In support of strengthening student academic achievement, West Elementary receives Title I, Part A funds and must jointly develop with, agree upon with, and distribute to parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy that contains information required by section 1116(b) and (c) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  The policy establishes the school’s expectations for parent and family engagement and describes how the school will implement a number of specific parent and family engagement activities, and it is incorporated into the school’s plan submitted to the district.

West Elementary agrees to implement the following requirements as outlined by Section 1116:

• Involve parents, in an organized, ongoing and timely way, in the planning, review and improvement of programs under Title I, Part A, including the planning, review and improvement of the school parent and family engagement policy and the joint development of the schoolwide program plan.

• Update the school parent and family engagement policy periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school, distribute it to the parents of participating children and make the parent and family engagement policy available to the local community.

• Provide full opportunities, to the extent practicable, for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports required under Section 1111 of ESSA in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.

• If the schoolwide program plan under Section 1114(b) of ESSA 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.

• Be governed by the following statutory definition of parent and family engagement and carry out programs, activities and procedures in accordance with this definition:

  • Parent and family engagement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities including ensuring:

    • Parents play an integral role in assisting their children’s learning;

    • Parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their children’s education at school;

    • Parents are full partners in their children’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their children; and

    • Other activities are carried out, such as those described in Section 1116 of ESSA.

The school parent and family engagement policy includes a description of how the school will implement of accomplish each of the following components:

• Jointly Developed

West Elementary  will take the following actions to involve parents in an organized, ongoing and timely manner in the planning, review and improvement of Title I programs, including opportunities for regular meetings, if requested by parents, to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.

Parents/Guardians will be afforded the opportunity to provide timely and relevant feedback in regard to the planning, revire, and improvement of Title I programs in the following manner:  1. Opportunities to complete parent/guardian surveys pertinent to the Title I program; 2. Direct feedback to the teacher(s)/principal during bi-annual Parent/Teacher Conferences; 3. Attendance at the school’s annual Literacy Night as well as Title I Parent/Guardian Meetings.

• Annual Title I Meeting

West Elementary will take the following actions to conduct an annual meeting, at a convenient time, and encourage and invite all parents of participating children to attend to inform them about the school’s Title I program, the nature of the Title I program, parents’ requirements, the school parent and family engagement policy, the schoolwide plan, and the school-parent compact

As prescribed in the federal requirements for implementation and participation in Title I programs, West Elementary School will conduct an annual Title I Engagement Meeting during the month of May to inform parents of the previously noted actions and to further engage families in the support of childhood literacy.  West Elementary School recognizes and values the input, cooperation, and collaborative nature of parents in the ongoing efforts to enhance student access and opportunity to Title I initiatives.

• Communications

West Elementary will take the following actions to provide parents of participating children the following:

• Timely information about the Title I programs;

• Flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide with Title I funds, transportation, child care or home visits, as such services relate to parent and family engagement; and

• Information related to the school and parent programs, meetings and other activities, is sent to the parents of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.

Recognizing the importance of timely and effective communication to a diverse group of stakeholders, West Elementary School shall make Title I information readily available using the following formats: 1. Information shall be provided in the native language of the parent/guardian; 2. Interpreters shall be available to assist families in understanding the content of such communication; 3. Various mediums, including print, verbal, and technology-driven formats, will be utilized to reach such stakeholders in a format that is most appropriate for them; 4. Parent/Guardians may seek direct support in understanding the nature of Title I programming by calling Jennifer Hall, building principal, at 330-364-0755 or via email at [email protected].

• School-Parent Compact

West Elementary will take the following actions to jointly develop with parents of participating children a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and how the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state’s high standards.

Annually, the School/Parent Compact shall be made available to parents/guardians for suggested feedback, modifications, and/or revisions to the current agreement.  The input of the family will drive the annual document.

• Reservation of Funds

West Elementary will take the following actions to involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the 1 percent of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parent and family engagement is spent by: 

West Elementary School shall share with parents/guardians its annual Title I budget along with the intent for purchases utilizing those funds.  Families shall provide the opportunity to contribute to the decision-making process through direct feedback.

• Coordination of Services

West Elementary will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement programs and activities with other federal, state, and local programs, including public preschool 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 by:

West Elementary School shall partner with various community-based agencies and organizations to more fully support parents/guardians in the education of their child(ren). The school shall engage with local preschools, provide opportunities for students/parents to visit West Elementary School and learn of educational opportunities including the Title I program.  Additionally, the school partners with various organizations, including but not limited to, local churches, Buckeye Career Center, and Kent State University-Tuscarawas to support student academic growth through mentoring and tutoring opportunities.

• Building Capacity of Parents

West Elementary will build the parents’ capacity for strong parent and family engagement to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school and the community to improve student academic achievement through the following:

• Provide parents with a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessments used to measure student progress and the achievement levels of the challenging state academic standards;

• Provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parent and family engagement; and 

• Provide assistance to parents of participating children, as appropriate, in understanding topics such as the following:

  • Ohio’s Learning Standards;

  • The state and local academic assessments, including alternate assessments;

  • The requirements of Title I, Part A

  • How to monitor their children’s progress; and

  • How to work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.

*West Elementary School readily provides numerous resources to families that support parents in aiding and assisting their children in realizing their full potential.  Such resources shall include access to the Ohio Academic Content Standards, various educational websites, hard copies of pertinent educational supports, access to state and local assessments as well as practice opportunities for those assessment.  Additionally, the school shall conduct an annual opportunity for parents/guardians to grow in their understanding of how to determine their child(ren)’s academic growth and progress towards meeting those standards. Inclusive of such meeting shall be a detailed explanation of the various processes to develop strong family/school relationships.

• Building Capacity of School Staff

West Elementary will provide training to educate teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals and other school leaders, 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 by:

*The faculty and staff of West Elementary School shall be provided yearly professional development, both intentional and embedded, in ways to appropriately engage with students and/or parents/guardians to build capacity, student self-efficacy and enhance the self-esteem of such children.