and verbal progress reports that are periodically given to keep parents informed of their children's progress;
• developing and distributing a school newsletter or web publication designed to keep parents informed about school activities and student progress; and,
• providing school planners/folders for regular written communication between /teacher and the home in a format, and to the extent practicable in the languages that parents can understand.

Provide high quality curriculum and instruction consistent with State Standards to enable participating children to meet the State’s Standards and Assessments by:

• using academic learning time efficiently;
• respecting cultural, racial and ethnic differences;
• implementing a curriculum aligned to the State Learning Standards;
• offering high quality instruction in all content areas; and,
• providing instruction by highly qualified teachers and when this does not occur, notifying parents as required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).