Title I, Part A Parent Involvement Policy

The Hanover County Public School Board recognizes the importance of the school and home working together as partners in the education of each child. Hanover County Public Schools encourages the involvement of parents as partners to support student achievement. The division’s Title I, Part A Parent Policy encourages the involvement of all parents in the Title I program. Each Title I school’s parent involvement policy is jointly developed, written, and annually reviewed by the school’s staff and parents/family members in order to improve student academic achievement. Program documents are written, when necessary, in the preferred language of the parents. The policy meets requirements under §1118 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The implementation of the requirements is achieved through the following policy.

PART I. Division Expectations

Hanover County Public Schools (HCPS) agrees to implement the following statutory requirements:

  • HCPS sanctions programs, activities, and procedures for the involvement of parents in all of its schools with Title I, Part A programs. Those programs, activities, and procedures are planned and operated through meaningful consultation with parents of participating children.

  • HCPS works with its schools to ensure that the required school-level parental involvement policies meet the Title I, Part A requirements, and include a school-parent compact as a component.

  • Individual Hanover Schools incorporate the division-wide parental involvement policy into annual parent meetings.

  • In carrying out the Title I, Part A parental involvement requirements, to the extent practicable, the school division and its schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with children with limited English proficiency, parents of students with disabilities, and parents of migrant children, including providing information and school reports in an understandable and uniform format and, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.

  • If the division policy for Title I, Part A is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, HCPS will submit any parent comments with the policy when the school division submits the policy to the Virginia Department of Education.

  • HCPS will involve the parents of children served in Title I schools in decisions about how the one percent of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parental involvement is spent, and will ensure that not less than 95 percent of the one percent reserved goes directly to the schools.

  • HCPS is governed by the following statutory definition of parental involvement, and expects its Title I schools to 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-

      • that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;

      • that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school; and

      • that parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child.

PART II. Division Parental Involvement Policy Required Components

A. HCPS will take the following actions to involve parents in the joint development of its division parental involvement policies:

  • Information is provided to parents concerning program policies and evaluations, and suggestions are solicited annually in the spring from parents for improvement. Policies are revised as necessary.

  • School compacts are signed annually with parental input defining a team approach in the provision of quality instruction at school and home.

  • Each school maintains a written copy of their Parent Involvement Policy.

B. HCPS will take the following actions to involve parents in the process of school review and improvement under §1116 of the ESEA:

  • A local advisory committee is established at the building level which has representation from parents of Title I students enrolled in that school and meetings are held where recommendations are considered.

  • Each school distributes a Title I Parent Survey in the spring and results are analyzed by staff, parents, and administrators to improve program services.

  • A comprehensive county survey is distributed to parents annually for feedback for school improvement.

  • Parent-Teacher meetings are held to promote home/school collaboration.

C. HCPS will provide the following necessary coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist Title I schools in planning and implementing effective parental involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance:

  • Parent involvement activities that focus on parent education for supporting student instructional skills are held at each school periodically during the school year.

  • Program staff is invited to attend Title I parent involvement activities.

  • Each individual school shares a yearly budget for parent involvement activities using Title I, Part A funds following the federal formula of 95% of 1% of total allocation.

  • The Parent Involvement Coordinator works with the Title I schools on summer reading book bags for each Title I student, which continues to encourage parental involvement during non-school hours. Strong parental involvement is supported during the summer months through this program.

  • County administration supplies newsletters/publications which encourage parent participation in school activities such as “Reading Connections.”

  • Parent-Teacher conferences are held to promote home/school collaboration.

D. HCPS will coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies under Title I, Part A with parental involvement strategies under other programs by working collaboratively with the division’s programs identified below.

  • The Title I program collaborates with the Head Start program in support and implementation of family literacy initiatives in the school and community.

  • Title I staff members collaborate with special education staff for coordination of services, including parent involvement, for children identified as Title I and special education.

  • Title I staff members work closely with other Reading Specialists and with Mathematics Resource teachers in each school to accommodate the needs of LEP students and disadvantaged students.

  • Each school is required to develop Family Reading activities open to all parents that are funded with Title I, Part A, Parental Involvement funds.

E. HCPS will take the following actions to conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this parental involvement policy in improving the quality of its Title I schools. The evaluation will include identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in parental 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). The school division will use the findings of the evaluation of its parental involvement policy and activities to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary (and with the involvement of parents) its parental involvement policies by:

  • Jointly developing school family policies through participation on a school advisory team and annually reviewing the policy and activities.

  • Hold an annual meeting at each Title I school, at a convenient time open to all families of participating children. Curriculum information will be shared and made available to all families at this time as well as information regarding the Title I program, policies and requirements.

  • Surveying the general parent population in early spring, grades pre-K-12, to determine satisfaction with schools, programs, and services.

  • Conducting a Title I parent survey in the spring of each year in order to determine the level of participation and to identify barriers that have prevented participation.

  • Offering school-based parent surveys in English and Spanish.

  • Making available the Title I brochure in both English and Spanish.

  • Providing Title I parent surveys in paper format and the county survey in both electronic and paper formats.

  • Using the parent surveys as baseline data for the upcoming year and establish a parental involvement participation goal for the next school year.

F. HCPS will build the schools’ and parents’ capacity for strong parental involvement, in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the schools involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, through the following activities specifically described below:

  • HCPS will, with the assistance of its Title I schools, provide assistance to parents of children served, as appropriate, in understanding topics such as the following:

    • the state’s academic content standards, the Virginia Standards of Learning,

    • the state’s student academic achievement standards and State Accreditation Standards,

    • state and local academic assessments including alternate assessments,

    • the requirements of Title I, Part A,

    • how to monitor their child’s progress, and

    • how to work with educators

      • HCPS establishes dates on the school calendar for parent/teacher conferences.

      • School and individual teacher websites will provide daily schedules, class work, homework, school events, supply lists, contact information, e-connect, PowerSchool, Channel 99, newsletters, and other helpful information for parents.

      • The division’s parental involvement policy is available annually on the division Title I website and in each school.

      • Dates for interim reports and 9-week report cards will be included in the student handbook and on the division website.

      • Information regarding how to access division curriculum and state standards will be available in each student handbook and on the division website.

  • The school division 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, by:

    • Holding Family Literacy activities conducted by reading specialists such as “make it-take it.”

    • Providing workshops for parents at each Title I school during the school year.

    • Distributing “Reading Connection” parental involvement newsletters monthly.

    • Providing Literacy backpacks or other study/review tools.

  • The school division will, with the assistance of its Title I schools and parents, educate its 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 and schools, by:

    • Providing additional resources such as substance abuse counselors, a parent resource center and e-mail connection.

    • Having a person to assist teachers in the coordination of activities for parents.

    • Having a teacher leader for Reading Recovery (early intervention program) available to work with parents and teachers.

    • Purchasing materials to assist staff as a resource in parent education.

    • Purchasing materials at teacher request to support parents as teachers at home.

    • Designating days in the master calendar for teacher training and parent conferences.

    • Hiring consultants to share expertise with teachers and parents to positively impact the education of Title I children.

  • The school division will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Reading Recovery, and other programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children:

    • HCPS will work collaboratively with the local Head Start Program, Special Education, LEP, Parent Resource Center and school administrations. (See Part II.D.)

    • Each school will be required to develop a series of Family Reading activities that are funded with Title I, Part A Parental Involvement funds.

    • HCPS encourages schools to offer parent resource materials to enable parents to provide academic, social, and physical support to their children.

  • The school division will take the following actions to ensure that Title I, Part A, 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:

    • HCPS will schedule dates on the school calendar for parent/teacher conferences which are available on the division website, email connection and in the student handbook.

    • Upcoming programs and events will be shared in school newsletters, on the division school websites, and on e-connect, and Channel 99.

    • School and individual teacher websites will provide daily schedules, class work, homework, school events, supply lists, and contact information.

    • The division’s parental involvement policy will be available in writing for each parent and on the division website.

    • Dates for interim reports and 9-week report cards will be included in the student handbook, school calendars, and on the division website.

    • Information regarding how to access division curriculum and state standards will be available in each student handbook and on the division website.

PART III. Adoption

HCPS’s Parental Involvement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs, as evidenced by meeting agendas at the division and/or school levels.

The Hanover County School Board encourages parental involvement in the schools through policy 2-3.1, Community involvement in decision making. Policies are reviewed and/or updated annually.

This Title I Parent Involvement Policy is in effect for the 2022-23 school year. 

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