PDF file of the Parent Involvement Plan 22-23

 

Warren County Schools
2022-2023
Parent Engagement Plan
 

What is Family Engagement?

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

·      That parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning.

·      That parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education.

·      That parents 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.

·      The carrying out of other activities, such as those described in Section 1116 of ESSA.

About the Parent and Family Engagement Plan

In support of strengthening student academic achievement, Warren County Schools (WCS) has developed this parent and family engagement plan that guides the strategies and resources that strengthen school and parent partnerships in the district’s Title I schools. This plan will describe the WCS commitment to engage families in the education of their children and to build the capacity in the Title I schools to implement family engagement strategies and activities designed to achieve the district and student academic achievement goals.

When schools, families, and communities work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and enjoy school more. Title I – Part A provides for family engagement at every level of the program, such as in the development and implementation of the district and school plan, and in carrying out the district and school improvement provisions. Section 1116 of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) contains the primary Title I – Part A requirements for schools and school districts to involve parents and family members in their children’s education. Consistent with Section 116, WCS will work with its Title I schools to ensure that the required school-level parent and family engagement plans meet the requirements of Section 1116(b) and each include, as a component, a school-parent compact consistent with Section 1116(d) of ESSA.

Jointly Developed

During the annual District Wide Parent Council meeting in May, all parent members were invited to participate and provide suggestions and ideas to improve this district parent and family engagement plan for the school year. Additionally, each Title I school reviews the plan during a school team meeting before the end of the school year. Also, families are welcome to submit comments to their child’s school. All feedback received by July 1, was included with the policy for this school year. Upon final revision, the district parent and family engagement plan was incorporated into the District Improvement Plan, which was submitted to the State Department of Education. The district parent and family engagement plan is posted on the district and school websites, distributed during the annual Title I school meetings early in the school year, and made available for pick up or viewing in the district’s central office and the district’s Family Resource Center. 

Strengthening Our Schools

The district Federal Programs Director will provide assistance and support to all Title I schools to ensure family engagement requirements are being satisfied and that family engagement strategies and activities are being implemented. Title I schools will receive notifications and resources from the district to help them improve and strengthen family engagement. In addition to frequent communication and school visits, the district will host Parent Advisory Meetings throughout the year. These meetings allow parent representatives from each school to bring various items for discussion to the district wide meeting.

Reservation of Funds

Warren County Schools will reserve 1 percent of each school’s Title I – Part A funds it receives in FY 23 to carry out the parent and family engagement requirements as described in Section 1116 of ESSA. The amount reserved by Title I schools will be used to support the individual school’s family engagement programs and activities. The district will provide guidance and communication to assist each Title I school in developing a family engagement plan that addresses their needs assessment and parent recommendations.     

Building Capacity

Warren County Schools will build the schools and parents capacity for strong family engagement in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and family members and to support a partnership among the Title I schools, parents, and community to improve student academic achievement through the following district wide activities.

Building Capacity Of Parents:

Warren County Schools will work as a district and through its Title I schools to provide assistance to parents in understanding state and district academic information connected to their student’s learning and progress, as well as information regarding the Title I program. Schools will provide informative updates for parents to gain knowledge about the challenging state academic standards, local academic assessments, as well as the required assessments for Tennessee students including alternative forms of assessment.

Warren County Schools has established a district wide family engagement committee comprised of family representatives from each Title I school. The Parent Advisory Committee will provide input on all matters related to family engagement in Title I – Part A programs. Community leaders and business partners will be invited to also serve on this committee. The district will  encourage collaboration and participation with community partners by posting the minutes on the district website. 

Warren County Schools will host each spring Pre K and Kindergarten Screening days. Incoming students in grades Pre K and Kindergarten will complete the screening process during that day and parents will receive information about school and additional information that is needed to prepare their student for the upcoming school year.

Building Capacity Of School Staff:

To ensure that information related to district, school, parent programs, and activities is available to all parents, each Title I school is required to send home and post online information for parents and family members in an understandable language and uniform format. At the beginning of the year, school staff will be trained on parent notifications and resources to be sent home in parent’s native language where applicable, and providing interpreters at parent events. Information posted on the district website will be translated to the extent practicable. The district will also utilize school messenger systems, district and school websites, local news media, social media sites, and other school message systems to post information for parents.

Parent and Family Engagement Evaluation

Each year, Warren County Schools will conduct an evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this parent engagement plan and the family engagement activities to improve the academic quality of the Title I schools through the annual Parent Climate Survey.

Beginning in January, each Title I school will send home an email link to the Climate Survey for parents to provide valuable feedback regarding the school and district programming. The survey link will also be posted on the district website for parents to complete.  WCS will use the results from the surveys to design strategies to improve the overall district and school level programs and practices. These results will also be used to improve effective parent and family engagement activities, to remove possible barriers to parent participation, and to revise the parent and family engagement plan.

Accessibility

In carrying out the parent and family engagement requirements established by Section 1116 of ESSA, the Federal Programs Director will communicate and collaborate with all departments to ensure full opportunities for participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents of children with disabilities, and parents of migratory children including providing information and school reports in a language parents can understand.    

District Community Team

Warren County Schools invites any parent to attend a district Parent Advisory Council meeting to share ideas and ways to involve others to build partnerships with schools, families, and the community. The council meets every other month during the school year. Please visit www.warrenschools.com to check the meeting schedule. Parents and family members can also submit ideas or suggestions at any school activity or meeting, or may email Vickie Dodd, Federal Programs Director at doddv@warrenschools.com.    

Adoption

This district wide parent and family engagement plan has been developed jointly and agreed upon with parents and families of children participating in Title I – Part A programs as evidenced by the collaboration of p

 

Updated for 2022-2023