Malden Title I Family Involvement Policy

Title I Family Involvement Policy in Chinese
Title I Family Involvement Policy in French
Title I Family Involvement Policy in Spanish
Title I Family Involvement Policy in Portuguese

The Malden Public School System believes that parents are partners with the school in the educational process of their children.  Schools and families must work together as partners to educate all children to reach their fullest potential.  Although families are diverse in culture and language, they share the school’s commitment to the educational success of all children.

In pursuit of this vision the Title I Program provides opportunities for all parents to be actively involved in the school program.This policy is comprehensive and includes but is not limited to the following:

• Each school shall offer parents a flexible schedule (a.m. and p.m.) for meetings so as to address the needs of the parents and increase parent involvement in their children’s education.  Child care and transportation will be provided.

• Each school shall convene a building-based annual meeting early in the Fall to introduce parents to the Title 1 Director, the teachers, the parent coordinator, and parent council members.  At this meeting, the Title I Program will be explained and the parents will be encouraged to attend monthly meetings and thereby become involved in the planning, review, and improvement of the Title I Program and in the development and revision of parent policies.

• Parents will be included in the evaluation process for the Title I program including parent involvement.  Questionnaires and interviews will be used.  Parent recommendations will be responded to in a timely manner.

• Each parent will receive a copy of the projected workshops and meetings to be held at the various schools and at the Parent Resource Center throughout the year.  Parents give their input and make decisions as to the topics to be addressed at the workshops.

• An annual city-wide meeting will be held in the fall to bring the community together.  The forum will facilitate the dissemination of information to parents and give them an opportunity to share and exchange ideas about the education of their children and the kinds of training and assistance they anticipate.

• Each school shall provide performance profiles and individual students’ results in the form of quarterly progress reports, results from tests at selected grade levels and frequent teacher/parent conferences.  The schedule for conferences will be announced at each school.

• Parents are encouraged to initiate conferences with teachers whenever they have a need to do so.  Parents will have the opportunity to discuss the curriculum, assessment practices and expected proficiency levels for students.  Parents will be kept informed about the State’s challenging curriculum and performance standards.

• Parents shall have the opportunity to attend scheduled Open House programs in the fall and in the spring, visit the classrooms at their convenience throughout the year and volunteer in the classrooms.

• The Parent Resource Center will be open daily.  Parents shall have access to the materials and resources there, as well as opportunities to participate in the variety of workshops offered.  Technical assistance  will be available.  Workshops range from instructional training, academic content, and parenting skills to computer skills.

• Each school shall develop a SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT in consultation with parents, faculty, school advisory council, principal, and Title I director.  The compact will be distributed to the parents.  This compact shall express the necessity for open, on-going communication between the family and the school.  It will articulate the responsibilities of the school and the home in the educational process that will ultimately result in the success of each student to reach his/her fullest potential.

Each school receiving Title I funds shall, in the fall, send a copy of these policies to the parents of each eligible child, in clear language.  Timely notices, bulletins, and newsletters will be sent regularly throughout the year to the parents keeping them informed and to serve as reminders for their participation and involvement.

Appropriate notices, bulletins, and newsletters will include but not limited to:

• Informing parents about the nature of the Title I Program.

• Explaining that they, as parents, have the right to be involved in and consulted concerning the planning, development, operation, and evaluation of such a program.

• Notifying parents that written copies of information about the program, including the federal statutes and regulations and any applicable state or local laws or regulations are available to them upon request.

• Encouraging parents to join the Parent Council which meets monthly throughout the school year.

• Inviting parents to participate in individual school meetings and in the City-wide meeting where they will have the opportunity to meet the Title I director, teachers, parent coordinator, and parent council members and experience a forum for expressing their ideas.

• Encouraging parents to visit Title 1 class sessions during American Education Week and other scheduled occasions.

• Encouraging parents to participate in ‘at home’ activities with their children which will be designed by the Title I staff.

• Inviting parents to individual school open houses where they will have the opportunity to learn about the curriculum, assessment practices, and set conference times to discuss their particular child’s performance.

• Providing parents with information about various training sessions during the school year.  The parent council with input from other parents decides on the topics, speakers, and format.  A calendar of workshops will be sent to parents.

• Encouraging parents to attend appropriate conferences.