Title I recognizes the vital role that parents, guardians and community play in the education of their children. Decades of research have confirmed that students with involved parents are more likely to succeed in school. The Title I office has developed a comprehensive parent and family engagement program.

Parental and Family Engagement is the key to academic achievement and the state has developed a parent involvement policy. Washoe County School District also has a parent involvement policy.  Title I utilizes its parent involvement funding to assist and support all of our 43 Title I sites in the following areas.

• Parent-School Partnerships- Title I personnel provide coordination, technical assistance and other support necessary to assist participating schools in developing effective parent- school partnerships in order to support children's education at home.
• Parent and Family Engagement Policy- Title I personnel assist Title I schools in developing a written parent involvement policy that outlines what the school will do for parents using six federal requirements to build parents' capacity to be involved in school.
• Parent-School Accords- Title I personnel assists in the ensuring that there is a written commitment each year indicating how all members of the school community agree to share responsibility for student achievement.
• Annual Title I Meeting for Parents- Title I personnel assist Title I sites in hosting a meeting for parents to explain the Title I program, the policies and requirements, and how Title I students will be assessed. Parents have a right to be involved in the Title I program, and this is explained at the meeting as well as offering suggestions as to how they can be involved.
• Parents' Right to Know- Title I personnel assists in sending out and posting the parents’ rights for knowing the qualifications of their children’s teacher.
• Title I Parent Involvement Facilitators - Title I personnel assist, support, and train these staff members at each school site to offer family/parent workshops to promote the home-school partnership to foster the parents' role as a child's first and most important teacher. Programs and workshops are developed and evaluated based on input, such as surveys, from parents and school staff.
• Parent and Family Engagement Vision- Title I personnel will work with site administration to ensure parent and family engagement is aligned to academic learning through the alignment of the School Performance plan, family engagement plan, and parent/family involvement policy.

Six Federal Requirements to Build Parents' Capacity to be Involved in School

1. Assist parents in understanding the State's academic content standards, student academic achievement standards and academic assessments
2. Provide material and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children's achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, to foster parent involvement.
3. Educate school personnel, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, how to reach, communicate and work with parents
4. Coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with other organizations such as Head Start, Parents as Teachers, etc.
5. Ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings and other activities is sent to parents in a format and language that parents can understand
6. Provide reasonable support for parent involvement activities as parents request

Parent Involvement Standards

The National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs are research based and grounded in both sound philosophy and practical experience. The purpose of the standards is threefold:

1. To promote meaningful parent and family participation
2. To raise awareness regarding the components of effective programs
3. To provide guidelines for schools that wish to improve their programs

School Performance Framework (Star Ratings)

Resources for Families

National PTA
The National Fatherhood Initiative
National Center for Family Literacy
National Education Association