LAUSD Title 1 Parent & Family Engagement Policy

Student Succeeds Act of 2015

LAUSD Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy

Mandate A: Involve parents and family members in jointly developing the local educational agency plan under section 1112, and the development of support and improvement plans under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 1111(d).

The District will involve parents in the joint development of LAUSD's Local Education Agency (LEA) Plan through the Title I Parent Study Groups and the Title I Focus Group. Recommendations from parents about the Local Educational Agency Plan will be published annually.

The District will issue the following directives, tools and trainings to ensure schools have the necessary information they need to effectively engage and communicate with parents in the plan writing process associated with school support and improvement:

District Policies on School Committees and Councils and Title I related mandates:

Provides schools with operating guidelines and federal requirements for School Site Councils, English Learner Advisory Committees and Title I requirements at school sites, requiring parent members on the School Site Council to be trained before the first official meeting.

Title I Program and Budget Handbook: Assists schools and parents in identifying allowable school expenditures to bolster parent involvement in the school review and improvement process.

School Experience Survey (SES): Provides parents, students and school staff with an opportunity to give feedback on matters related to school climate and student learning. Data from the SES assists the District and schools in developing support and improvement strategies to be included in the Single Plan for Student Achievement.

School Site Council Training Tools for Parents: Provides school staff with tools and training to support meaningful and balanced parent participation on the School Site Council.

Uniform Complaint Procedure (UCP) Forms: Assists schools with providing UCPs to parents who have complaints and who need support.

School Data Conversations with Parents and Families Training Tools: Provides school staff with a parent training module to increase parent awareness of available school data,

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including information about how school and student data can be used in plan writing, goal setting, and monitoring.

Mandate B: Provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist and build the capacity of all participating schools within the local educational agency in planning and implementing effective parent and family involvement 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.

To meet this mandate, the District will provide technical assistance/training to school staff in the following area:

The Office of Parent and Community Services will provide coordination, technical assistance and support in assisting and building the capacity of all participating schools in LAUSD at the central level. In addition, Local District staff will provide training and support directly to schools within their District. To ensure effective planning and implementation of the programs and services provided by the Parent and Community Engagement (PACE) units, all PACE units will be trained by the Parent and Community Services (PCS) staff to ensure uniformity in the delivery and capacity building of parent and family members in the LAUSD. Effectiveness will be determined through surveys and other forms of evaluation.

LAUSD School Goals for Parent Engagement: Describes the District's vision at

establishes District-wide expectations for parent engagement at every school. The LAUSD School Goals for Parent Engagement will be widely distributed to every school to create benchmarks and indicators for parent engagement.

School Volunteer Program: School-based program that strengthens home-school partnerships by connecting the expertise and wisdom of parents and community members directly to student learning and academic improvement strategies through volunteerism. Training tools are provided, and training for all volunteers is strongly recommended.

Parent and Family Center Improvement Program: Board-approved bond program to upgrade and equip school-based Parent and Family Centers with standard facilities that assist schools in delivering effective parent engagement programs, including parent trainings/workshops, volunteer programs and local community resources. Key investment

areas include signage, computer and other technology, building upgrades, children's

corners and mobile modular furniture. Renovated Parent and Family Centers undergo monitoring for effective program implementation.

Targeted Technical Assistance: Targeted support provided to schools undergoing periodic state and/or federal review of their parent engagement planning process.

Building Partnerships with Community Groups: Training will be provided to schools to prepare them for partnering and consulting with local employers, business leaders, social service organizations with wrap-around services for homeless families, and organizations that specialize in parent and family engagement support and philanthropic organizations, or individuals with expertise in effectively engaging parents and family members in education.

Strengthening Staff Capacity for Effective Parent and Family Engagement: Training program, developed in collaboration with parents and family members, that provides school staff, including but not limited to principals, teachers, front office staff, Parent and Family Center staff and others, with training that fosters meaningful and sustainable parent and family engagement. Key areas include:

Parent involvement research and best practices
Creating welcoming environments
Developing an effective Parent and Family Center that provides a variety of resources for families, especially for homeless families
Establishing systems for evaluating parent engagement, such as the use of an evaluation tool for Parent and Family Center effectiveness

Engaging and expanding meaningful school volunteer programs
Informing parents of their rights and responsibilities and of categorical/ special programs as defined in various laws and statutes, such as Title I, English

Learners and Special Education o Sharing data with parents, specifically within the teacher-to-parent context o Establishing effective advisory committees and councils at schools o Establishing systems for addressing parent concerns, including providing information about parent rights and the availability of Uniform Complaints as a means for resolving conflict

Engaging parents to support homework completion, good attendance habits, and creating learning environments at home that reinforce classroom learning

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o Engaging and effectively communicating with families, including working parents, disabled parents, homeless families, newly arrived families and nonEnglish speaking parents

Parent Education Modules: Training and tools will be provided to school staff to increase their capacity to engage, support and provide necessary information to parents of students with documented achievement gaps, homeless and foster youth, English Learners and students with special needs. Training materials will be updated regularly to align with current initiatives. As each school has different needs, training should be selected that best meets the specific needs of parents. Possible training areas include:

- Early education/preparing for school	- Master Plan for English Learners
- Literacy/math home based support	- Common Core State Standards
- A-G college preparatory requirements	- School Experience Survey analysis
- Transition to middle and high school	- Parents as advocates and leaders
- Student social-emotional support	- Supporting good attendance habits
- Creating learning environments at home	- Restorative Justice practices
- LAUSD technology tools and the Parent Portal	- CA School Dashboard
- Classroom observations	- Transition to college
- Individual Transition Plans	- How to resolve conflict safely

Understanding school and District budgeting - Understanding the SPSA and the
Requesting translation services SPSA evaluation
Student success on Smarter Balanced Assessments and other exams
Understanding the Single Plan for Student Achievement
Special Education programs, including a glossary pamphlet of terms used in

Individualized Education Plans

Parent education modules and materials will be made available on the District's Parent

and Community Services website to differentiate the means of training families and school staff.

Mandate C: Coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies under this part with parent and family engagement strategies, to the extent feasible and appropriate, with other relevant Federal, State, and local laws and programs.

To address this mandate, the District will coordinate and integrate its family engagement programs and trainings with those of other District units. Examples include:

District's Master Plan for English Learners through parent workshops. Parents provide developed. In addition, parents are engaged in supporting the District's efforts to

Multilingual and Multicultural Education Department: Coordination is centered on informing parents of English Learner and Standard English Learner students of the input on this plan and guide all of the recommendations regarding the modules to be

increase bilingualism and biliteracy.

Division of Instruction: Coordination is centered on the development of parent training tools to increase parent and family awareness of various instructional initiatives in LAUSD and the critical academic milestones on the path to college- and career-readiness.

Division of Special Education: Coordination focuses on providing parent trainings on the Modified Consent Decree (MCD), bullying, and helping parents understand the special learning needs of their children. Topics include understanding the Individualized Education Plan, resolving conflict, and ensuring the safety of students with special needs at schools.

Information Technology Division: Coordination is centered on the Information

Technology Division's initiative to develop, promote and train schools on web-based tools for parents that help support student achievement. Examples include the Parent Portal, access to LAUSD online applications for eChoices, and school volunteer programs.

Beyond the Bell: Coordination is centered on PCS's promotion of Beyond the Bell

Expanded Learning and Enrichment Program and intervention programming with parents Districtwide. These programs provide extra-curricular and tutoring programs for students.

Access, Equity and Acceleration: Coordination is focused on identifying research and evidence-based strategies for narrowing the opportunity and achievement gaps for underserved student groups, with particular training and engagement provided for the parents of African American and Latino students. Information will be communicated to parents as strategies are applied and data is generated about student improvement.

Student Integration Services: Coordination is centered on the dissemination of information about the various choices for student enrollment, including the LAUSD Magnet program and Permits with Transportation (PWT) program.

Office of Data and Accountability: Coordination aims to promote parent participation in the School Experience Survey and to communicate with LAUSD families and community members about state testing and accountability reports, including the CA School Dashboard.

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Federal and State Education Programs: Coordination is centered on ensuring that federal and state parental involvement requirements, including the Title I School-Parent Compact, Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy and the Single Plan for Student Achievement, are met by all schools so that meaningful consultation with parents is achieved. Coordination also focuses on the annual revision and Spanish translation of the Title I Annual Meeting presentation for schools and the Program and Budget Handbook.

with parents in understanding a school's general budget and Title I and III program Budget Services Division: Coordination aims to provide learning tools for schools to use expenses.

Early Childhood Education Division: Coordination is focused on providing support to families of preschool children with research-based information on parenting and opportunities available in expanded transitional kindergarten and transitional kindergarten programs.

Advanced Learning Options: Coordination is centered on providing families with information about various advanced learning options, including but not limited to Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) programs. Families will have access to this information in various ways, online, in person and through paper.

Office of School Operations: Coordination focuses on supporting the Discipline Foundation Policy and on informing parents of the resources available for helping children with disciplinary issues.

Translations Unit: Coordination with Translations Unit to s interpretation needs.

Student Health and Human Services Division: Coordination focuses on parent and family resources for communicating the importance of school attendance, awareness of restorative justice practices, and support for homeless and foster youth.

School Design Options: Coordination is centered on providing the parents of students at alternative model schools with guidance on the operation and structure of the alternative school councils. Also, it focuses on providing parents with information regarding the

District's efforts around Unified Enrollment, providing parents with a complete portfolio of school programs and options in support of school choice.

Charter School Division: Coordination focuses on supporting efforts to assist with informing school communities about the laws and best practices in school co-location situations.

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Mandate D: Conduct, with the meaningful involvement of parents and family members,

an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parent and family engagement policy in improving the academic quality of all schools served under this part, including identifying

barriers to greater participation by parents in activities authorized by this section (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 needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers; and (iii) strategies to support successful school and family interactions.

To address this mandate, the District will:

Annually review the District Parent and Family Engagement Policy with parents in the Title I Parent Study Groups. The review process will identify:

barriers to parent participation in Title I schools,
the needs of all parents and families, specifically for those of various racial and success, and

strategies to overcome participation barriers and develop successful partnerships with families and schools for student achievement.

Promote the completion and results of the School Experience Survey and other surveys developed by schools in order to capture parent feedback on school-level parent engagement experiences, programs and practices.

Develop an evaluation tool to assess a school's Parent and Family Center.
Review data from the School Experience Survey, Local Control and Accountability Plan Scorecard/ Infographic, and the Principal's Portal to understand the impact of parent engagement efforts, specifically focusing on the results from Title I schools.

Make the data available and transparent on the Parent and Community Services website.

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Mandate E: Use the findings under Mandate D to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parent engagement, and to revise, if necessary, the Parent and Family Engagement policies described in this section.

To address this mandate the District will:

Annually review data from the Title I Parent Study Group Feedback Report to determine the need for revision of the Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy.

Utilize findings from the Title I Parent Study Group Feedback Report to redesign evidence-based strategies for more effective engagement of parents and families, paying particular attention to the needs of underserved parent populations.

Share best practices and strategies identified by the Title I Parent Study Groups with Local Districts and schools in order to strengthen school-based parent engagement and communication between schools and families. For example, the differentiation of communication methods like flyers, phone notification and social media, are necessary to reach all parents in schools.

Share best practices and strategies identified by parents in Title I schools, by school staff and in research with Local Districts and schools in order to strengthen school-based parent engagement and communication between schools and families.

Mandate F: Involve parents in the activities of the schools served under this part, which may include establishing a parent advisory board comprised of a sufficient number and representative group of parents or family members served by the local educational agency to adequately represent the needs of the population served by such agency for the purposes of developing, revising, and reviewing the parent and family engagement policy.

The authentic involvement of parents in their children's education and schools is critical for improvement. To address this mandate, the District will:

Use parent feedback on the barriers to participation in the Title I program, and strategies to overcome the barriers, to train district and school personnel.

Ensure meaningful parent engagement at schools by growing schools' capacity specifically with school and Parent and Family Center staff, to do the following:

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o Listen responsively to parents, students and community members, with particular attention to issues concerning student academic performance and progress

Create welcoming, respectful environments for all parents
Provide learning opportunities for parents that grow their ability to support specialized needs for classroom learning particularly in math, reading and writing, and knowledge of the requirements for high school graduation
Provide differentiated learning opportunities for families to how to support the needs of all students
Encourage parents and students to participate in leadership opportunities that lead to school improvement, including participating on shared governance committees like the School Site Council

Ensure parents and family members are knowledgeable about the following:

Parents' Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

Resources available on the District's website

Student and school performance data, including data on the CA School

Dashboard o Alternative school options including Magnet Programs, Zones of Choice, etc.

State standards and assessments o Special learning needs o Graduation requirements
Critical points in the process of teaching and learning where families should intervene to accelerate academic achievement
Selection, use and approval of instructional materials
Social-emotional development o Importance of daily attendance

All school policies and other materials available online, including Uniform

Complaints o Support for and opportunities available to volunteer at schools o Availability of parent and family conferences with school staff o Parent Portal enrollment and use

Opportunities to participate in shared governance