Parent, Family, and Community Involvement Plan

Translations:

• Spanish

The Title I Office works with the parents and families of Title I students to assist them in accelerating their child’s academic achievement. This overview is in alignment with the Howard County Public School System Policy 10000, Student, Parent, Family and Community Engagement (revised July 1, 2019), and has been developed through ongoing collaboration with the parents and families of Title I students.

General Expectations

• In alignment with HCPSS Policy 10000, Student, Parent, Family and Community Engagement (revised July 1, 2019), Title I believes that the education of children is a shared responsibility among student, parents, families, the school system, and the community.
• Title I recognizes the parent as the child’s first and lifelong teacher. It is essential to involve parents in educational decisions as caring advocates for their children. Title I is committed to promoting the involvement of all parents of students in the Title I program.
• Title I supports collaboration with parents and thecommunity as participants in school governance and as active partners in advancing the school system’s goals and philosophy.

Plan Development

• Title I will involve parents in the development and evaluation of the HCPSS Title I Parent, Family, and Community Involvement Plan by meeting with parents of Title I students, at least once a year, for feedback on the Plan’s content and effectiveness as well as regarding decisions on how funds are budgeted and spent.
• Title I works with the schools to ensure that parents participate in an annual survey (in person, by phone, or in writing) to gain input on the content and effectiveness of the Title I Plan.
• The Title I plan is distributed to each student at every Title I school through newsletters and news blasts, and is made accessible at parent/teacher conferences, family programs, and through school-based websites.

The Role of the Title I Office

• Title I will meet with the administrators and teachers of each of the Title I schools, on a monthly basis, to provide professional learning and technical assistance. The training covers such topics as increasing parent involvement, maximizing student progress, and using data to inform instruction and intervention.
• Title I will monitor family outreach activities, such as Learning Parties and Family Literacy, Mathematics, Social-Emotional Learning, STEM, or Technology Nights, on a regular basis by attending programs and reviewing documentation.
• Through professional learning with administrators and teachers, Title I works with each school to recruit and identify parents to participate on school-level decision making teams.

Building Capacity*

• Title I develops presentations that Title I schools can modify and use to explain the Title I Program to families and community members.
• Title I distributes resources and informational materials to parents that help to explain topics such as grade level academic achievement, Title I information, and state and local assessments. These resources are sent home with students, distributed to parents at family nights, and are available at each school throughout the year.
• The school system website, www.hcpss.org, provides information on curriculum and strategies that parents can use to support student learning at home in English, Spanish, and other languages.
• Title I collaborates with the school system’s Communications office to establish and maintain systemic, two-way communication with parents, families, and the community through newsletters, telephone calls, orientation programs, access to school staff, parent teacher conferences, student progress reports, summer school opportunities, celebrations of student achievement, and electronic communications using a variety of methods, media, resources, and languages.
• Title I encourages parents and families to be involved in their students’ education and assume a vital role in ensuring success in school for their students. Volunteerism, with appropriate orientation, training, and support is also encouraged.
• In collaboration with family engagement programs, Title I provides materials and training to parents, at least twice a year, to facilitate the parents’ ability to work with their children at home to support well-being and to increase achievement in reading and math.
• Title I works with Title I school staff on an ongoing basis to share training opportunities for parents that focus on supporting student achievement in reading and math through websites, newsletters, handouts, personal phone calls and other means.
• Title I provides ongoing professional learning to Schoolwide Schools’ teachers and administrators to help them embrace parents as equal partners through quarterly meetings and on-site professional learning provided by the Literacy and Mathematics Coaches.
• Every year, Title I coordinates with schools to evaluate the Title I program/activities and share feedback with Schoolwide Schools’ teachers and administrators. Feedback is collected from parents to help plan professional learning for Schoolwide Schools’ teachers and administrators.
• Title I meets with Head Start, the Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC), and Kindergarten Transition Team on a regular basis to coordinate Early Childhood parent involvement activities such as Learning Parties and the Basics.
• Title I collaborates with the Howard County Public Library System and the Howard County Office of Children and Families to provide information, materials, and activities that help parents and families strengthen their children’s academic and social skills at home.
• Title I provides interpreters for parents attending Title I activities, and Title I related materials translated into Spanish, Korean, and other languages.
• Title I provides transportation and childcare to ensure access to Title I outreach activities and programs.