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Policies » Parent Engagement Policy

Parent Engagement Policy

GVA-N Parent and Family Engagement Policy

 

GVA-N works closely with parent leaders, families, and community stakeholders to raise awareness about the importance of parental engagement at the school level. GVA-N also encourages parents to invest in building relationships with teachers, principals, and school-based staff. The school staff is focused on empowering and supporting parent and family engagement on multiple levels.

 

The school principal assists in forming the School Accountability Committee (SAC). The SAC represents a school-wide approach to ensuring that parents have a voice in decision-making and the school improvement process. In addition, GVA-N hosts monthly “Coffee with the Principal" in both English and Spanish. This provides parents an opportunity to discuss with the school administration concerns and ideas for the school.

 

Our goal is for parents to be aware of all aspects of the operations and processes within the school setting that can be legally released. Parents are always welcomed to visit the school and meet with the school administration to discuss more personal issues. We believe transparency is essential for the growth of this school.

 

GVA-N has developed a written Title I parent and family engagement policy with input from Title I parents. The school developed the policy based on best practices and provided opportunities for parents to review and provide feedback. It has distributed the policy to parents of Title I students. The policy is updated on our website and distributed electronically and/or hard copy to parents. The policy describes the means for carrying out the following Title I parental involvement requirements [20 USC 6318 Section 1118(a)-(f) inclusive].

 

Involvement of Parents in the Title I Program

To involve parents in the Title I program at GVA-N the following practices have been established:

  • The school convenes an annual meeting to inform parents of Title I students about Title I requirements and about the right of parents to be involved in the Title I program.
  • Parents are informed about Title I requirements through the annual Title I meeting which is associated with a Back to School event, PTO meeting, or Coffee with the Principal as these events attract many parents
  • The school offers a flexible number of meetings for Title I parents, such as meetings in the morning or evening, as described above.
  • The school involves parents of Title I students in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s Title I programs and the Title I parental involvement policy
  • Parents are provided the opportunity to provide feedback and suggestions at the annual Title I meeting where the Title I program is reviewed.
  • The school provides parents of Title I students with timely information about Title I programs through regular newsletters and website updates
  • The school provides parents of Title I students with an explanation of the curriculum used at the school, the assessments used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet at the annual Title I meeting, through SAC meetings, Town Halls, Parent-Teacher Conferences, Student-led Conferences, and Coffee with the Principal.
  • If requested by parents of Title I students, the school provides opportunities for regular meetings that allow the parents to participate in decisions relating to the education of their children through the SAC meetings, Town Halls, Coffee with the Principal, or direct meetings with school administration and/or teachers.

School-Parent Compact

GVA-N distributes to parents of Title I students a school-parent compact. The compact, which has been jointly developed with parents, outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement. It describes specific ways the school and families will partner to help children achieve the State’s high academic standards. It addresses the following legally required items, as well as other items suggested by parents of Title I students:

  • The school’s responsibility to provide a high-quality curriculum and instruction.
  • The ways parents will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning.
  • The importance of ongoing communication between parents and teachers through, at a minimum, annual parent-teacher conferences, frequent reports on student progress, access to staff, opportunities for parents to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and opportunities to observe classroom activities.

Building Capacity for Involvement

GVA-N engages Title I parents in meaningful interactions with the school. It supports a partnership among staff, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement. To help reach these goals, the school has established the following practices:

  • The school provides Title I parents with assistance in understanding the State’s academic content standards, assessments, and how to monitor and improve the achievement of their children through Curriculum Nights, Parent-Teacher Conferences, and parent classes that guide parents on how to support their children with the standards while at home.
  • The school provides Title I parents with materials and training to help them work with their children to improve their children's achievement as described above.
  • With the assistance of Title I parents, the school educates staff members about the value of parent contributions, and how to work with parents as equal partners through educating staff members and staff development.
  • The school coordinates and integrates the Title I parental involvement program with other programs, and conducts other activities, such as parent resource centers, to encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children as described above.
  • The school distributes information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities to Title I parents in a format and language that the parents understand.
  • As a language immersion school, this is an area where parent communication is provided in a variety of languages and is one of our many strengths.
  • The school provides support for parental involvement activities requested by Title I parents as described throughout this policy.

Accessibility

GVA-N provides opportunities for the participation of all Title I parents, including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory students. Information and school reports are provided in a format and language that parents understand. All school communications are provided in languages to meet the needs of our parent population.