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State Laws, Recommendations, & NCLB . How research becomes policies Janice Kroeger , Ph.D. Associate Professor, TLC, ECED . Current State Laws and Parent Engagement.
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State Laws, Recommendations, & NCLB How research becomes policies Janice Kroeger, Ph.D. Associate Professor, TLC, ECED
Current State Laws and Parent Engagement • Over 40 states have enacted laws directing school districts, boards of education, or schools to implement family engagement policies • Directed at both families and schools • Some provide legal sanctions to schools or parents • Of these only one is written to acknowledge the complex adjustments to language, culture, and SES • Practices responsive to racial, ethnic, and ses diversity… • 31 states have programs targeting supports to low-economic populations • Only 16 states offer protection for employees with children in school to attend school functions
Recommendations National PT (2007) • Increase access to those with work conflicts in order to maximize the number of family members able to attend • Scheduling based on availability • Creating drop-in hours and scheduling various events during evenings, weekends, and other more convenient times • Establishing family engagement credentialing requirements for educators including principals and teachers
Parent Involvement Title I, Part A (2004) Defined as… • Regular two way, meaningful communicating involving academic learning and other school activities… • Parents play an integral role in assisting child • Parents are encouraged to be actively involved in child’s education at school • Parents are full partners and are included as appropriate in decision making to assist in the education of their child
Parental provisions A-7, A-8, A-9: • Improving teaching and learning where parents and the community can intervene and assist in school improvement • Communicate (providing information) in an understandable and uniform format, including alternatives upon request and • In a language parents can understand • Written translation of ESL/LEP • Orally if written is not practical
Parental provisions : A-10 , A-11, B-6, C-2, C-3 • Parents with disabilities afforded effective communications • No discrimination during implementing or programs, activities, and proceedures, (race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age) • Academic assessments that include mathematics, reading, language arts, in forms that allow parents to understand and address academic needs of students • Written policies of involvement to parents, build capacity and coordinate/ integrate with other programs, conduct annual evaluations of content and effectiveness
Provisions continued: C-8, C-9, C-13 • Effective means of outreach to parents of LEP students • How to be involved in students’ education • How to be active in assisting the child to attain English proficiency, achieve high levels of core subjects, meet standards • Reasons for identification of LEP & placement, levels of English proficiency, assessment & student achievement • Method of instruction, meet strengths and needs, etc. • 1% of total Title 1 funding devoted to parent involvement
D-9 • Compacts must describe • The school’s responsibility: provide high-quality instruction and effective learning environment • Ways that parents will be responsible (for example, monitoring attendance, homework completion, television watching, volunteering in classroom or school, participating in decisions, • Communication (at minimum—conferences) • Frequency of reports of progress • Reasonable access to staff, volunteer and participation opportunities, and classroom observation
E-1, E-2, E-3 • Build the parent’s capacity to involvement • Ensure effective involvement of parents • Offer assistance and training to parents • To understand • Content Standards • State and local assessments • How to monitor students progress and work with educators to improve achievement • Improve educational levels of parents
E-5, E-6, E-7 • Volunteering and observing in the classroom is an important activity for parent responsibility, helping the parent and school build a relationship • Educate staff to work with parents “equally” educate teachers and others on the value of parent contributions and how to • “reach out”, communicate with, and build ties, between parents and school • Flexibility of time, transportation, childcare