Parent and Family Engagement Policy

This policy is available to the local community, and feedback may be provided to the Title I office at any time. This plan will be updated annually to meet the changing needs of parents, families, and the schools.

Part I: General Expectations

In accordance with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), the PWCS Title I, Part A program agrees to:

• Provide programs and activities for the engagement of parents in schools that receive Title I funding.
• Support schools that receive Title I funding in developing a school-level Parent and Family Engagement Policy and Family-School Compacts.
• Include parents in the planning and operation of Title I activities and programs as well as the decisions related to the allocation of Title I funds for parent and family engagement activities.
• Provide opportunities for all parents and families, including parents with limited English proficiency, disabilities, or parents of migratory children, to participate in school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities, in a format that is friendly and in a language that parents can understand.
• Schools that receive Title I funding will carry out programs, activities, and procedures with meaningful parental involvement. For purposes of this policy, “parental involvement” means:
  
  The participation of parents and families in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring—
  1. That parents and families play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
  2. That parents and families are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;
  3. That parents and families are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child;
  4. The carrying out of other activities, such as those described in school Family Engagement Policies.

Part II: Parent and Family Engagement Policy Components

1. The PWCS Title I, Part A program will take the following actions to involve parents and families in the joint development of its divisionwide parent and family engagement policy:
   • Convene an annual meeting for parents and families of participating children in schools that receive Title I funding to inform parents and families of the division’s participation in Title I, to explain the requirements of Title I, and the right of parents and families to be involved.
   • Invite parents and families from all schools that receive Title I funding, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, to participate in the planning, review, and improvement of the division’s Title I program.
   • Provide parents and families of participating children:
     • Timely information about the Title I programs;
     • A description and explanation of the core academic curricula, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet; and
     • Opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children.
2. The PWCS Title I, Part A program will take the following actions to involve parents and families in the process of school review and improvement:
   • Share school and division academic data with parents at Title I Annual Meetings at each school that receives Title I funding;
   • Provide assistance to parents and families of children served by the PWCS Title I, Part A program, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the state’s academic content and achievement standards, state and local academic assessments, the requirements of Title I, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children;
   • Provide opportunities to review the school’s continuous improvement plan and progress towards meeting goals as established by the PWCS Strategic Plan; and
   • Provide materials and training to help parents and families work with their children to improve individual achievement.
3. The PWCS Title I, Part A program will provide the following necessary coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist schools that receive Title I funding in planning and implementing effective family engagement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance:
   • Coordinate two Title I teacher meetings per year to discuss effective parent and family engagement plans and activities, and showcase exemplary family events;
   • Provide schools that receive Title I funding support through the work of the central office Title I Parent and Family Engagement Specialist to ensure school-level Title I Parent and Family Engagement plans are written within the guidelines of Title I, and include strong family engagement practices that build relationships, are culturally responsive, and linked to continuous improvement goals;
   • Ensure that policies are accessible and understandable to all Title I parents and families.
   • Ensure that schools that receive Title I funding seek input from parents and families to collaboratively develop the Family-School Compact.
4. The PWCS Title I, Part A program will coordinate and integrate Title I parent and family engagement activities with other PWCS programs such as Head Start, ESOL, and Special Education, by encouraging joint planning of family engagement activities, using the expertise of school and division staff, and parents, and families at each school.
5. The PWCS Title I, Part A program will administer an annual survey of schools that receive Title I funding to determine the effectiveness of the Family Engagement policy and determine schools’ efforts to overcome barriers to parent and family engagement. Results will be examined by division personnel for trends, and disseminated to school administration, teachers, parents, and families at all schools that receive Title I funding to assist with developing and improving school policies.
6. The PWCS Title I, Part A program will build the schools’, parents’ and families’ capacity for strong parent and family engagement, to ensure effective involvement of parents and families to support a partnership. Each school that receives Title I funding, the parents, families, and the school community will work together to improve student academic achievement.
   • Each school will submit parent and family engagement meeting details regarding the topics of parent and family meetings and materials needed. The central office Title I, Part A program, with the assistance of its schools, will provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s academic achievement.
   • The central office Title I, Part A program will ensure that information related to the school, parent and family programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the parents and families of participating children in an understandable format, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.
   • The central office Title I, Part A program will provide translation and interpreting services at Title I family programs, events, and meetings to ensure all families can access the content and participate. Additionally, funds may be used to provide transportation to support attendance at the Title I family programs, events, and meetings.

Part III: Review

This divisionwide Parent and Family Engagement Policy that was developed jointly with staff, parents and families of children participating in Title I, Part A programs on January 28, 2025.

The Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning is responsible for implementing and monitoring this policy.

This policy shall be reviewed annually at the Title I, Part A Division Annual Meeting.