Family Engagement Policy | Allonselementary

Allons Family Engagement Policy

In support of strengthening student academic achievement, Allons Elementary School receives Title I, Part A funds and therefore must jointly develop with, agree on 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 local educational agency (LEA).

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

Involve families, 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 school improvement plan under Section 1114(b) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Update the school parent and family engagement policy periodically to meet the changing needs of families and the school, distribute it to the families 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 families with limited English proficiency, families with disabilities, and families of migratory children, including providing information and school reports required under Section 1111 of the ESSA in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request and, to the extent practicable, in a language families understand.
If the school improvement plan under Section 1114(b) of the ESSA is not satisfactory to the families of participating children, submit any family 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 will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with this definition:

Parent and Family Engagement means the participation of families in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:

families play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
families are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;
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; and
other activities are carried out, such as those described in Section 1116 of the ESSA.

Description of how the school will implement required school parent and family engagement policy components:

JOINTLY DEVELOPED

Allons Elementary School will take the following actions to involve families 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 families, to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their child and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.

Through our Title I Advisory Committee, parents are asked for feedback and suggestions, and to give input into planning. We also hold an annual parent night and complete annual family engagement surveys.

ANNUAL TITLE I MEETING

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

Allons Elementary School hosts an annual Title I meeting and parent night at the start of each school year. Parents are given the opportunity to see a presentation on Title I and given information regarding our family engagement and parental involvement policy.

COMMUNICATIONS

Allons Elementary School will take the following actions to provide families 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.
Information related to the school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the families of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request and, to the extent practicable, in a language the families can understand:

Allons Elementary School communicates through a multitude of methods. We communicate, daily, weekly, and monthly through school messenger, the school website, notes home, parent nights, and emails. Parents receive information regarding Title I programs and activities through weekly and monthly calendars sent home and posted on the website.

SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT

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

Parents are given the opportunity to partner in the development of school-parent compacts through the Title I Advisory Committee. Compacts are reviewed by grade levels and reviewed by parents on the committee.

RESERVATION OF FUNDS

If applicable, Allons Elementary School will take the following actions to involve the families 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:

Families are involved in decisions regarding Title I funding and purchases through the Title I Advisory Committee.

COORDINATION OF SERVICES

Allons Elementary School 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 families in more fully participating in the education of their children by:

Allons Elementary school coordinates a variety of parent and family engagement programs and activities within our school and community including Pre-K, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Summer Lunch Programs, The Stephen’s Center, Books for Breakfast, Back to School Bash, and other family engagement activities

BUILDING CAPACITY OF SCHOOL STAFF

Allons Elementary School will provide training to educate teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, and other school leaders, and other staff, with the assistance of families, in the value and utility of contributions of families, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with families as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between families and the school by:

Allons Elementary School staff will build our capacity to work with families by using online resources and trainings at the school level using staff development opportunities to learn how to best partner with parents and families. We will also promote opportunities for professional development opportunities in order for our staff to gain communication skills and knowledge of programs designed to increase these partnerships.

Allons Elementary School will provide other reasonable support for parent and family engagement activities under Section 1116 as families may request by:

Allons Elementary School will address feedback and comments from annual family engagement surveys and coordinate activities to address the needs identified.