Parent/Family Engagement

Santa Fe ISD agrees to implement the following statutory requirements:
Santa FE ISD will put into operation programs, activities, and procedures for the involvement of parents in all of its campuses with Title I, Part A programs, consistent with ESSA Section 1116. Those programs, activities and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children. Santa Fe ISD will work with all campuses to ensure that the required school-level parent engagement policies meet the requirements of the ESEA, and each include, as a component, a school-parent compact. Santa Fe ISD will incorporate this district wide parent engagement policy into its District & Campus Improvement Plans. In carrying out the Title I, Part A parent engagement requirements, to the extent practicable, Santa Fe ISD will provide opportunities for the participation of parents including providing information and school reports in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.

If parents of Santa Fe ISD are not satisfied with the campus and district improvement plans, the school district will submit any parent comments with the plan when the school district submits the plan to the State Department of Education. Santa FE ISD will involve the parents of children served in Title 1, Part A schools in decisions about how the I percent of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parent involvement is spent, and will ensure that not less than 95 percent of the one percent reserved goes directly to the schools.
Santa Fe ISD will be governed by the following statutory definition of parental engagement, and expects that its Title I schools will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with this definition:

• Parental involvement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring—

(A) that parents play an integral role in assisting their child's learning;
(B) that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child's education at school;
(C) that parents are full partners in their child's education and are included, as appropriate, in decisionmaking and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child.

1. Santa Fe ISD will take the following actions to involve parents in the joint development of its district wide parent involvement plan under section 1112 of the ESEA:

• Form a District Parent Engagement Committee, with parent representatives from each campus to review & create district policies and procedures that will guide campuses.
• Support the District Educational Improvement Committee and the Campus Improvement Committees' effort to develop strong parental partnerships.
• Complete annual surveys and advise campuses of research-based activities & trainings.

2. Santa Fe ISD will take the following actions to involve parents in the process of school review and improvement under section 1116 of the ESEA:

• Santa Fe ISD will utilize the District Education Improvement Committee (DEIC) & Campus Improvement Committees to review campus improvement plans and ensure parent involvement in their creation.
• Both District & Campus Improvement Plans will be posted on the district website.
• The District Parental Engagement Committee will analyze yearly data obtained from campus surveys and commit to a continuous improvement cycle.

3. Santa Fe ISD will provide the following necessary coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist Title l, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective parent engagement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance:

• Utilize parent, student, & staff surveys to identify barriers present to enhance partnerships with parents.
• Provide training, in multiple formats, to all stakeholders, on the importance of parent involvement and how to implement an effective parent involvement program.

4. Santa Fe ISD, with the involvement of parents, will take the following actions to conduct an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this parental involvement policy in improving the quality of its Title l, Part A schools:

• Include identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in parent involvement 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).
• Use the findings of the evaluation about the parent involvement policy and activities to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, present parent involvement policies.
• Complete an annual district & campus wide parent involvement survey.
• Review data obtained with the district Parental Engagement Committee and campus Parent Engagement committees for the purposes of continuous improvement.
• Advertise this survey in multiple ways, including media, and give multiple ways for parents to participate in the survey,
• Utilize parent conferences and student events to gain feedback and advertise support.

5. Santa Fe ISD will build school and parent capacity for strong parent involvement, to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, through the following activities specifically described below:

• The school district will assist parents of children served by the school district in understanding topics such as, the State of Texas academic content standards in comparison with the student's academic achievement, the state and local academic assessments including alternate assessments, the requirements of the Title I School-Wide program, and how to monitor their child's progress.
• Santa Fe ISD will, with the assistance of its schools, provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children's academic achievement, such as literacy training, and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.
• Santa Fe ISD will, with the assistance of its schools and parents, educate teachers, pupil services personnel, principals and other staff, in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to implement and coordinate parent programs and build ties between parents.
• Santa Fe ISD will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs and activities with the state approved pre-school program, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children.
• Santa Fe ISD will take actions to ensure that information related to the school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the parents of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.

This District-Wide Parental Involvement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed upon with , parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs.