Statement of Purpose
Bel
Air Elementary School is committed to the goal of providing a quality
education for every child that enrolls on the campus. We would like to
work collaboratively with parents in the community. Parents plan an
extremely important role as their child’s first teachers. Everyone
gains if the school and parents work together to promote high
achievement for ALL children. BAE recognizes that neither the home nor
the school can do the job alone, and for us to accomplish our mission
of providing ALL students a quality education, parents must first be
treated as stakeholders and actively be involved in their child’s
education.
The goal of parent involvement is to provide
opportunities, training and information for parents that will help them
assume a more meaningful role in improving student achievement and
increase their effectiveness when participating in the planning,
design, implementation and evaluation of school programs, i.e. Title I
programs. “Effective parental involvement is built on mutual trust,
respect, communication and commitment between the parents, the school
and the community. The partners are equal, working together to set
goals, find solutions and carry out and evaluate these solutions.” –
Rutherford, 1987
Title I and the Law
The
purpose of Title I is to improve the basic programs of BAE, and to
provide opportunities for children to acquire the knowledge and skills
contained in the state content standards (State of Texas Assessments of
Academic Readiness – STAAR). The most recent law that affects Title I
is the No Child Left Behind Act (Public Law 107-110). The law requires:
- That school districts have a written policy regarding parental involvement;
- That parents be involved in the design, operation and evaluation Title I;
- That parents be consulted about home/school activities and be trained to help their children;
- That whenever possible, activities should be presented in the language spoken by the majority of the Title I parents.
Districts
receiving Title I, Part A funds must implement programs, activities,
and procedures for the involvement parents in the Title I program. A
written parent involvement policy must be developed and agreed upon
jointly with parents and distributed to parents.; Parental Involvement
is a requirement as one of the ten components of a Schoolwide Title I
program.
Parent Involvement in Developing the Policy
The
Sited Based Decision Making Committee (SBDM) composed of teachers,
parents, and other interested parties will meet to discuss the design
and implementation of the Parent Involvement Policy. In an effort to
solicit additional parent input, efforts will be made through
newsletter, flyers, and at the Fall Parent Meeting to recruit parents
to this meeting.
In addition to the development of this
Parent Involvement Policy, the community will be consulted in the
design, development and implementation of the Title I program. Parents
and students needs will assessed through questionnaires and parental
suggestions as well as a variety of other measures targeted at creating
a successful school environment. Workshops and programs will be
tailored to meet the unique student and parental needs of the community.
Parents will be informed of involvement activities through the campus
and district websites, newsletters, flyers, and automated phone system.
Programs and the School Community
BAE
will support many varied ways of parental involvement as it strives to
develop and maintain an optimum learning environment for all students.
Parents may contribute through volunteer programs at school as well as
creating a supportive home atmosphere. The community may also
participate through an array of activities that promote student
success.
- Parent Organizations: PTO
- Volunteer/Mentor
Programs: Lunch Buddies (contact Cheri Mahan), reading to a class or
working with a student, helping teachers in their classrooms with
special projects,
- Other Activities: Meet the Teacher Night,
Open House, Parent Nights, Music programs, Field Trips, Family Fun
Nights, PK/HS Parent Information Meetings
The district also
highly encourages parents to volunteer to serve on district and campus
committees. Efforts are made that committee selections represent the
diversity of the community and the different student sub-groups served
by the district.
Parent input is also solicited through a
variety of parent surveys in order to evaluate current programs and to
have input in the future of the school. Surveys are done in both
English and Spanish, and parents are highly encouraged to take the time
to go to the school website and complete the survey online.
In
addition, each campus will develop their own parent involvement
activities best suited to meet their individual needs in order for them
to promote students success.
Annual Meetings
BAE
will hold two meetings for parents during each school year. The first
meeting will be held in October and the second meeting will be held
during Texas Public Schools Week in March. Parents will be informed of
Title I guidelines, curriculum, school safety and health awareness
issues. Parents will be encouraged to become involved in the revising
and updating the policy as necessary. In addition, volunteers will be
recruited for the district and campus site-based committees. These
meetings will be held at a convenient time and location. Language
translation will be provided, as needed, to ensure parent participation
and attendance. Newsletters, flyers, website, and phone calls will be
used to attract as many parents as possible.
School-Parent Compacts
In
accordance with Title I regulations, BAE must develop a parent-student
compact with the parents of students participating in the program. This
compact will enable the school and parents to share responsibility for
student performance and success.
The compact must explain
how students, parents, and staff will share responsibilities for
promoting student achievement. Members of the Parent Involvement Team
will be consulted in the design and implementation of the compacts.
Parents
with students on Title I campuses will be given the compact detailing
the responsibilities that teachers, parents and students have in
helping students accomplish their goals.
School-Parent Communication
BAE
recognized that an important way to foster parental involvement is
through various avenues of communication throughout the school year.
Newsletters, conferences, personal contacts, phone calls, monthly
calendar, district and school webpages, individual teacher webpages,
and written notices will be utilized to establish and maintain an open
line of communication.
Staff members are encouraged to
keep in close contact with parents not only in situation where there is
an academic or behavior concern, but also when good things are going
on in the classroom.
Parents are encouraged to contact
the school and/or their child’s teachers if they have any questions or
concerns about the instructional program. Usually student or parent
complaints or concerns can be addressed – simply by a phone call or a
conference with the teacher
Evaluation
The
parent Involvement Team will annually review and evaluate all aspects
of the parent involvement program. Parents will be questioned about the
effectiveness of the program and offer suggestions for improvement.
Parent surveys will be one method of obtaining this input. The district
and campuses will revise its Parent Involvement Policy based on the
results of this annual review.
Funding
Funding can be provided as needed based on Parent Involvement Team meetings and suggestions.
Pol_tica de Participaci_n de los Padres - espanol.pdf