Parental Involvement Plan

District

The Lawrence County School District recognizes the need for strong parental involvement in the educational process of our students.  In compliance with Act 307 of 2007, Act 397 of 2009, and in conjunction with the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas, the Lawrence County School District has established the following plan.

According to Act 307 of 2007 and/or Act 397 of 2009, Arkansas Code § 6-15-1702:

The Lawrence County School District, in collaboration with its parents, established a parental involvement plan which includes programs and practices that enhance parental involvement and reflect the specific needs of our students and their families.

I.      The parental involvement program at Lawrence County School shall:

II.    Responsible Parenting

III.   Involve parents of students at all grade levels in a variety of roles;

IV.  Welcome parents into Walnut Ridge School

V.   Parents are full partners

VI.  Community Resources

VII. Support the development, implementation, and regular evaluation of the program to involve parents in the decisions and practices of the school district, using, to the degree possible, the components listed in this section.

Section 2.  According to Arkansas Code § 6-15-1703 Staff Development, the Lawrence County School District's Parental Involvement Plan:

I.      The State Board of Education's Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts shall require:

(A) No fewer than two (2) hours of professional development opportunities for teachers, which may be included in the minimum number of hours of professional development required, designed to enhance understanding of effective parental involvement strategies; and

(B) No fewer than three (3) hours of professional development opportunities for administrators, in addition to the minimum number of hours of professional development required, designed to enhance understanding of:

(1)  Effective parent involvement strategies; and

(2)  The importance of administrative leadership in setting expectations and creating a climate conducive to parental participation.

II.    Lawrence County School District provides training at least annually for volunteers who assist in an instructional program for parents.

Section 3.  Arkansas Code § 6-15-1705 Incorporation of parental involvement into teacher education programs.

        The Department of Education and the Department of Higher Education shall collaborate with institutions of higher education to incorporate into teacher and administrator education programs instruction regarding:

(A) The importance of parental involvement; and

(B) Successful strategies for encouraging parents to be partners in their child's education; and

(C) The relationship between cultural diversity and parental involvement.

Appendix D: District wide Parental Involvement Policy

PART I.         GENERAL EXPECTATIONS  

The Lawrence County School District agrees to implement the following statutory requirements: 

Parental involvement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring—

(A) that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;

(B) that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;

(C) 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;

(D) the carrying out of other activities, such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA.

·         The Center for Effective Parenting serves as the Arkansas State Parent Information & Resource Center (PIRC) which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (84.310A).     This program involves a multi-target-multimethod approach to improve the developmental progress of children and to improve academic achievement.

The program focuses many of its efforts statewide but has centers in Northwest Arkansas (Jones Center for Families in Springdale) and in Little Rock (UAMS Department of Pediatrics and Arkansas Children’s Hospital).    This allows for services to be provided to a broad representation of parents including those from both rural and urban areas, low-income populations, and minority groups.

The AR State PIRC/Center for Effective Parenting is a collaborative project of:
Jones Center for Families http://www.jonesnet.org/
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Arkansas Children's Hospital

·         Information for the Arkansas State PIRC can be found at http://www.parenting-ed.org. Other helpful resources may include:

The Parental Involvement Title I, Part A Non Regulatory Guidance: http://www.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/parentinvguid and Toolkit for Parental Involvement at http://www.sedl.org/connections/toolkit

 

1.   The Lawrence County School District will take the following actions to involve parents in the joint development of its district wide parental involvement plan under section 1112 of the ESEA: 

2.   The Lawrence County School District will take the following actions to involve parents in the process of school review and improvement under section 1116 of the ESEA: 

3.    The Lawrence County School District will provide the following necessary coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist Title I, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective parental involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance: 

4.   The Lawrence County School District will coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies in Part A with parental involvement strategies under the following other programs:  Such as: Head Start, Reading First, and State-operated preschool programs by:  Kathy Runsick, Kim Keen, Dyan Heard and/or Lana Jean.

·         Each year Walnut Ridge Elementary School offers a volunteer training for parents and members of the community who wish to volunteer their time to the school.

·         Walnut Ridge Elementary will collaborate with BRAD Head Start to transition students to Walnut Ridge Elementary. Teachers and principal will participate in joint transition conferences, and schedule an early spring visit to the campus for pre-school students.

·         The principal and counselor will collaborate with Head Start and ABC parents to encourage participation in Pre-Kindergarten Registration/Parent Night. The Walnut Ridge Elementary School provides parent involvement strategies for parents and students in the public and private preschool programs by providing a day for the parents and students to visit the kindergarten classrooms. Informational packets are sent home with the parents and students.

·         Parent Involvement Meetings will be held annually in collaboration with local agencies and community leaders to provide instruction to a parent on how to incorporate developmentally appropriate learning activities in the home environment. Volunteers to speak at these meetings include: Sheriff's office, Martha May on nutrition in the home, Mid South Health on ADD/ADHD, and Cindy Lewis on health and wellness.

5.   The Walnut Ridge Elementary School will take the following actions to conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this parental involvement policy in improving the quality of its Title I, Part A schools.  The evaluation will include identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in parental involvement activities (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background).  The school district will use the findings of the evaluation about its parental involvement policy and activities to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary (and with the involvement of parents) its parental involvement policies.

·         The Parent Center Coordinator will evaluate effectiveness of Parental Involvement, the Parental Involvement Policy, and the efficient use of academic and non-academic activities in Parent Center by conducting annual assessments through attendance records, surveys, and test data.

·         The Walnut Ridge Elementary School will evaluate the Parent Center for support of educational programs and encourage Parental Involvement. Program Evaluation: 1. This intervention is designed to ensure that all students have an opportunity to obtain an adequate education and demonstrate proficiency on all portions of the state-mandated assessments. The Parent Center Program helps support educational programs and parental involvement. 2. Students and parents have access to the Parent Center every day for supplemental support and remediation materials as prescribed by teachers or chosen by parents. These items can be checked out for use at home. 3. Parent Center Surveys were placed in Family Kits and none of the surveys were returned. The parent center logged 499 volunteer hours through the Parent Center. The Parent Center had 4 guest speakers. The Parent Center logged 149 hours of indirect services which included volunteers for the fall festival and teacher appreciation luncheon.

1.    The Walnut Ridge Elementary School will build the schools’ and parent’s  capacity for strong parental involvement, in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement,  through the following activities specifically described below: 

A.  The Walnut Ridge Elementary School will, with the assistance of its Title I, Part A schools, provide assistance to parents of children served by the school district or school, as appropriate, in understanding topics such as the following, by undertaking the actions described in this paragraph --

·         the State’s academic content standards,

·         the State’s student academic achievement standards,

·         the State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments, such as Target Testing,

·         the requirements of Part A,

·         how to monitor their child’s progress, and

·         how to work with educators:

·         The Parent Center will be opened daily to give assistance to parents in any or all of these areas.  The Parent Center Facilitator, Dyan Heard, who is also the Title I Director for Walnut Ridge Elementary and High School, will also be available to answer questions or schedule meetings.

·         Parent volunteers and staff organize and run the school's Parent Teacher Organization and conduct parent involvement meetings. These meetings will help acknowledge that parents play an integral role in assisting student learning and how a parent can assist and make a difference in his or her child's education. Meetings are held once a month. Faculty, staff, students, and parents attend these meetings. These meetings are conducted to provide assistance to parents in understanding content, how to monitor a child's progress; standards, what students will be learning, academic assessments, and to provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve and understand academic achievement for their child's education.

B.  The Walnut Ridge Elementary School will, with the assistance of its schools, provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s academic achievement, such as literacy training, and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement, by: 

·         Coordination of funds will be used by the Parent Center Facilitator and Coordinator to select and purchase materials necessary to assist parents in helping their children succeed in school.

·         A Parent Center Coordinator, Kathy Runsick, has been hired to coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities.

·         The Parent Center Coordinator and Facilitator will see that all aspects of ACT 307 and ACT 397 are met completely. Perform the following activities in accordance with Parental Involvement ACT 307 and ACT 397: Continue regular, two-way, and meaningful communication between school and home with homework folders, progress reports, phone calls to parents, and two Parent/Teacher conferences. Information packets will be sent home that will include parental involvement policy. These informational packets will be made available through out the year for parents. All communication to parents is sent to the extent practical in a language the parents can understand.

·         The Parent Center Coordinator, Kathy Runsick, will assist parents in filling academic prescription filled out by the teachers. The Parent Center will provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve academic achievement.

·         The principal will provide opportunities for parents to become partners with the school in promoting the education of the child at school and at home. This will be done by posting educational bulletins on website. The bulletins will be posted electronically monthly and can be downloaded and printed by the parent.

·         The Parent Center Coordinator will provide instruction to parents on how to incorporate developmentally appropriate learning activities in the home environments. The Parent Center Coordinator will send home instructions on the use of and access to Department of Education website through the Parent Center website and newsletters.

 

C.  The Walnut Ridge Elementary School will, with the assistance of its schools and parents, educate its teachers, pupil services personnel, principals and other staff, in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to implement and coordinate parent programs and build ties between parents and schools, by: 

·         Professional Development will be provided to educate teachers, principals, and other staff in the importance of effective communication, value and utility of contributions of parents. This will be provided in collaboration from our local Coop. Professional Development activities will include 2 hours (3 hours for administrators) in parental involvement as mandated by state standards.

 

D.  The Walnut Ridge Elementary School will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, and public preschool and other programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children, by:

·         Hold an annual Volunteer Training for volunteers who assist in an instructional program for parents. Parent volunteer handbooks will be handed out to parents by teachers. Results from parent surveys are distributed to teachers with contact information for parent willing to volunteer.

·         Walnut Ridge Elementary will collaborate with BRAD Head Start to transition students to Walnut Ridge Elementary. Teachers and principal will participate in joint transition conferences, and schedule an early spring visit to the campus for pre-school students.

·         The principal and counselor will collaborate with Head Start and ABC parents to encourage participation in Pre-Kindergarten Registration/Parent Night. The Walnut Ridge Elementary School provides parent involvement strategies for parents and students in the public and private preschool programs by providing a day for the parents and students to visit the kindergarten classrooms. Informational packets are sent home with the parents and students.

 

E.  The Walnut Ridge Elementary School will take the following actions to ensure that information related to the school and parent- programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the parents of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand: 

·         The Parent Center Coordinator and Facilitator will see that all aspects of ACT 307 and ACT 397 are met completely. Perform the following activities in accordance with Parental Involvement ACT 307 and ACT 397: Continue regular, two-way, and meaningful communication between school and home with homework folders, progress reports, phone calls to parents, and two Parent/Teacher conferences. Information packets will be sent home that will include parental involvement policy. These informational packets will be made available through out the year for parents. All communication to parents is sent to the extent practical in a language the parents can understand.

  PART III.  DISCRETIONARY DISTRICT WIDE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS

·         involving parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of that training;

·         providing necessary literacy training for parents from Title I, Part A funds, if the school district has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for that training;

·         paying reasonable and necessary expenses associated with parental involvement activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions;

·         training parents to enhance the involvement of other parents;

·         in order to maximize parental involvement and participation in their children’s education, arranging school meetings at a variety of times, or conducting in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend those conferences at school;

·         adopting and implementing model approaches to improving parental involvement;

·         establishing a district wide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in Title I, Part A programs;

·         developing appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses, including faith-based organizations, in parental involvement activities; and

·         providing other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under section 1118 as parents may request.]

PART IV.       ADOPTION  

The Lawrence County School District  wide Parental Involvement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs, as evidenced by ______________________. 

This policy was adopted by the Lawrence County School District on ______________ and will be in effect for the period of ____________.  The school district will distribute this policy to all parents of participating Title I, Part A children on or before _________________.

                                                            _______________________________

                                                            (Signature of Authorized Official)

                                                            _______________________________

                                                                        (Date)

Appendix E: School-Parent Compact

SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT

The Lawrence County School District  and the parents of the students participating in activities, services, and programs funded by Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (participating children), agree that this compact outlines how the parents, the entire school staff, and the students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership that will help children achieve the State's high standards.

This school-parent compact is in effect during school year 2009-2010.

REQUIRED SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT PROVISIONS

(provisions bolded in this section are required to be in the Title I, Part A school-parent compact)

School Responsibilities

The Walnut Ridge Elementary School K-6 will:

1.    Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the participating children to meet the State's student academic achievement standards as follows:

·         The Walnut Ridge Elementary School has Highly Qualified Teachers on staff that has the ability to teach their high-quality curriculum and give instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment.  This enables our children to meet and/or surpass Arkansas’ ACTAAP achievement standards.

2.    Hold parent-teacher conferences (at least annually in elementary schools) during which this compact will be discussed as it relates to the individual child's achievement.

Specifically, those conferences will be held:

·         Teachers will meet with parents twice a year (on the first Friday after the end of the 1^st nine week and the 3^rd nine weeks grading periods) at Parent Teacher Conferences to formulate and analyze student's academic growth and finalize AIPs.

 

3.  Provide parents with frequent reports on their children's progress. Specifically, the school will provide reports as follows:

·         Students will receive reports of their progress in the middle of each nine week period, report cards at the end of each nine week period.  Grades are also posted on Teachers’ web pages.

4.    Provide parents reasonable access to staff. Specifically, staff will be available for  consultation with parents as follows:

·         Each staff member has a work period daily to consultant with parents, as needed.  Two days are set aside each school year for Parent-Teacher Conferences.  If a parent is not able to attend, teachers contact the parent(s) in other ways, such as: phone calls, e-mails, postal mail, etc.

5.    Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child's class, and to observe classroom activities, as follows:

·         Parents are always welcome on the Lawrence County School District campus.  We hold an annual VOLUNTEER TRAINING for volunteers who assist in an instructional program for parents. Parent volunteer handbooks will be handed out to parents by teachers. Results from parent surveys are distributed to teachers with contact information for parent willing to volunteer.

 

Parent Responsibilities

We, as parents, will support our children's learning in the following ways:

• Monitoring attendance.

• Making sure that homework is completed.

• Monitoring amount of television their children watch.

• Volunteering in my child's classroom.

• Participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to my children 's education.

• Promoting positive use of my child's extracurricular time.

• Staying informed about my child's education and communicating with the school by

promptly reading all notices from the school or the school district either received by my child or by mail and responding, as appropriate.

• Serving, to the extent possible, on policy advisory groups, such as being the Title I, Part A parent representative on the school's School Improvement Team, the Title I Policy Advisory Committee, the District wide Policy Advisory Council, the State 's Committee of Practitioners, the School Support Team or other school advisory or policy groups.

Student Responsibilities

We, as students, will share the responsibility to improve our academic achievement and achieve the State's high standards. Specifically, we will:

• Do my homework every day and ask for help when I need to.

• Read at least 30 minutes every day outside of school time.

• Give to my parents or the adult who is responsible for my welfare all notices and information received by me from my school every day.]

Walnut Ridge Elementary School                                                                                               

School                                                           Parent(s)                                            Student

            _____                                                                                                                                    

Date                                                    Date                                                    Date

(PLEASE NOTE THAT SIGNATURES ARE NOT REQUIRED)

Black Rock Public Schools

Parental Involvement Plan

2009-2010

Recognizing the need for strong parental involvement in the educational process, the Black Rock School District has established this plan.  It is in compliance with Act 307 of 2007 of the Arkansas General Assembly.  The following are the objectives as stated in those laws:

1.      That a child’s education is a responsibility shared by the school and family during the entire time the child spends in schools;

2.      To support the goal of the schools to educate all students effectively, the schools and parents must work as knowledgeable partners;

3.      That although parents are diverse in culture, language, and needs, they are an integral component of a school’s ability to provide for the educational success of their children;

4.      That engaging parents is essential to improve student achievement; and

5.      That schools should foster and support active parental involvement.

The Black Rock School District Parental Involvement Plan shall include the following goals:

1.      Involve parents of students at all grade levels in a variety of roles;

2.      Be comprehensive and coordinated in nature;

3.      Recognize that communication between home and school should be regular, two-way, and meaningful;

4.      Promote and support responsible parenting;

5.      Acknowledge that parents play an integral role in assisting student learning;

6.      Welcome parents in the school and seek parental support and assistance;

7.      Recognize that a parent is a full partner in the decisions that affect his or her child and family;

8.      Recognize that community resources strengthen the school programs, family practices, and student learning;

9.      Support the development, implementation, and regular evaluation of the program to involve parents in the decisions and practices of the school district.

Goal 1 – Involve parents of students at all grade levels in a variety of roles

All parents are urged to establish and maintain an involvement in the educational process of their child(ren) in a variety of roles.  Involvement will be two-way and meaningful.  All parents are encouraged to provide their expertise and share experiences with the school.  Tutors, mentors, speakers, and other services would be welcome.

Goal 2 – Be comprehensive and coordinated in nature

The Black Rock Parental Involvement Plan will be comprehensive and coordinated.  A comprehensive program is one designed to meet the needs of all students and to ensure that each student receives maximum benefit from our educational system.  A coordinated program is designed to be managed by all parties involved, with regular up-dates and evaluations.

Goal 3 – Recognize that communication between home and school should be regular, two-way, and meaningful

Communications activities between school and home should include, but not limited to the following:

1.      Informational Packets

2.      Parent-Teacher Conferences

3.      Other Activities

Informational Packets

Informational Packets will be provided to every parent of students enrolled in the Black Rock School District.  The following will be included in the packets:

1.      The school’s parental involvement program;

2.      The recommended role of the parent, student, teacher, and school;

3.      Ways for the parents to become involved in the school and his/her child’s education;

4.      Activities planned throughout the school year to encourage parental involvement;

5.      A system to allow the parents and teacher to communicate in a regular two-way and meaningful manner with the child’s teacher and the school principal

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Two parent-teacher conferences are scheduled each year.  The first will be held at the end of the first nine weeks and the second will be held at the end of the third nine weeks.  Attendance at these conferences is strongly encouraged.  Parents may request a conference at anytime during the school year.  If parents wish to meet with a teacher, it will be scheduled during the teacher’s conference period.  A parent may request a meeting with the building principal at anytime.

Other Activities

Other activities determined by the school to be beneficial to encourage communication with parents may be scheduled throughout the year.

Goal 4 – Promote and support responsible parenting                  

Responsible parenting will be promoted and supported by the school through a variety of activities including the following:

1.      Purchase of Responsible Parenting Materials

2.      Parent Centers

3.      Other Activities

Purchase of Responsible-Parenting Materials

As funding allows, parenting books, magazines and other informative material regarding responsible parenting will be purchased through the school library.  The materials will be housed in the Parent Centers and will be available for parents to borrow for review.

Parent Centers

Black Rock Schools will maintain Parent Centers in both the elementary school and in the high school.  The centers will house materials appropriate for the various grade levels as well as information concerning resources available to parents, homework assistance, and enrichment activities for use at home. 

Other Activities

Other activities determined by the school to be beneficial to promoting and supporting responsible parenting may be planned throughout the year.

Goal 5 – Acknowledge that parents play an integral role in assisting student learning

Black Rock School will help parents in assisting students by scheduling

1.      Parent Involvement Meetings; and

2.      other activities

Parent Involvement Meetings

Parent Involvement Meetings will be held throughout the year.  These include such events as a K-6 open house, seventh-grade orientation, ninth-grade class planning, and senior financial aid night.  A Parent Involvement Meeting will also be scheduled at the beginning of each school year in which parents will be given a report on the state of the school, including federal programs, the guidance program, and other special programs.  Parents will be provided an overview of the following:

1.      What their child will be learning;

2.      How their child will  be assessed;

3.      What parents should expect for their child’s education, and

4.      How parents can assist and make a difference in his or her child’s education.

Other Activities

Other activities determined by the school to help parents assist in his/her child’s learning may be planned throughout the year. 

Goal 6 – Welcome parents in the school and seek parental support and assistance

All parents are welcome at Black Rock School, and parental support and assistance is encouraged.  To welcome parents in the school, the school shall provide

1.      no policies discouraging parents visiting school;

2.      a volunteer resource book;

3.      the school’s parent involvement commitment

4.      other activities

No policies discouraging parents visiting school

Black Rock School always welcomes parents to the school campus.  Policies will not discourage parents from visiting the school.  Although the educational process cannot be interrupted, visits to the classroom during school events will be encouraged.  Parents may also be able to pick up their child during the day by going through the principal’s office and following the proper protocol.

Volunteer Resource book

Parents will be encouraged to volunteer their time, talents, and energy for the advancement of the educational process of the students at Black Rock School.  A volunteer resource book will be compiled based on information received on parent surveys regarding willingness to serve.  The surveys will be used to determine how frequently a volunteer would like to participate, including the option of just one time per year.  It will include options for those who are available to help at home.  The resource book will be made available to the school staff to help match school needs with volunteer interests.

Other Activities

Other activities determined by the school to welcome parents in the school may be planned throughout the year.

Goal 7 – Recognize that a parent is a full partner in the decision that affect his/her child and family

To encourage parents to participate as full partners, Black Rock School District shall

1.      publish school policies;

2.      sponsor seminars; and

3.      provide other activities

Publish School Policies

The school’s policy for resolving parental concerns will be published in the student handbook and reviewed annually.  This will include how to define the problem, whom to approach first, and how to develop solutions.  This information will be printed in each parent newsletter.

Sponsor Seminars

Seminars will be sponsored to inform parents of high school students how to be involved in the decisions affecting course selection, career planning, and preparation for post-secondary opportunities.  Annual seminars will address course selections decisions, graduation requirements, financial aid options, and college admission requirements. 

Other Activities

Other activities that the school determines will encourage parents to participate as full partners in the decisions that affect his or her child and family may be planned throughout the year.

Goal 8 – Recognize that community resources strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning

To take advance of community resources, Black Rock School shall

1.      consider utilizing alumni;

2.      provide other activities

3.      Enable the formation of a Parent Teacher Association or Organization

Utilize Alumni

Alumni will be encouraged to serve on an advisory council to provide advice and guidance for school improvement.  This council will meet at least one time during the school year to provide recommendations and comments as they deem necessary.

Other Activities

Other activities that the school determines will use community resources to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning may be planned throughout the year.

Goal 9 – Support the development, implementation, and regular evaluation of the program to involve parents in the decisions and practices of the school district

The Black Rock School District shall support the development, implementation, and regular evaluation of the program to involve parents in the decisions and practices of the school district by providing a certified staff member, designated by the principal, to serve as parent facilitator.  This person will be responsible for organizing meaningful training for staff and parents and promoting and encouraging a welcoming atmosphere to parental involvement in the school as well as undertaking efforts to ensure that parental participation is recognized as an asset to the school.

Staff Development

Teachers

The State Board of Education shall require no less than two hours of professional development opportunities for teachers, which may be included in the thirty hours of professional development, designed to enhance understanding of effective parental involvement strategies.

Administration

The State Board of Education shall require no less than three hours of professional development opportunities for administrators, in addition to the thirty hours of professional development required, designed to enhance understanding of effective parental involvement strategies and the importance of administrative leadership in setting expectations and creating a climate conducive to parental participation.

Plan Evaluation

The Black Rock School District Parental Involvement Plan will be reviewed and updated by November 1 of each year.  A copy of the plan will be on file with the Department of Education and revisions and updates will be filed with the department each year.

Summary of the

Black Rock Public Schools

Parental Involvement Plan

2009-2010

Recognizing the need for strong parental involvement in the educational process, the Black Rock School has established this plan.  All parents are urged to establish and maintain an involvement in the educational process of their child(ren) in a variety of roles.  Involvement will be two-way and meaningful.  All parents are urged to provide their expertise and share experiences with the school.  Tutors, mentors, speakers, and other services would be welcome.

The following objectives of a parental involvement plan were established by the Arkansas General Assembly:

1.      That a child’s education is a responsibility shared by the school and family during the entire time the child spends in schools;

2.      To support the goal of the schools to educate all students effectively, the schools and parents must work as knowledgeable partners;

3.      That although parents are diverse in culture, language, and needs, they are an integral component of a school’s ability to provide for the educational success of their children;

4.      That engaging parents is essential to improve student achievement; and

5.      That schools should foster and support active parental involvement.

The Black Rock School Parental Involvement Plan shall include the following goals:

1.      Involve parents of students at all grade levels in a variety of roles;

2.      Be comprehensive and coordinated in nature;

3.      Recognize that communication between home and school should be regular, two-way, and meaningful;

4.      Promote and support responsible parenting;

5.      Acknowledge that parents play an integral role in assisting student learning;

6.      Welcome parents in the school and seek parental support and assistance;

7.      Recognize that a parent is a full partner in the decisions that affect his or her child and family;

8.      Recognize that community resources strengthen the school programs, family practices, and student learning;

9.      Support the development, implementation, and regular evaluation of the program to involve parents in the decisions and practices of the school district.

Addendum

The Lawrence County School District’s parental involvement policy which applies to all parents meets the requirements of Title l, Part A. [§ 1118 of ESEA]

Parent Involvement Policy Requirements

District and School

As required by Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Section 1118)

Provided by Arkansas Department of Education