Parent & Family Engagement

The Effingham County School System believes that successful schooling is a shared responsibility requiring commitment and collaboration among parents, faculty, and staff. Therefore, the Effingham County Board of Education affirms and assures the rights of parents, teachers, principals, administrators, support staff, community and businesses to participate in planning, designing, and implementation of activities funded by the Title I program.

Effingham County has an ongoing commitment to our Title I parents and students as we ensure the success of each child in our district. Our goal is to ensure that our Title I parents and their children receive extraordinary services and assistance that will lead to improved academic achievement. The district recognizes that parents are an integral part of a child’s success in school, starting with the concept of being the child’s first and most important and impressionable teacher.

As a conduit for their children’s success, the district will assist parents of all socioeconomic levels in solidifying their ongoing commitment to their child’s success. It has become evident that a parent can be the foremost factor in ensuring that their children accomplish and excel in the goals they set.

In support of strengthening student academic achievement, Effingham County School District receives Title I, Part A funds and therefore must jointly develop with, agree on with, and distribute to parents of participating children a written parent and family engagement plan that contains information required by Section 1116(a)(2) of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The plan establishes the LEA’s expectations and objectives for meaningful parent and family engagement and describes how the LEA will implement a number of specific parent and family engagement activities, and it is incorporated into the LEA’s plan submitted to the Georgia Department of Education.

The Effingham County School District agrees to implement the following requirements as outlined by Section 1116:

• The school district 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.
• The school district 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 federal law.
• In carrying out the Title I, Part A parent and family engagement requirements to the extent practicable, the school district and its schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents 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 parents understand.
• If the LEA plan for Title I, Part A, developed under Section 1112 of the ESSA, is not satisfactory to the parents 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.
• The school district will be governed by the following definition of parental involvement/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 parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:
  • 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 and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child.
  • Other activities are carried out, such as those described in Section 1116 of the ESSA.

DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE DISTRICT WILL IMPLEMENT REQUIRED LEA PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PLAN COMPONENTS

JOINTLY DEVELOPED

The Effingham County School District will take the following actions to involve parents and family members in jointly developing its LEA plan under Section 1112, and the development of support and improvement plans under paragraphs (1) and (2) of Section 1111(d) of the ESSA:

• Schools are required to have a school advisory council comprised of parents with children who attend Title I schools. In addition, community/business stakeholders are required to be a part of the council to talk and collaborate and conduct regular meetings.
• Schools will develop and implement procedures for the advisory group.
• Schools will annually review and revise the schoolwide parent and family engagement plan and procedures at a meeting.
• The district will annually review the Parent and Family Engagement Plan at a meeting and the Title I Director will complete a checklist to ensure that all required components are addressed.
• The district and the schools will provide direction and access for parents to understand and submit input on the district Parent and Family Engagement Plan revisions at the school and district level. The plan will be posted on the district and school website in the school Parent/Family Resource Centers and in the district’s central registration office.
• Schools and district will annually present the Parent and Family Engagement Plan to the parents at a meeting.
• Parents will complete the Title I Program evaluations.
• Advertisement of plans to revise district and school Parent and Family Engagement Plan will be advertised on district and school websites/Facebook page, in school Parent/Family Resource Centers, newsletters, and on schools’ marquees.
• Parent notifications to participate in the revision of the Consolidated Local Education Agency (LEA), Improvement Plan (CLIP), and District Parent and Family Engagement Plan will be at the Title I Parent Advisory Meetings at the district and school levels.
• All Title I parents will receive invitations (via advertisements) to participate in planning and input meetings on Title I Schoolwide/ School Improvement Plan (SWP/SIP), Consolidated LEA Improvement Plan (CLIP), 1% Parent Involvement Budget, Title I Budget and Targeted Assistance Plan (if applicable).
• Plans will be posted on the district and school websites with copies made available at the district office, and school’s Parent/Family Resource Centers.
• Title I Program Evaluations will be conducted throughout the school year with opportunities for parental input on Title I surveys/evaluations at local schools’, workshop activities, District Parent Advisory Meetings (if applicable) and other school and district parent meetings.
• Disseminate results of evaluation and school report card.
• Notify parents that schools have been identified for school improvement - Targeted School of Improvement (TSI), a Comprehensive School of Improvement (CSI) or a Promise/Turn-around School. In addition, notify parents when schools have been identified as Distinguished and/or Reward School.
• The schools will provide direction and access for parents to understand and submit input on the school – parent compact revisions at the school level. The plan will be posted on the school’s website and in the school’s Parent/Family Resource Centers.
• Provide information concerning the Title I program.
• Conduct open house and parent/teacher conferences at schools.
• Ensure that notices/advertisements are made in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, in a language that parents can understand.
• Provide information to parents regarding their rights to know the professional qualification of the child’s teacher at the beginning of each school year.
• Provide the required notice to parents if the child is being taught by a teacher who does not meet the LEA professional qualifications for four or more consecutive weeks.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

The Effingham County School District will provide the following coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist and build capacity of all Title I, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective parent and family engagement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance, which may include meaningful consultation with employers, business leaders, and philanthropic organizations, or individuals with expertise in effectively engaging parents and family members in education:

• Provide on-going system – wide training, communications, and discussions with schools regarding effective development of school parent and family engagement plans and school-parent compacts.
• Encourage parents and teachers to build a partnership between home and school through the use of a parent and family engagement plan and school-parent compact.
• Assist in development and annual revision of school – level parent and engagement plan and school-parent compact.
• Provide opportunities for parents to be informed by newsletters, website messages, workshops, school meetings, PTA/PTO, parent/teacher conferences, parent/family resource center and direct mail correspondence if applicable.
• Meet every month with Family Engagement Specialists for planning and collaboration.
• Provide assistance to parents of participating Title I children in understanding topics such as the state’s academic content and achievement standards, the assessments being used, the requirements of Title I, Part A, and how to monitor their children’s progress.
• Provide materials and training (such as literacy training and training on how to use technology) to help parents work with their children to improve student achievement.
• Educate teachers, principals and other staff with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners; implement and coordinate parent programs; and build ties between parents and the schools.
• Collaborate and integrate, to the extent feasible and appropriate, parent and family engagement programs with other programs such as Early Intervention Program (EIP), counselors, Pre-K program, Neglected & Delinquent (N&D) institutions, McKinney-Vento program, Safe and Drug Free Schools, Adult Education, and/or Parent University - Effingham to integrate parent and family engagement strategies and programs.
• Ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.
• Ensure that reports of student progress needs/successes are in a clear and timely manner to parents.
• Provide such other reasonable support for parent and family engagement activities as parents may request.

ANNUAL EVALUATION

The Effingham County School District will take the following actions to conduct, with the meaningful involvement of parents and family members, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this parent and family engagement plan in improving the academic quality of its Title I, Part A schools. The evaluation will include identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in activities (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background). The evaluation will also include identifying the needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers and strategies to support successful school and family interactions. The school district will use the findings of the evaluation about its parent and family engagement plan to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, its parent and family engagement plans.

A district-wide Title I parent advisory meeting will occur annually with the aim of evaluating the content and effectiveness of the Title I Parent and Family Engagement Program in improving student achievement. The school district will revise its Parent and Family Engagement Plan (and with the involvement of parents) on the basis of the annual review. The evaluation will include:

• Conducting an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the Parent and Family Engagement Plan, with assistance of its schools and parents. The evaluation will include identifying barriers to greater participation by parents, giving particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background. If barriers to participate are identified, strategies will be enlisted to break down the barriers.
• During system and school annual meetings and advisory council meetings, parents, teachers, support staff, and administrators are given a questionnaire to ascertain the effectiveness of the plan and identify barriers to greater participation. In addition, each school conducts a needs assessment and maintains and submits documentation of parenting activities and parent contacts to the Title I Coordinator. The findings of this evaluation will be used to revise or design strategies to increase parent participation and determine how the funds are spent.
• Parent and family engagement evaluations occur at the conclusions of workshops, meetings, and other parent events.
• Using the findings of evaluations in designing strategies for school improvement and revising, if necessary, LEA and schools’ parent and family engagement plans with assistance of its schools and parents.
• The findings of the needs assessment, questionnaire, and parent contact logs, evaluation of parent and family engagement activities, and survey will be used for improving schools and the Title I program. The system and schools’ parent and family engagement plans will be revised and strategies will be designed to reflect suggestions and recommendations of the parents, teachers and administrators, when feasible. Collection and summarization of system-wide data on parent and family involvement at district and school meetings, events and activities. If the parents are still not satisfied with plan, comments will be submitted with plan to the State and a copy will be kept on file.

RESERVATION OF FUNDS

The Effingham County School District 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.

• The district will provide clear guidance and communication to assist each Title I school in developing an adequate parent and family engagement budget that addresses their needs assessment and parent recommendations.
• The Title I Family and Engagement Program allocates funds for family and engagement based on the guidelines as stipulated by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).- not less than one percent (1%), of the LEA Title I allocation for parent involvement.
• Stakeholders and all parents and families will be invited to attend a meeting to provide suggestions as to how the 1% parental funds will be used for the upcoming school term.
• Minutes and agendas from the meeting will serve as documentation of the stakeholders and all parent’s involvement in providing input in the decision regarding how the 1 percent set-aside for parent and family engagement activities will be spent.
• Stakeholders and all parents and families are also involved in the decision making process of spending the 1 percent set-aside by completing surveys, serving on advisory council, school councils, and school planning teams, and attending annual meetings at each school.

COORDINATION OF SERVICES

The Effingham County School District will coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies with parent and family engagement strategies, to the extent feasible and appropriate, with other relevant Federal, State, and local laws and programs: such as, Special Education Early Intervention Program (EIP), and Pre-K program (Bright From the Start), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Neglected & Delinquent (N&D) institutions, McKinney-Vento program, Adult Education, parent/family resource centers and/or Parent University – Effingham by:

• Staff from the Title I program, Bright from the Start -Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, State run preschool programs will attend seminars, workshops, and conferences together, if appropriate.
• All programs will coordinate their parenting activities, information, and resources to maximize parent and family engagement efforts and increase participation of the parents. As appropriate, parents from civil society organizations will be invited to attend joint parent and family engagement activities.
• The school principals, resource coordinators, Bright from the Start Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, Kindergarten teachers and Parent University - Effingham will collaborate on transition activities for elementary, middle and high school parents and share information about available community services. In order to integrate services, communication with other programs will be ongoing.
• Maintaining regular communication regarding curriculum and testing.
• Providing access to parent training materials and parent training opportunities.
• Collaborating and planning together transition activities.

All communications are in an easy-to-understand language. Translations for other languages may be provided upon request, and to the extent practicable.

BUILDING CAPACITY OF SCHOOL PARENTS

The Effingham County School District will, with the assistance of its Title I schools, build parents’ capacity for strong family engagement by providing materials and training on such topics as literacy training and using technology (including education about the harms of copyright piracy) to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s academic achievement. Assistance will also be provided to parents in understanding the following topics:

• The challenging State academic standards
• The State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments
• The requirements of Title I, Part A
• How to monitor their child’s progress
• How to work with educators

Activities may include:

1. Parent workshops concluded with program evaluations.
2. Curriculum-based events based on school defined academic goals such as CCRPI workshops, Family Literacy, Math and/or Science Night, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) family events, and Curriculum Night events that may highlight state assessments, and Georgia Milestones.
3. English Learners (EL) Parent Orientation/Training Sessions
4. School and District Parent Advisory Council
5. Transition opportunities
6. PTO/PTA meetings
7. Parent/Teacher Conferences
8. District and school-level Title I parent meetings, Schoolwide/Schoolwide Improvement, CLIP/Parent and Family Engagement plan, and School-Parent Compact meetings
9. Explanation of testing and student results

• Each Title I school offers parenting workshops during different times of the day (morning and evening) to accommodate parents’ work schedules.Topics for workshops are based on identified needs from surveys, teacher input, parent input, and student performance data. Some workshops are in collaboration with the EL, SPED and the Pre-K program. Childcare is available if needed.
• Parent University - Effingham has workshops on using technology including Parent Portal, ways that parents can help their child be successful at school, curriculum updates, etc.
• Parent/Family Resources Centers are equipped with literature for parents to use to provide academic support and assistance for their child at home. Additional resources available to parents may include parenting books, videos, math and reading skill building materials such as flash cards, games, etc.
• All stakeholders, parents and families are invited by school newsletter, local newspaper article, website, and district and/or school all call notification system, etc.

BUILDING CAPACITY OF SCHOOL STAFF

The Effingham County School District will, with the assistance of schools and parents, educate its teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, and other school leaders, and other staff in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and schools by:

• Each school provides its faculty and staff members with training to assist them in working with parents as equal partners in the educational process and to increase effective communication between the home/school.
• Review parent and family engagement evaluations with school personnel and determine what can be done to assist with parents’ needs.
• Promote cultural understanding to all staff at Title I schools.
• Provide mandatory volunteer training sessions for parents, and provide, as allowable, opportunities for parents to volunteer at their child’s school.
• Joint effort of educators and parents in revising the school-parent compact and the parent and family engagement plan.

BUILDING CAPACITY FOR INVOLVEMENT

• Providing necessary literacy training for parents from Title I, Part A funds, if the school district has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for that training
• Paying reasonable and necessary expenses associated with parent and family engagement activities, including child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions
• Maximize family engagement and participation in their children’s education, arranging school meetings at a variety of times or conducting in-home conferences (via virtual, if applicable) between teachers or other educators who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend those conferences at school.
• Adopting and implementing model approaches to improving family engagement
• Establishing a districtwide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parent and family engagement in Title I, Part A programs
• We will provide other reasonable support for parent and engagement activities under section 1116 as parents may request.

ADOPTION

This Effingham County School District Parent and Family Engagement Plan has been developed jointly and agreed on with parents and family members of children participating in Title I, Part A programs. The school district will make the policy available to all parents of participating Title I, Part A children on or before October 31, 2026.