William James Parent Involvement Policy

Statement of Purpose

Fort Worth ISD believes every child should have the opportunity to attain his/her full potential. William James Middle School will maximize its resources to enable each child to become a successful learner. All stake holders will work together to establish effective partnerships.

Students that need extra assistance will have access to programs that will help them reach these goals. William James will make every effort to include parents in the development, evaluation, and revision of the Title I Program and the Parental Involvement Policy. The school-parent compact will describe the responsibilities of key stakeholders and useful channels of communication.

Developing the Policy

An advisory committee will be formed consisting of members of our SBDM & PTA. The parent volunteers will represent the diversity of the student population. The committee will convene at a time and place convenient to all its members.

Annual Meeting

William James will hold an annual meeting at the beginning of the school year for parents. At that meeting the Title I program will be described, the Parental Involvement Policy will be distributed and reviewed, and opportunities for parental participation will be explained. The annual meeting will be held twice for the convenience of parents. Since the goal of William James is student success, the expectations for school performance, individual student assessments, and grade level curriculum will be provided in a format parents can understand. Parents will be advised that the effectiveness of the Parental Involvement Program will be evaluated annually and the policy will be revised to meet the needs of the students, school, parents, and community.

Building Capacity

• Shall provide assistance to parents in how to monitor a child's progress, and how to work with educators to improve student achievement.
• Shall provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve student achievement.
• Shall provide training to teachers and school personnel with the assistance of parents to implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school.
• Shall provide information in a format and language the parents understand.
• May involve parents in the development of training for teachers.
• May provide necessary literacy training.
• May pay reasonable expenses associated with local parental involvement activities.
• May arrange school meetings at a variety of times or conduct in-home conferences.
• May develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations in parental involvement activities.

Programs and the School Community

Annually William James will assess the needs of the school community using a variety of tools including a survey or questionnaire. The findings will be used to revise the Title I program to meet the current needs. Training will be made available to address the needs of the school community.

Staff-Parent Communication

William James will communicate with parents on a regular basis. Important information will be provided in the student handbook, the school-parent compact, and on the school website. Frequent notices about student performance will be sent home with children, or provided by phone calls, e-mails, conferences, and in-home visits. All communication will be provided in a language and format the parents can understand. Parents are encouraged to contact the school or the child's teacher when questions or problems arise.

Evaluation

The Title I Advisory Committee will evaluate the effectiveness of the Parental involvement Program. Resources that will include assessment data and surveys will be used to determine the needs and develop revised strategies for student success.  Any changes to the Title I Program and the Parental Involvement Policy will be developed and agreed upon with parent input and will be communicated to the parents in the district or school.