Let ’ s Renew our Title I Compact

1. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Let’s Renew ourTitle I Compact To reach our school improvement goals, everyone needs to be on board!

2. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Compact: A written agreement of shared responsibility How will families and teachers work together this year to achieve the goals of the school improvement plan and make AYP? USDE 1996

3. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Our New Compact Will: • Link to the goals of our School Improvement Plan and our grade-level achievement data • Describe strategies families can use at home to strengthen students’skills • Explain what teachers will do to support family learning • Describe what students will do to reach their achievement goals • Be written in family-friendly language with meaningful input from families and students

4. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Not Use General Statements Like: • Teachers will hold high expectations for all children and offer high-quality instruction • Parents will monitor attendance and TV watching, and make sure their children do their homework • Students will be good citizens, read 30 minutes every day, and bring home notices from school.

5. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Why do This? • Section 1118 of the law says we must have a School-Parent Compact • Research says that engaging families helps students do better in school • Parents and families want to help • We need all the help we can get to make AYP

6. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION School-Family-Community Partnerships “Schools, families and communities all contribute to student success, and the best results come when all three work together as equal partners.” CT State Board of Education Position Statement on School-Family-Community Partnerships

7. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Organizing Schools for Improvement • Long-term study of Chicago schools: When schools have strong family and community ties, their students are: • Four times more likely to make significant gains in reading • Ten times more likely to make significant gains in math. Anthony S. Bryk et al, (2010) Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago (Chicago: University of Chicago Press)

8. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION What are Strong Family Ties? Title I students‘ reading and math scores (3-5th grades) improved 40-50% faster when teachers: • met with families face-to-face • sent materials on ways to help their child at home • telephoned routinely about progress (Westat and Policy Studies Associates, 2001)

9. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION First Two Steps to Success 1. Motivate and get buy-in from staff - Explain at a staff meeting what Compacts are and how they contribute to student success 2. Designate a leader - Pick a person with leadership skills. Math/literacy coach, AP, data team leader, home-school coordinator

10. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Next Two Steps to Success 3. Align Compact with school improvement plan - Review and analyze school data and SIP goals to ID skills to focus on 4. Get grade-level input on skills that need to improve in each grade - Data teams ID three goals/grade level and draft home learning ideas to discuss with parents

11. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STUDENT DATA District and School Improvement Plans School-Parent Compact Grade Level Strategies DISTRICT SCHOOL GRADE CLASS HOME Parent-Teacher Conferences Home Learning

12. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Steps to Success #5 and #6 5. Reach out to Families - Meet by grade level to discuss how to work together (workshops, class meetings, math night). Two-way conversations! 6. Don’t forget the Students - How will they take responsibility for their learning? - What do they want teachers and parents to do to support them?

13. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION It’s All About the Conversations! • Recruit parents to fun event -- then break into grade level groups with translators. • Ask: How can the school help YOU support your children’s learning? \ • Type up and circulate parents’ideas. • Teachers meet at each grade level to respond, draft Compact plan. • Parents approve.

14. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION What do Teachers Say? "As a result of collaborating with families on our school compact, we teachers looked at parents differently, appreciating how much they were willing to help. We realized that as teachers we never were specific about the learning skills and strategies that we wanted them to do at home, and often assumed that there was no support.  Wow, were we wrong!!  Our relationship with families grew stronger and finally, we were all on the same page to strengthen student achievement.” Teacher, Geraldine Johnson School, Bridgeport CT

15. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Next Two Steps to Success 7. Pull it All Together - Create an attractive, family-friendly Compact with input from all - Design a roll-out plan 8. Align all Resources - ID professional development - Pull in volunteers and community partners, - Tap the Title I budget for materials, speakers

16. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Aligning Resources • Budget • Parent Workshops • Staff Development • Volunteers, Tutors and other Partners • Title 1 Evaluation School-Parent Compact Grade Level Strategies School Action Team for Partnerships

17. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Last Two Steps to Success 9. Market the Compact - Get the word out at every opportunity - Refer to the Compact at parent-teacher conferences and meetings 10. Review, Revise, Celebrate Progress - Discuss what worked, what needs to Improve, then develop new plan. - Celebrate success and ask students to show off!

18. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Quality Indicators • Link actions to goals in SIP and to school data • Connect activities for families to what students are learning and doing in class • Include follow-up steps to support parents and students • Consult with parents on communication strategies that work best for them • Translate into families’ home languages

19. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Remember: It’s all about the Conversations!