Essa Title I Parent and Family Engagement

THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER RECOMMENDS

That the Board rescind Board Report 12-0725-PO1, the Policy on NCLB Title I Parental Involvement and adopt new policy as ESSA Title I Parent and Family Engagement. In addition, this new policy reflects the results of a review and evaluation of its content and effectiveness with Title I parents.

BACKGROUND

The NCLB Title I Parental Involvement Policy was first adopted by the Board on July 28, 2004 (Board Report 04-0728-PO3) in order to (1) support and secure an effective partnership among parents, legal guardians, schools and the community, (2) provide Chicago Public School (CPS) students with a school environment that encourages high student academic achievement, and (3) comply with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Title I requirements regarding the establishment of a parental involvement policy.

The policy was amended on July 25, 2012 to incorporate the new requirements of Part A of the No Child Left Behind Act and reflected a review and evaluation of its content and effectiveness with Title I parents.

POLICY TEXT

PURPOSE: This NCLB Title I Parental Involvement policy is being rescinded and replaced with a new policy in order to comply with the parent and family engagement requirements in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

I. Definitions

“Parent and Family Engagement”– The term “Parent and Family Engagement” refers to the adoption of strategies for the participation of parents and family members in regular, two-way communication, and meaningful consultation involving student academic learning and other school activities, to the extent feasible and appropriate. In addition this includes other activities as described in Section 1116 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESSA).

“Parents” -- The term “Parents” refers to natural or adoptive parents, legal (i.e., court-appointed) guardians, and persons standing in loco parentis (such as grandparents or stepparents with whom the child lives, or persons who are legally responsible for the child's welfare).

“Family” – The term “Family” refers to any household member or relative who provides a direct and consistent role in raising and caring for a CPS student.

“Parent Board of Governors (PBG)” – The term refers to the district-wide body comprised of a representative group of parents or family members that serves in an advisory capacity to the district and complies with the meaningful consultation requirements of ESSA Section 1116. The Parent Board of Governors replaces what was previously referred to as the Parent Involvement Advisory Board (PIAB).

II. General Expectations

The Board is committed to creating opportunities for parent and family engagement in support of an educational environment that encourages high student academic achievement as delineated below.

• CPS will put into operation programs, activities and procedures for the involvement of parents and family members in all of its schools with Title I, Part A programs, consistent with Section 1116 of the ESSA (Section 1116). These programs, activities and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents and family members of participating children.
• Parents of CPS students will have an opportunity for engagement through participation in and support of Parent Advisory Councils (PACs), Local School Councils (LSCs), Advisory Local School Councils (ALSCs) and other parent advisory bodies.
• CPS will create a district-wide parent advisory group, the Parent Board of Governors that will be comprised of a representative group of parents or family members of district students
• Consistent with Section 1116, CPS will work with its schools to ensure that local Parent Advisory Councils (“PACs”) are established in a timely manner each school year. In addition, CPS will ensure that the required school-level Parent engagement policies and school-parent compact comply with Section 1116. If a functioning PAC is not established in a school receiving Title I funds, in a timely manner, the principal shall involve parents in decisions related to its Title I Program and Title I parent and family engagement activities through means other than a PAC in accordance with guidance provided by CPS.
• CPS will incorporate this district-wide Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy into its annual educational plan developed under Section 1116.
• In carrying out the Parent and Family Engagement requirements of Section 1116, to the extent practicable, CPS and its schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents and families with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities and parents of migratory children. This will include the provision of information and school reports in an understandable format, including alternative formats upon request, to the extent practicable.
• If the District plan for Title I, Part A, is not satisfactory to the parents and families of participating children, CPS will submit any parent and family comments with its plan to the State Department of Education and forward a duplicate copy to the PBG.
• CPS will involve the parents and families of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about the portion of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parent and family engagement is spent. CPS will ensure that not less than 90 percent of the reserved funds goes directly to the schools. Any funds received by the schools must be utilized in a manner that facilitates and maximizes parent and family engagement at the schools. The use of parent engagement funds shall be in accordance with ESSA guidelines and regulations and the parent engagement guidelines issued by CPS.
• CPS will inform parents, to the extent feasible and appropriate, of resources available at local, state and national levels.
• CPS will provide such other reasonable support for parental activities under Section 1116 of the ESSA as parents may request.

III. Implementation Activities

• CPS Title I Parent and Family Engagement Plan: CPS will jointly develop a district-wide parent and family engagement plan under Section 1116 of the ESSA with parents and families by meeting with a cross-section of parents and families, including, for example, representatives of ESSA parents, the Parent Board of Governors, Parent Advisory Councils, parent teacher organizations, the Local School Council Advisory Board, parents and family of diverse learners, Bilingual Advisory Committees, early childhood education and other parent groups. The representatives will be encouraged to take information back to their respective members for input.
• School Review and Improvement: CPS will continue to encourage and provide trainings as needed to LSCs (although not limited to LSCs), which consist of parents, families, community members, teachers, non-teaching staff representatives, principals and high school students, to closely follow their state-mandated responsibility of: (1) approving school improvement plans; (2) monitoring school improvement plans; and (3) informing other parents, families, and community members of the progress or lack of progress of the school improvement plans. Specifically, the Illinois School Code 5/34-2.3(7) requires each LSC to convene at least two well-publicized meetings annually to present to the school and its community the proposed local school improvement plan; the school expenditure plan; the annual school report; and the school progress reports. One of those meetings is to introduce the school improvement plan and the budget; the purpose of the other meeting is to report on the progress of the plan and the budget that supports it. For any existing or new school with an alternate local school governing body to whom this policy may apply, CPS will encourage such body to design and implement policies and procedures for the creation and review of a school improvement plan and the regular communication with parents regarding the progress or lack of progress of the school improvement plans. Under Illinois law, a school’s LSC will consider and approve appropriate and/or reasonable and necessary budgetary requests of the school PAC to use the Section 1116 parent engagement funds to support Title I parents in participating in Title I. Approval requirements of such budgetary requests shall be further delineated in the CEO’s Parent and Family Guidelines.
• School Parent and Family Engagement Activities to Increase Student Achievement: CPS will provide the necessary coordination, technical assistance and other support to assist Title I, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective parent and family engagement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance by helping schools to complete (1) an inventory of present practice; (2) a two-year outline of goals that show how the school’s partnership programs with parents, families and the community will grow over time; and (3) a one-year action plan specifying how parents and families can help support the school improvement plan and increase student achievement.
• Integration of Parent and Family Engagement Strategies: CPS will coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies in Title I, Part A schools with other federal, state, and local programs.
• Evaluation: CPS will conduct, with the involvement of Title I parents and families, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this parent and family engagement practices. CPS will use the findings of the evaluation to design strategies for more effective parent and family engagement.
• Building Capacity for Parent and Family Engagement: CPS will continue its efforts to build each school’s capacity as required by Section 1116 for strong parent and family engagement utilizing the Continuous Improvement Work Plan (CIWP) to provide evidence of local compliance. These efforts are to strengthen academic achievement, through the following activities specifically described below:
  1. Schools will involve parents in the joint development and periodic review and revision of the ESSA, Title I school parental and family engagement plan and policy, and in the process of school review and improvement.
  2. Schools will hold an annual meeting at a time convenient to parents during the first month of school to inform them of the school's participation in ESSA, Title I programs and to explain the Title I requirements and their right to be involved in the Title I programs. The school will also offer a number of additional parental involvement meetings, including school PAC meetings, at different times and will invite all parents of children participating in the ESSA, Title I program to these meetings, and encourage them to attend.
  3. At the request of parents, schools will provide opportunities for regular meetings, including the School Parent Advisory Council meetings, for parents to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children.
  4. Schools will provide parents a report of their child's performance on the State assessment in at least math, language arts and reading.
  5. Schools will assist parents of participating ESSA Title I children in understanding: the state's academic content standards; the state's student academic achievement standards; the state and local academic assessments including alternate assessments; the requirements of Title I, Part A; how to monitor their child's progress; and how to work with educators.
  6. Schools will provide information, resources, materials and training, including literacy training and technology, as appropriate, to assist parents in working with their children to improve their academic achievement, and to encourage increased parental involvement.
  7. Schools will educate all staff in the value and utility of contributions by parents and in how to reach out to, communicate and work with, parents as equal partners in the education of their children and in how to implement and coordinate parent programs and build ties with parents.
  8. Schools will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent programs and activities with Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First involvement, Even Start, Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, public preschool, and other programs, to further encourage and support parents in more fully participating in their children's education.
  9. Schools will ensure that information related to the school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to parents in understandable and uniform formats, including language.

IV. CPS District wide Parent and Family Engagement Effort

In order to build parents’ and families’ capacity for involvement in the schools and to support their children’s academic achievement, CPS will:

• Ensure Title I compliance at the school level;
• Provide technical assistance to stakeholders regarding Title I policy;
• Provide support for Parent Advisory Council (PAC) capacity building;
• Provide additional training and engagement opportunities across the district;
• Provide parents and families with updates, policy changes and guidelines related to parent and family engagement; and
• Develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses, including faith-based organizations, in parent and family engagement activities, and find ways to identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices and student learning and development.

V. Adoption

This District-Wide Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy have been developed jointly with, and agreed on by, parents and families of CPS students participating in Title I, Part A programs. The required parent and family engagement activities will be implemented to the extent ESSA funds such requirements under Section 1116. The school district will present this policy and any proposed changes to the policy to parents and families of participating Title I, Part A children and the PIAB for review annually and will make the policy, as revised, available to parents and families within 45 days of Board approval.