Helpful Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Information to Know
- Title I: Title I is a federal program that provides supplemental resources to schools with high concentrations of students living in poverty, to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. The program was created in 1965 as a part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and in 2002, Title I was reauthorized as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
- Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Specialist: The FACE Specialist is assigned to support and enhance district wide family and community activities and programs.
- Parent Portal: The Parent Portal provides parents with online access to information (such as attendance and grades), homework resources and other tools to help them support their child’s learning. To get an account, parents should contact their child’s school.
- School-Level Title I Parent Involvement Plan: Parents and schools work together to create a plan for how the school will coordinate parent involvement strategies under Title I, specifically in the areas of communication, accessibility and supporting the achievement of students.
- School-Parent Compact: An agreement between parents, students and school staff on how they will share the responsibility to support student achievement.
Private School Program
As a Federal Program under §1120 of Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and amended by No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Title I provides supplemental educational services to eligible students attending private schools. To be considered eligible, students must reside in the attendance area of a Gary Community School Corporation (GCSC) participating Title I school, and be failing, or at risk of failing, to meet academic achievement standards. Instructional services are provided by public school teachers, or through a third-party contractor, and may be during the regular school day, before or after school, or during the summer session. These services are intended to supplement the school’s core curriculum ensuring that all children have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. The services may be provided at the private school location, including religiously affiliated schools. The law also requires that the teachers and parents of participating Title I private school students receive equitable services.
NCLB requires the District to develop Title I services in consultation with private school officials, and to document the consultation by means of a signed affirmation. Funds are generated based on the number of private school children residing in a GCSC Title I attendance area that meet the poverty guidelines established by the Federal government.
Title 1 Parental Involvement
Parent involvement is defined as the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, to include and ensure:
- Parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning
- Parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school
- Parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision making to assist in the education of their child
- The carrying out of other activities, such as those described in Title I, Part A, Subpart 1, section 1118 of the ESEA.
Each LEA that receives Title I funds must develop jointly with, agree on, and distribute to parents of all students in the Title I programs a written parental involvement policy.
The LEA Parental Involvement Policy must be…Section 1118 (a) (2)
Sec. 1118 (b)(1)
• Revised each year
• Developed jointly with parents of eligible Title I students
• Agreed upon with parents of eligible Title I students
• Distributed to all parents of eligible Title I students
