Parent and Family Engagement Policy

The Title I Parent and Family Engagement section of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Section 1116(b) requires each Title I school to develop a written parent and family engagement policy that describes the means for carrying out the requirements of Section 1116. The school must ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities are sent to the parents of Title I children in a format and in a language the parents can understand.

The Portage Area Elementary School recognizes that a child’s education is a responsibility shared by the school and family during the entire period the child spends in school. To support the goal to educate all students effectively, the school and parents and family members must work as knowledgeable partners.

Portage Area Elementary School, in collaboration with parents and family members, shall establish programs and practices that enhance parent and family engagement and reflect the specific needs of the students and their families.

Involve parents and family members in the planning, review, and improvement of the school's Parent and Family Engagement Policy through meetings scheduled in an organized and timely manner. The Federal Programs Coordinator will notify parents and family members, set the agenda, and conduct the meetings (ESSA, Section 1116(b)(1)).
Convene an annual meeting, at a convenient time, for all parents and family members who shall be invited and encouraged to attend. Portage Area Elementary will inform parents of the schools’ participation as a Title I school and explain the requirements and the rights for parents to be involved (ESSA, Section 1116(c)(1)).
Offer a flexible number of meetings, in the morning and/or the evening, so that as many parents as possible are able to attend. Some of these events include Meet the Teacher, parent and teacher conferences, the Annual Title I Spring Meeting, and the Title I Parent and Family Advisory Council Meetings (ESSA, Section 1116(c)(2)).
Involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of the Title I program, including the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s parent and family engagement program during our Parent and Family Advisory Council Meetings (ESSA, Section 1116(c)(3)).
Provide parents and families with timely information about the Title I program. Information about the Right to Request Teacher Qualifications, the Parent and Family Engagement Policy, Federal Complaint Resolution Procedures, and the Home and School Compact made available on the school website as well as sent home in the beginning of the year (ESSA, Section 1116(c)(4)(A)).
Provide parents and families with a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessments used to measure student progress, and the achievement levels of the challenging state academic standards at our annual school events. Some of these events include Meet the Teacher, parent and teacher conferences, the Annual Title I Spring Meeting, and the Title I Parent and Family Advisory Council Meetings. Individual student reports are sent home informing parents and families about their child performance as well (ESSA, Section 1116(c)4)(B)).
Provide opportunities, if requested by parents or family members, for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible (ESSA, Section 1116(c)(4)(C)).
Involve parents and family members in the joint development of the Schoolwide Program Plan under Section 1114 per ESSA (ESSA, Section 1116(5)). Portage Area Elementary will also include parents and family members in the joint development of the school-parent compact.
Provide assistance to parents and family members in understanding the challenging state academic standards, state and local academic assessments, and how to monitor a child's progress and work with teachers to improve the achievement of their children during trainings and workshops held at the school (ESSA, Section 1116(6)(e)(1)).
Provide materials and training to help parents to work with their children to improve their children's achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, including education about the harms of copyright piracy, as appropriate, to foster parent involvement (ESSA, Section 1116(6)(e)(1)).
Educate teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents and family members, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents and family members as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and family members and the school (ESSA, Section 1116(6)(e)(3)).
To the extent feasible and appropriate, Portage Area Elementary will coordinate, and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with other federal, state, and local programs including public preschool programs and conduct other activities, that encourage and support parents and family members in more fully participating in the education of their children (ESSA, Section 1116(6)(e)(4)).
Ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the parents and family members of participating children in a format and to the extent practicable, in a language the parents and family members can understand (ESSA, Section 1116(6)(e)(5)).
To the extent practicable, Portage Area Elementary will provide opportunities for the informed participation of parents and family members (including parents and family members who have limited English proficiency, parents and family members with disabilities, and parents and family members of migratory children) (ESSA, Section 1116(7)(f)).

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Parent and Family Engagement Policy