CLINTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Family Engagement Policy
2024-2025
CLINTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Family Engagement Policy
2024-2025
210 NORTH HICKS STREET, CLINTON TN 37716 · (865) 457-0616 FAX · (865) 457-1024
8/6/2023
In support of strengthening student academic achievement, Clinton Elementary School receives Title I, Part A funds and therefore must jointly develop with, agree on with, and distribute to parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy that contains information required by section 1116(b) and (c) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The policy establishes the school’s expectations for parent and family engagement and describes how the school will implement a number of specific parent and family engagement activities, and it is incorporated into the school’s plan submitted to the local educational agency (LEA).
Clinton Elementary School agrees to implement the following requirements as outlined by Section 1116:
CES will put into operation programs, activities, and procedures for the engagement of parents and family members in all of its schools with Title I, Part A programs. These programs, activities, and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents and family members of participating children.
Consistent with Section 1116, CCS will work with its schools to ensure that the required school-level parent and family engagement policies meet the requirements of Section 1116(b) of the ESSA, and each include as a component a school-parent compact consistent with Section 1116(d) of the ESEA.
In carrying out the Title I, Part A parent and family engagement requirements to the extent practicable, Clinton City Schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of families with limited English proficiency, limited literacy, disabilities, of migratory children, who are economically disadvantaged, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background, including providing information and school reports required under Section 1111 of the ESSA in an understandable and uniform format including alternative formats upon request and, to the extent practicable, in a language families understand.
If the district plan for Title I, Part A, developed under Section 1112 of the ESEA, is not satisfactory to the families of participating children, the school district will submit any parent comments with the plan when the school district submits the plan to the state department of education.
CCS will be governed by the following definition of family engagement and expects that its Title I schools will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with this definition in Section 8101 of the ESSA:
Family engagement means the participation of families in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:
(A) families play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
(B) families are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;
(C) families 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
(D) other activities are carried out, such as those described in Section 1116 of the ESEA.
JOINTLY DEVELOPED
Clinton Elementary School will take the following actions to involve families in an organized, ongoing, and timely manner in the planning, review, and improvement of Title I programs, including opportunities for regular meetings, if requested by families, to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their child and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.
CES will meet annually with the Family Engagement Advisory Team to review the Engagement Policy and determine any changes or additions to better support the engagement of all families within the district. CCS will offer virtual participation during the time of COVID-19 to ensure families have the ability to participate and provide input.
CES encourages every family to be active in his or her child’s PTCC.
CES annually surveys their families and parents to ensure their voice in decisions are heard.
CES provides parent/family opportunities to develop topics for future Family Engagements through the annual survey and an open door policy to suggestions. CES will seek out ideas for Family Engagement during the pandemic to better serve students and families.
Family and parents serve on a wide variety of school committees: School Improvement,Healthy School Teams, and Special Education Teams, PTCC, and a Family Engagement Advisory Team. Families will be given opportunities to act on committees in a virtual manner using Google Meet and/or Zoom.
Family and parents are encouraged to bring concerns to the teacher and then building level administrators if necessary.
ANNUAL TITLE I MEETING
Clinton Elementary School will take the following actions to conduct an annual meeting, at a convenient time, and encourage and invite all families of participating children to attend to inform them about the school’s Title I program, the nature of the Title I program, the families’ requirements, the school parent and family engagement policy, the schoolwide plan, and the school-parent compact.
CES will meet annually with the parents for our Annual Title 1 Meeting. The meeting will be held virtually.
CES will include the Title 1 Presentation on the CES website so that all parents have access to the information.
COMMUNICATIONS
Clinton Elementary School will take the following actions to provide families of participating children the following:
Timely information about the Title I programs
Flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide with Title I funds, transportation, child care or home visits, as such services relate to parent and family engagement.
Information related to the school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the families of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request and, to the extent practicable, in a language the families can understand:
CES will include the Title 1 Presentation on the CES website so that all parents have access to the information.
CES will hold parent conferences. Parents will be given a virtual conference option.
CES will send one call messages.
CES will send weekly and/or monthly newsletters to parents.
CES will provide information on our school website and on social media.
CES will provide report cards and progress reports.
SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT
Clinton Elementary School will take the following actions to jointly develop with families of participating children a school-parent compact that outlines how families, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and families will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state’s high standards.
Clinton Elementary School will:
Strive to build relationships with students and create a learning environment that is engaging, safe, and inviting for student inquiry and growth.
Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction that enables students to meet the State standards.
Continually teach and analyze student data to monitor and adjust instruction in order to meet individual student needs.
Involve parents in the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s parental involvement policy and school improvement plan.
Provide parents with information in an understandable and uniform format including information about Title I programs.
Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress
Provide parents with reasonable access to staff and opportunities to *volunteer in classrooms
Clinton Elementary School will involve the parents and family members of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the 1 percent of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parent and family engagement is spent and will ensure that not less than 90 percent of the 1 percent reserved goes directly to Title I schools.
COORDINATION OF SERVICES
Clinton Elementary School will coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies, to the extent feasible and appropriate, with other relevant federal, state, and local laws and programs that encourage and support families in more fully participating in the education of their children. CCS will coordinate with other organizations, businesses, and community partners to provide additional support and resources. Examples of other agencies might include but are not limited to TEIS, Head Start, public preschools, Department of Children’s Services, Anderson County Health Department, and others as are feasible and necessary.
BUILDING CAPACITY OF SCHOOL STAFF
Clinton Elementary School will provide training to educate teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, and other school leaders, and other staff, with the assistance of families, in the value and utility of contributions of families, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with families as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between families and the school by:
CES will seek, adopt and implement model approaches in improving family engagement.
CES will develop appropriate relationships with community-based organizations and businesses in family engagement activities.
DISCRETIONARY SCHOOL PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT POLICY COMPONENT
Clinton Elementary School parent and family engagement policy may include additional paragraphs listing and describing other discretionary activities that the school, in meaningful consultation with its families, chooses to undertake to build families’ capacity for involvement in the school to support their children’s academic achievement, such as the following discretionary activities listed under Section 1116(e) of the ESSA. Please indicate which of the following discretionary (optional) school parent and family engagement policy components the school will implement to improve family-school partnerships:
Involve families in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of that training.
To maximize parent and family engagement and participation in their child’s education, arrange school meetings at a variety of times or conduct in-home conferences with teachers or other educators who work directly with participating children and families who are unable to attend conferences at school.
Adopt and implement model approaches to improving parent and family engagement.