Skip to main content
Parents » Title I Parent Engagement

Title I Parent Engagement

Part I. General Expectations

  • The school will utilize programs, activities and procedures for the involvement of parents, consistent with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Those programs, activities, and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children.
  • The school will work to ensure that our required parent and family engagement plan meets the requirements of ESSA, and each include, as a component, a school-parent compact.
  • The school will incorporate our parent and family engagement plan into our school plan.
  • The school will, to the extent practicable, provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children. This will include providing information and school reports in an understandable and uniform format and including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.
  • The school will carry out programs, activities and procedures in accordance with the following definition of parent and family engagement:

Parent and family engagement means participation of parents in regular, two- way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring—

  1. that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
  2. that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;
  3. 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; and
  4. that parents participate in other activities, such as those described in the ESSA

     

Part II. Schoolwide Parent and Family Engagement Plan Implementation

According to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), section 1112 and 1111(d), the following measures describe how the school will involve parents and family members in developing and supporting the school improvement and family engagement plan

Public Meetings

ArtSpace will hold an annual meeting for parents no later than the sixth week school is in session. Parents will be notified of the annual meeting through an automated phone message and email. The annual meeting will be held at school during “Meet the Teacher” in August (4:00-6:00 pm).
Additional opportunities for feedback and collaboration are at the annual open house in September (5:30 pm) and during the “Directors and Donuts” September meeting (8:30am). Multiple dates and times are offered to accommodate a variety of schedules.

School Improvement Team

Parents will be invited to serve on the School Improvement Team (SIT), which meets monthly. One of the goals of SIT states: “All students will achieve positive growth in reading and writing each year.” Parents will be invited to nominate themselves (or other parents) to serve on SIT at the annual meeting, through an automated phone message,and through email. Parent representatives to SIT will then be elected by a majority vote by parents.

Regular SIT meetings, which are open to the public and posted on the school website, enable parents to be engaged in an organized, ongoing, and timely way in the planning, review, and improvement of Title I programs, including the planning, review and improvement of the school parent and family engagement policy and the joint development of the school-wide program plan.

Informal Opportunities

ArtSpace will provide opportunities for regular meetings (as requested) to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children. In addition, parents will be given opportunities at SIT meetings to make suggestions for the program. They will also be encouraged to communicate with the Title 1 teacher and classroom teachers regularly through email, notes and/or phone calls.

Communication

Classroom and whole-school newsletters will provide information about the curriculum, assessment tools being used, information about proficiency levels their children are expected to meet, and strategies for working with their children at home.

ArtSpace will send home information related to school and parent programs in formats which are easy to read and understand in families’ home/ preferred language. Communication with parents includes: carline messages, emails, automated phone messages, weekly or bi-weekly classroom newsletters, administrative newsletters, and informational fliers. An additional open forum for dialogue and concerns will be held during monthly “Directors & Donuts” meetings.

School-Parent Contracts

ArtSpace will provide information to help parents understand the state’s standard course of study and academic achievement standards. This information will be disseminated via classroom newsletters containing curricula focus areas throughout the year, quarterly standards-based report cards, parent conferences and literacy awareness parent meetings. Additional student assessments will contain grade level goals and student progress toward those goals.

Parents will be given (through newsletters and parent/teacher conferences) ideas and strategies for working with their children to improve academic achievement and develop literacy skills with their children. ArtSpace families will be invited to attend the annual Literacy Night event, which is held each Winter. During the event, parents and their children will have opportunities to experience numerous activities that support reading skills. Each family in attendance will be given literacy materials for home use.

Quarterly community forums will focus on high need/ high interest topics, inviting parents and community members to discuss trends in education, social justice topics, and cultural growth and expansion discussions. Parents will be given the opportunity to give input on topics of interest, volunteer in planning, or participation. These efforts help parents in working with their children to improve achievement, healthy lifestyles, and civic engagement.

School Staff Development

The faculty and staff of ArtSpace Charter School will continue to participate in training sessions during faculty meetings that focus on strategies for communication and engagement with families.

Additional independent/ small group study through research based studies on culturally responsive practice will support and guide staff in understanding the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school.

Volunteer Opportunities

The administration at Artspace will continue to work closely with our parent volunteers to provide many opportunities for parents to become involved in the education of their children and with the school community. Parent volunteer activities are both formal and informal and include potlucks, parent education programs, numerous performance and arts-related events, field trips, cook-outs and other family events.

Parents are invited and encouraged to participate in school committees such as Health and Wellness, Safety, Development and others; and they are also invited to attend monthly Board meetings. These programs and activities encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children.

Inclusivity

ArtSpace welcomes families with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children in all activities and programs, making appropriate accommodations as requested. All parents are welcomed, supported, and encouraged in their involvement in their child’s education at ArtSpace.

Part III. Adoption

(From P.A.C.E., Inc. Board – Policies and Procedures Manual)

ArtSpace Charter School will have a Parent and Family Engagement Plan in
accordance with federal Title I regulations. The plan will be developed by a team that includes the Title I Teacher, school faculty and staff, parents, and community members. All meetings are subject to NC General Statute 143-318.10 and must have a public notice of not less than 72 hours. The Title I Teacher or Executive Director will facilitate all meetings. The Parent and Family Engagement Plan will be submitted to the Executive Director for approval and will be disseminated to all ArtSpace families. All revisions will be presented in a public forum according to the initiating guidelines outlined in this policy. The plan will be reviewed and revised annually. The current Parent and Family Engagement Plan will be kept in the front office and made available upon request.

Adopted: August 18, 2009
Re-adopted: January 12, 2012
Re-adopted: May 21, 2013
Revised and re-adopted: September 19, 2017
Revised and re-adopted: September 18, 2018
Revised and re-adopted: August 20, 2019