ACT 603

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ACT 603

• For
• New Teachers and Parent Facilitators

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The Purpose of this module is to inform new
teachers and parent facilitators of ACT 603
requirements and how to implement them.
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National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement
Programs

• Communicating- Communication between home and
  school is regular, two-way, and meaningful.
• Parenting- Parenting skills are promoted and
  supported.
• Student Learning- Parents play an integral role
  in assisting student learning.

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National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement
Programs

• Volunteering- Parents are welcome in the school,
  and their support and assistance are sought.
• School Decision Making and Advocacy- Parents are
  full partners in the decisions that affect
  children and families.

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National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement
Programs

• Collaborating with Community- Community
  resources are used to strengthen schools,
  families, and student learning.

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Parent InvolvementLaws
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Parent Involvement in Arkansas

• Required by NCLB/Title 1
• Required by Act 603

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Parental InvolvementWhat the Research Says
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Findings on Student Achievement

• When parents are involved, students achieve more,
  regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnic/racial
  background, or the parents education level.
• When parents are involved in their students
  education, those students have higher grades and
  test scores, better attendance, and complete
  homework more consistently.
• In programs that are designed to involve parents
  in full partnerships, student achievement for
  disadvantaged children not only improves, it can
  reach levels that are standard for middle-class
  children.
• Students are more likely to fall behind in
  academic performance if their parents do not
  participate in school events, develop a working
  relationship with their childs educators, or
  keep up with what is happening in their childs
  school.
• Ann Henderson and Karen Mapp, A New Wave of
  Evidence The Impact of School, Family, and
  Community Connections on Student Achievement
  (2002),
• National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement
  Programs An Implementation Guide for School
  Communities, National PTA, 2004.

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Findings on Student Behavior

• When students report feeling support from both
  home and school, they have more self-confidence,
  feel school is more important, and they tend to
  do better in school.
• Student behaviors such as alcohol use, violence,
  and other anti-social behaviors decrease as
  parent involvement increases.
• Ann Henderson and Karen Mapp, A New Wave of
  Evidence The Impact of School, Family, and
  Community Connections on Student Achievement
  (2002),
• National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement
  Programs An Implementation Guide for School
  Communities, National PTA, 2004.

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Findings on Culture

• Successful schools are those that succeed in
  engaging families from very diverse backgrounds,
  focus on building trusting collaborative
  relationships among teachers, families, and
  community members recognize, respect, and
  address families needs, as well as class and
  cultural differences and embrace a philosophy of
  partnership where power and responsibility are
  shared.
• Ann Henderson and Karen Mapp, A New Wave of
  Evidence The Impact of School, Family, and
  Community Connections on Student Achievement
  (2002),
• National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement
  Programs An Implementation Guide for School
  Communities, National PTA, 2004.

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Findings on Age

• The benefits of involving parents are not
  confined to the early years there are
  significant gains at all ages and grade levels.
• Junior and senior high school students whose
  parents remain involved are able to make better
  transitions, maintain the quality of their work,
  and develop realistic plans for their futures.
  Students whose parents are not involved, on the
  other hand, are more likely to drop out of
  school.
• Ann Henderson and Karen Mapp, A New Wave of
  Evidence The Impact of School, Family, and
  Community Connections on Student Achievement
  (2002),
• National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement
  Programs An Implementation Guide for School
  Communities, National PTA, 2004.

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Findings on School Quality

• Schools that work well with families have
  improved teacher morale and higher ratings of
  teachers by parents.
• Schools where parents are involved have more
  support from families and better reputations in
  the community.
• Schools with highly rated parent partnership
  programs make greater gains on state tests than
  schools with lower rated programs.
• Ann Henderson and Karen Mapp, A New Wave of
  Evidence The Impact of School, Family, and
  Community Connections on Student Achievement
  (2002),
• National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement
  Programs An Implementation Guide for School
  Communities, National PTA, 2004.

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ACSIP Relationship ACT 603 Requirements
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ACSIP Plans must include a separate action
addressing the requirements of Act 603. Parent
Involvement Plans are pulled from ACSIP Plans
based on the actions marked as Parental
Engagement.
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Quality Standards

• Small Group Activity

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Communication Law Requirements

• Regular meaningful communication between home and
  school (ACT 603/ Title 1)
• Family Kits (ACT 603)
• No Less than 2 Parent /Teacher conferences (ACT
  603)

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CommunicationActivities/Tools

• Newsletters classroom, grade level, building
  level, district level
• Weekly folders signed by parents
• Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Grade Level Nights/Family Nights/ Parents Make a
  Difference Nights
• Websites with email addresses available
• Parenting Workshops and Parenting Activities
• Informal Chat Meetings between Parents and the
  Principal
• Communicate with parents regarding positive
  student behavior and achievement, not just
  regarding misbehavior or failure
• Positive Feedback- 2 Positives for each negative

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CommunicationChallenges

• Language Barriers
• Parents Dont feel Welcome
• Childcare
• Transportation

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Parenting Law Requirements

• Parenting books, magazines, and other materials
  regarding responsible parenting through the
  library, advertise the current selection, and
  give parents an opportunity to borrow these
  materials (Act 603)
• Parent Center (Act 603)
• Activities to promote responsible parenting (Act
  603)

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ParentingActivities/Tools

• Parent Tips in Newsletters
• Paycheck Size Cards with Parenting Tips
• Services provided for families in need (glasses,
  insurance, AR Kids First, doctor)
• Parenting Workshops
• Handouts, books, and videos in the parent center
• Watchdog Dads- Miracle Moms
• Special Events Grandparents Day, Donuts with
  Dad, Muffins with Mom, etc.
• Work with PTAs, parent educators, or other
  community groups to host on-site meetings

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ParentingChallenges

• Special Situations-single parent families, step
  families
• Social services for families in need
• Sharing information with parents who dont come
  to school
• Unrealistic expectations

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Student LearningLaw Requirements

• Parents Make A Difference Evenings (Act 603)
• School-Parent Compacts (Title 1)

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Student LearningActivities/Tools

• Involve parents in setting student goals each
  school year/grading period
• Educational software and books for checkout in
  the parent center
• Parent Workshops on
• Homework
• Sleep and Nutrition Education
• Tips for Studying
• Organization Skills
• Refrigerator Curriculum
• Family Nights on
• Math
• Literacy
• Science
• AR/Reading Counts demo night for parents
• School wide Programs

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Student LearningChallenges

• Different cultural expectations
• Different parental expectations
• Scheduling conflicts
• Language Barriers
• Parents not understanding services Special Ed,
  Title 1, ESL, Migrant, etc

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Volunteering Law Requirements

• Volunteer Resource Book (Act 603)
• Survey Parents regarding their interests and
  talents (Act 603)
• Volunteer work will be meaningful (Act 603)
• Engage in Activities determined by the school
  (Act 603)
• Welcoming Environment (Act 603)
• Statements attesting to the school districts
  commitment to parental involvement and distribute
  the statements to parents of students (Act 603)
• Reasonable access to staff and opportunities to
  volunteer, observe, and participate in classroom
  activities. (Title 1/NCLB)

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VolunteeringActivities/Tools

• Name tags for volunteers
• Welcoming atmosphere
• Friendly Climate
• Volunteer Recognition
• Volunteer Resource book based on parent survey
• Translators
• Cut out/run off
• PTA
• Volunteer information handbook
• Volunteer workshops/training
• Provide lunch for Volunteers
• Volunteer work area
• Educate and assist teachers to effectively use
  volunteer resources

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VolunteeringChallenges

• Managing safety in polite ways
• School policies/ procedures volunteers need to
  follow
• Coordinating volunteers
• Involving parents in non-traditional ways

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School Decision Making Law Requirements

• Encourage parents to participate as full partners
  in the decisions that affect his or her child and
  family (Act 603)
• Publish the schools process for resolving
  parental concerns, including how to define the
  problem, whom to approach first, and how to
  develop solutions (Act 603)
• Sponsor seminars to inform the parents of high
  school students about how to be involved in the
  decisions affecting course selection, career
  planning, and preparation for post-secondary
  opportunities (Act 603)
• Create an Alumni Advisory commission to provide
  advice and guidance for school improvement (ACT
  603)

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School Decision MakingActivities/Tools

• Promote parent participation on school district,
  state and national committees that focus on
  education issues.
• Provide parents with an opportunity to
  participate in professional development
  activities (e.g., workshops or technology
  training)
• Share sample tests with parents and form
  parent-teacher teams to plan how to prepare
  students for testing
• Hold a supplemental services fair before/during
  athletic events and have resources for parents
  available
• Communicate and educate, especially on
  educational jargon
• Promote parent participation on textbook
  adoption/materials committees

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Shared Decision MakingChallenges

• Parents not understanding services Special Ed,
  Title 1, ESL, Migrant, etc
• Scheduling conflicts
• Language Barriers

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Collaborate With CommunityLaw Requirements

• Alumni Advisory Commission (Act 603)
• Tips for how parents can foster their childs
  success and contact employers about including
  these in payroll checks (Act 603)

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Collaborate With CommunityActivities/Tools

• Contact Service Organizations
• Coordinate with Community College/Local Agencies
  to offer GED Classes at the local school and
  Adult ESL Classes at the local school
• Technology Classes for Parents
• Parenting Workshops
• Contact Local Businesses/ Restaurants for
• Fund Raising
• Sponsorships
• Employee Volunteering
• Displaying Student Accomplishments
• Foster student participation in community service
• Disseminate information to school community
  members including those without school age
  children regarding school programs and
  performance.

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Collaborate With CommunityChallenges

• Time
• Manpower
• Interest
• Needs

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Resources?