Parent and Family Engagement Policy
2.07 PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies recognizes the value of family engagement in a child’s academic success and believes that the education of children is an ongoing cooperative partnership between the home and the school. Parents, guardians, and other family members are their children’s first teachers; therefore, the continued involvement of them in the educational process is most important in fostering and improving educational achievement. School officials shall strive to support parents, guardians and family members and provide them with meaningful opportunities to become involved in Title I program. The Board encourages participation in the design and implementation of the program and activities in order to increase the effectiveness of the school’s Title I program in helping students meet state and local achievement standards.
DEFINITION OF PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
For the purposes of this policy, parents and parental are inclusive terms intended to represent both parents and guardians. Also, the term “parental and family engagement” means the participation of parents, guardians, and other family members in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student learning and other school activities, including:
that parents and family members play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
that parents and family members are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;
that parents are full partners in their child’s education and parents and family members are included, as appropriate, in decision making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child; and
that the school utilizes activities that support parent and family engagement in the Title I program.
PURPOSE AND OPERATION OF TITLE I PROGRAM
The Title I program is a federally supported program that offers assistance to educationally and economically disadvantaged children to help ensure they receive an equitable, high-quality, well-rounded education and meet the school’s challenging academic standards. The program shall be based on effective means of improving student achievement and shall include evidence-based strategies to support parent and family engagement.
ANNUAL MEETING AND PROGRAM EVALUATION
Each year, school officials must invite parents of students participating in the Title I program to a meeting to explain parental rights, discuss the program and activities to be provided with Title I funds, and solicit input on the Title I program and this policy. Barriers to greater participation by parents in activities, 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 will also be addressed during the annual meeting. In addition, school officials must provide parents and family members a meaningful opportunity to annually evaluate the content and effectiveness of the Title I program and the parent and family engagement policies and plans. Information collected from these proceedings will be used to revise Title I program and parent and family engagement plans.