Purpose
Vision Academy Charter School (VACS) Board of Trustees recognizes that parent involvement contributes to the achievement of academic standards by students participating in Title I programs. The Board views the education of students as a cooperative effort among the school, parents and community.
Authority
In compliance with federal law, the VACS and parents of students participating in Title I programs shall jointly develop and agree upon a written parent involvement policy. When developing and implementing this policy, the school shall ensure the policy describes how the school will:
1. Involve parents in the joint development of the school’s overall Title I parent involvement plan and the process of school review and improvement.
2. Develop parent involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance.
3. Develop activities that promote the schools’ and parents’ capacity for strong parent involvement.
4. Coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies with appropriate programs, as provided by law.
5. Involve parents in an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the policy in improving the academic quality of schools served under Title I.
6. Identify barriers to participation by parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority.
7. Use findings of annual evaluations to design strategies for more effective parent involvement.
8. Involve parents in the activities of schools served under Title I.
The Board shall adopt and distribute the parent involvement policy, which shall be incorporated into the School’s Title I plan and shall be evaluated annually, with parent involvement.
Delegation of Responsibility
The CEO or designee shall ensure that the School’s Title I parent involvement policy, plan and programs comply with the requirements of federal law.
The principal and/or Title I staff shall provide to parents of student participating in Title I programs:
1. Explanation of the reasons supporting their child’s selection for the program.
2. Set of objectives to be addressed.
3. Description of the services to be provided.
The CEO or designee shall ensure that information and reports provided to parents are in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.
Guidelines
An annual meeting of parents of participating Title I students shall be held to explain the goals and purposes of the Title I program. Parents shall be given the opportunity to participate in the design, development, operation and evaluation of the parent involvement program. Parents shall be encouraged to participate in planning activities, to offer suggestions and to ask questions regarding policies and programs.
In addition to the required annual meeting, additional parent meetings shall be held at various times of the day and evening. At these meetings, parents shall be provided:
1. Information about programs provided under Title I.
2. Description and explanation of the curriculum in use, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.
3. Opportunities to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children.
4. Opportunities to submit parent comments about the program to the district level.
If sufficient, Title I funding may be used to facilitate parent attendance at meetings through payment of transportation and child care costs.
Opportunities shall be provided for parents to meet with the classroom and Title I teachers to discuss their child’s progress.
Parents may be given guidance as to how they can assist at home in the education of their child.
School-Parent Compact
The school shall jointly develop with parents of students served in the program a School-Parent Compact outlining the manner in which parents, school staff and students share responsibility for improved student achievement in meeting academic standards. The compact shall:
1. Describe the school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment, enabling students in the Title I program to meet the district’s academic standards.
2. Indicate the ways in which parents will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning, such as monitoring attendance, homework completion and television watching; volunteering in the classroom; and participating, as appropriate, in decisions related to their child’s education and positive use of extracurricular time.
3. Address the importance of parent-teacher communication on an ongoing basis through, at a minimum, parent-teacher conferences, frequent reports to parents and reasonable access to staff.
Note: This policy is reviewed annually.