Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy

Statement of Purpose

Copperas Cove Independent School District is committed to the goal of providing a quality education for every child in this district. To this end, CCISD wishes to establish family and community partnerships. Our goal is a school/home partnership that will help all students in the district to succeed.

District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC)

The District Parent Advisory Council, composed of representatives from each of the parent advisory councils on the Title I campuses, will meet on a regular basis determined by the Council members. DPAC responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Review/revise the Parent and Family Engagement Policy annually to better reflect the needs of our families;

• Evaluate the content and effectiveness of the District Parent and Family Engagement Policy annually to ensure it meets the needs of the family engagement program;

• Assist in preparing strategies to increase family engagement throughout the district;

• Recommend how funds reserved for the family engagement program will be utilized;

• Describe how the school will involve parents and family members in the joint development of the plan and the process of school review and improvement.

Annual Meeting

Each Title I campus will host an annual meeting where parents and family members will be given information about the Title I program, the curriculum and special programs available in the district and on campuses, the assessments used to measure student progress, and information regarding how they can participate in the decision-making processes related to their child’s education. Written/electronic notification will be provided regarding the meeting times and locations. Every effort will be made to provide translated materials as needed.

School-Parent Compact/Campus Parent and Family Engagement Policy

CCISD believes that families and school personnel share responsibility for high student performance; therefore, campus compacts have been developed which outline how parents and family members, staff, and students will share that responsibility. Parents on each school’s advisory committee were involved in designing these compacts and will continue to be involved in reviewing and/or revising these compacts each year.

Each campus parent advisory committee, which shall be comprised of a sufficient number of parents and/or family members that represents the campus’ population, has also helped develop a campus Parent and Family Engagement Policy that outlines their commitment to parental/community involvement. The policies are updated annually by each campus committee.

Coordination

Each campus maintains a "For Parents" page on their websites where parents can obtain dates of events. These events are open to all family members of students enrolled in CCISD schools, as well as children of any Federal, State or local preschool program. CCISD works collaboratively with both junior high schools, HeadStart, private schools, and day care centers to provide transition activities for children (and their families) who are experiencing an educational transition the next year

Each of our Title I campuses has a parent and family engagement coordinator whose purpose is to facilitate the involvement of families. The coordinators will provide coordination between the Title I program and other Federal, State, and local laws and programs in order to integrate effective strategies. These strategies may include training sessions that are conducted periodically based on the needs expressed by families in the annual survey. Specific training also will be designed to assist families in understanding state curriculum and assessment, as well as how to monitor their child’s progress, how to improve achievement, and understanding child development. Families will be notified of these opportunities by their child’s school. The district will encourage the campuses to compose and post on their websites a monthly calendar of events that everyone can attend regardless of which campus is hosting the event.

Both the district and the campus parent and family engagement coordinators work closely with the Military Child Transition Consultant who works with Fort Hood officials to better meet the needs of our military families. With the assistance of Fort Hood contacts, the campuses conduct periodic training sessions of special interest to military families such as dealing with the problems associated with deployment.

Communication

Notifications, such as flyers, phone calls, conferences, and home visits, from the campuses and/or district will occur as needed, but families are encouraged to take the initiative in calling their child’s teacher when they are concerned about a problem. Translations, in written or oral format, will be provided as requested. The school staff will receive training annually on the value of parental input and methods to improve home-school communication; families will be asked to participate in these training sessions.

Annual Evaluation

The school district will assess the strategies, needs and barriers of involvement of the families and their children in this community through surveys. The results of these surveys will help identify barriers to family engagement that need to be addressed, suggestions to topics of training sessions for the following year, and the level of awareness parents and family members have regarding the services and opportunities available to them within our district.

The District Title I Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) will be involved in the needs assessment process. DPAC will help to develop the survey, review the results, and make recommendations for program revisions. CCISD and the DPAC members may revise the District Parent and Family Engagement Policy based on the results and suggestions of the annual review.

Types of Parent Involvement

CCISD values both the at-home contributions (such as reading together, enjoying family meals together or talking about the day) and those that take place at school and in the community. Each campus will provide amble opportunities for families to be involved to include but not limited to the following:

• Volunteerism (in the classroom or on advisory committees)

• Joining PTO/PTA

• Visiting your child’s classroom (per individual campus policies and guidelines)

• Attending family nights or other parent training sessions

Parents and family members are also encouraged to stay in close contact with their child’s teacher(s) and/or principal via telephone, personal visits, notes, email or the district’s website (www.ccisd.com).