Parent Engagement Policy

Kennedale ISD Agrees to Implement the Following Statutory Requirements: 

1. Engage all parents and families of participating children in a meaningful consultation to plan and implement programs, activities, and procedures for the involvement of parents in Title I, Part A schools. ESSA Section 1118 (a)(1)

2. Develop jointly with, agree on with, and distribute to, parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy. This policy will be incorporated into the district’s plan for Title I, Part A. ESSA Section 1112

3. Provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist participating schools in planning and implementing effective parent involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance; ESSA Section 1118 (a)(B)

4. Provide assistance to parents/families in understanding such topics as attendance, discipline, homework, and the challenging State academic standards, State and local academic assessments, how to monitor a child’s progress, and how to work with educators to improve the achievement of their children. ESSA Section 1116 (e)(1)

5. Provide materials and training to help parents to work with their children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy and technology. ESSA Section 1118 (e)(2)

6. Educate teachers, pupil services personnel, 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 school. ESSA Section 1118 (e)(3)  

7. Coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with other federal, state, and local programs that encourage and support parents. ESSA Section 1118 (e)(4)

8. 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. ESSA Section 1118 (e)(4)

9. Conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement policy in improving the academic quality of the schools served. We will use the f indings of such evaluation to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, the parental involvement policies. ESSA Section 1118 (a)(2)(E)  

The mission of Kennedale Independent School District, as an educational leader in partnership with families and the community, is to provide opportunities for academic excellence in a safe and supportive environment so that today's students can become tomorrow's leaders. 

Kennedale ISD is committed to developing and promoting family engagement as required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Section 1116. This policy establishes the schools expectations to promote an effective working partnership with families and staff.  The Parent Involvement Policy has been adopted to ensure that the district provides parents and families with substantial and meaningful opportunities to participate as equal partners in the education of their children.  

The original policy was drafted by the Kennedale ISD Parent Involvement Committee (PIC), presented to a representative group of parents, edited, made available to all parents for further review and comment, and f inalized with consideration of additional input from parents. Each year, the policy content and opportunities for parent involvement is evaluated and revised as needed. 

• Schools provide a safe and open environment for parents and families to visit the school their children attend, and to actively encourage parent and family support and assistance for school programs, as feasible.
   
• Schools respond to such barriers as language, culture, education levels and work schedules of parents and families that may limit opportunities to participate fully in the education of their children
   
• Schools promote regular, two-way communication between home and school
   
• Parents, families, educators, and community members assist in improving student achievement by supporting family involvement in the education of their children
   
• Parents and families support their children’s learning at home and in school and serve as their children’s advocate 

Each Title I, Part A campus will hold an annual parent meeting to review Title I guidelines and services offered through Title I programming.  Kennedale ISD will support the efforts of Title I, Part A schools by providing PowerPoint presentations, communication tools, translators, and printing. These same district resources will be available to campuses to support a flexible number of meetings with parents throughout the school year. A primary goal of these meetings will be to establish parents as equal partners in their child’s academic achievement. 

Kennedale ISD will provide the following services to parents:

• Provide materials and training as necessary to help parents and families work with their children to improve achievement.
• Provide assistance to parents and families in understanding state academic content standards and academic achievement standards, local academic assessments, how to monitor a child’s progress, and how to work with educators to improve student achievement.
• Provide information to parents and families in an understandable language as needed
• Other parent trainings based on identified needs and requests
• Parent University
• District Parent Resource website
• Interpreter services for ARD, LPAC, PPCD evaluations, counseling, psychological evaluations, teacher/principal conferences with parents at Title I, Part A schools.

To better collaborate with parents, Kennedale ISD will also provide the following services to schools and district departments

• Staff training regarding contributions parents make to their children’s education
• Written translation services to schools and departments
• Communication tools and templates for promoting activities and services offered at Title I, Part A schools
• Other support as needed to assist Title I, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective parent and family engagement activities 

Parent/Family communication is established and maintained through many outlets such as:
Social media, phone calls, websites, written notices, newsletters, the school marquee, parent portal, Parent Square, conferences, teachers notes, and personal contacts.  

Kennedale ISD strives to develop and maintain a successful learning environment and offers varied ways for parents and family to be included, as feasible by:

• Parents and family can attend various activities at campuses (Parent and Community Engagement Team (PACT), Parent Literacy night, Curriculum night, GT night, STEM night, etc.)
• Participate in district surveys
• Invited to serve on committees
• Participate in parent-teacher conferences
• Translators are provided for parents as needed
• Information is provided in an understandable language as needed
• Parents and family may contribute through volunteer programs
• Parents and family are invited to eat meals with children 

Each Title I, Part A campus will jointly develop and share with parents a school-parent compact. The school-parent compact outlines how parents, staff, and students share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement. It also describes the necessary partnership that must develop between the Title I, Part A school and its families through regular two-way, meaningful communication. Each campus will undertake an annual collaborative review of its school-parent compact and make revisions as needed.  

Among others, each Title I, Part A school has a responsibility to:

• Implement high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment
• Utilize relevant sections of the school-parent compact to guide parent-teacher conferences
• Provide frequent reports to parents on their child’s progress
• Offer parents reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and observation of classroom activities, as feasible  
• Initiate and respond to parent communications Parent responsibilities to support their child’s learning include:
•  Ensuring regular attendance
• Participating in decisions related to their child’s education
• Monitoring positive use of extracurricular time, establishing healthy habits, and modeling literacy at home
• Completing an online volunteer registration form and volunteering on campus, whenever practical
• Initiating and responding to school communications 

Each Title I, Part A campus will provide parents with an annual notification that outlines the parents’ right to know about the professional qualifications of the classroom teachers who instruct their child, as well as any paraprofessionals who provide services to the child.  

Annually, Kennedale ISD will assemble a team, to review the content and effectiveness of their family engagement policies and programs. Evaluation information will be collected through parent surveys that gauge levels of family engagement while identifying barriers to parent participation. Based on this input and through a collaborative consultation process, the district will review the existing family engagement policy and make revisions as necessary.