Parent and family engagement is an important component in a student’s success in school. The board encourages
parents and families to become involved in their child’s education to ensure the child’s academic success. In order to
facilitate parent and family involvement, it is the goal of the district to conduct outreach and implement programs,
activities and procedures to further involve parents and families with the academic success of their students. The
board will:
(In each of the following six items, the board must describe within this policy how it will accomplish each of the items. This
mandatory policy is not complete without providing specific information for each of these six categories.)
(1) Involve parents and families in the development of the Title I plan, the process for school review of the plan, and the process for improvement by inviting all parents, including Title 1 parents, to participate in the School Improvement Advisory Committee to review and discuss plans and processes for district improvement. The Title I plan is available on the district website for review at all times.
(2) Provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist and build the capacity of all participating schools in planning and implementing effective parent and family involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance by partnering with parents, committees, and organizations as a means to engage families more creatively and successfully in order to positively impact learning.
(3) To the extent feasible, coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies under Title I with parent and family engagement strategies outlined in other relevant Federal, State, and local laws and programs by working with other local programs such as the Panther Pantry, a partner of the Food Bank of Iowa, as well as other agencies, to offer support to students that are food insecure.
(4) Conduct with the involvement of parents and family members, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parent and family engagement policy in improving the academic quality of the school served including identifying: barriers to greater participation by parents in Title I activities (with particular attention to low-income parents, Limited English Proficient (LEP) parents, parents of any racial or ethnic minority, parents with disabilities and parents with limited literacy); needs of parents and family to assist their children’s learning; and strategies to support successful school and family interactions by providing flexible scheduling of parent-teacher conferences each semester. Title 1 parents/families and teachers will be invited to complete an annual survey at the end of the school year. The district may use focus groups and open discussion for evaluation. Parents and families have a voice and frequent opportunities scheduled and unscheduled, to observe, evaluate and share feedback. Personal conversations with educators and administration on a regular basis provides opportunities to share specific family needs and collaborate on appropriate supports.
(5) Use the findings of the annual evaluation to design strategies for more effective parent and family involvement and to revise, as necessary, the parent and family involvement policies by identifying the best practices that are working through the annual evaluation and frequent communication. Sharing these ideas and best practices in regular groups such as SIAC and during Professional Development provides an opportunity to close the feedback loop and ensure district and individual needs are being met.
(6) Involve parents and families in Title I activities by inviting all parents, including those in Title 1, to participate in the annual meeting, annual survey, and in the district SIAC committee which is comprised of a representative group of parents and family members to adequately represent the needs to the population.
The district shall involve parents in determining how to allocate reserved Title I funds in accordance with applicable
laws.
The board will review this policy annually. The superintendent is responsible for notifying parents and families of
this policy annually or within a reasonable time after it has been amended during the school year. The
superintendent may develop an administrative process or procedures to implement this policy.
Approved: 7/15/2019 Reviewed: Revised: 02/26/2024