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Family Engagement Plan - District

Yoakum Independent School District Family Engagement Plan

Statement of Purpose:

Yoakum ISD is dedicated to providing quality education for every student. Our goal is to establish partnerships with parents and with the community. Each student will benefit from supportive, active involvement when the school, home, and community work together to promote high achievement for our students.

Parents play an extremely important role as the child’s first teachers. Their support for their children and for the school is critical to their children’s success at every level in school.

Grade level goals for the students of Yoakum ISD will be distributed to all parents in the district, with the expectation that all students will work toward these goals. Yoakum ISD recognizes that some students may need the extra assistance available through the Title I Program, as well as the other programs to reach these goals. Yoakum ISD plans to include parents in all aspects of the district’s Title I program. The goal is a school-home partnership that will help all students in the district to succeed.

Yoakum ISD strives for “Excellence in Education” for every student.

Parental Involvement in Developing the Policy:

Yoakum ISD’s District Improvement Team, consisting of parents, members of the community, members of the business community, teachers, non-teaching staff, principals, superintendent and assistant superintendents, meets to develop our District Improvement Plan which includes parental involvement. This committee includes representatives from each campus in the district.

The Parental Involvement Policy will be revised as needed and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of students, parents, and the school.

Title I and the Law

Funding – Our district receives funds from the federal government for special programs and services under “Title I”, which is part of the Title I, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. Title I services are for eligible students who need extra academic help, regardless of their economic background. The amount of money we receive under Title I depends on how many students in our district are from low-income families. In Yoakum ISD, we combine the Title I funds with other federal, state, and local money to upgrade the entire program of our school to help us better meet all students’ academic needs.

Title I, Part A – What is the law?

The purpose of Title I is to enhance opportunities for students to meet and maintain grade level skills. The most recent law that affects Title I is Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 107-110). The law requires:

  • That school districts have a written policy regarding parental involvement;     
  • That parents be involved in the design, operation, and evaluation of the Title I program; and
  • That whenever possible, activities should be presented in the language spoken by the majority of Title I parents.

Yoakum ISD teachers see parents as partners in the education of our students. Everyone gains when school personnel and parents work together. Our goal is to provide opportunities and information to parents that will help them assume a meaningful role in improving student achievement and increase effectiveness when participating in the planning and evaluation of the Title I programs.

Annual Meeting for Title I Parents:

At the Title I, Part A annual meeting, parents will be given information about the Title I guidelines. Parents will be given copies of the District’s and campus’s current Parental Involvement Policy, and will be offered a chance to become involved in revising and updating the policies as needed. People may volunteer to serve on either the district wide or the campus advisory committee, or both.

The annual meetings will be held at the convenience of parents, in the evening and then again in the morning. Translations into Spanish will be available. Parents will be sent written notices about the meeting times, which will be provided in both English and Spanish.

School-Parent Compacts:

In accordance with Title I regulations, each campus shall develop jointly with, and make available to, parents of participating children a school-parent compact that is designed to increase the sharing of responsibility between families and schools for the high performance of students. Parents, teachers, and administrators who will be responsible  for carrying out the compact should participate in its development.

Every parent shall receive a copy of the school-parent compact from the campus that his/her child is attending. The school-parent compacts will be available in both English and Spanish. Although signatures are not required, parents are urged to discuss the compact with their children.

Matching Programs to the Needs of Our Community:

Each year, the school district will assess the needs of parents and children in this community, through a variety of measures. These include surveys sent home to parents  so that the Title I Program will be tailored to meet those goals. As opportunities present themselves, or as the district staff and/or the District Improvement Team identify areas of need, parental workshops and presentations will be offered. Parents will be notified  about these opportunities through the individual schools.

Staff/Parent Communications:

Parents are welcomed and encouraged to communicate with Yoakum ISD employees, as needed, through a variety of means, including emails, telephone, written communication, parent/teacher conferences, and home visits. Communication with parents will also include campus newsletters. Parents are encouraged to take the initiative in calling their child’s teacher when they are concerned about a problem. They may also call the school office and request a translator for conferences. As much as possible, notices sent home should have English on one side and Spanish on the other. Parents are also able to have access to their children’s grades through the Parent Portal at https://www.yoakumisd.net.

Evaluation:

The District Improvement Committee of Yoakum ISD will be involved in the process of school review and improvement. Parents of children will be part of this group. The aim will be to evaluate the schools in this district, collecting information in a variety of ways.

There will be an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the Title I Parental Involvement Program, and parents will be asked for input. The evaluation will include an assessment of how much parental involvement is increasing and what barriers to parental participation still need to be overcome. The District will revise its Parental Involvement Policy on the basis of this annual review.

The policy will be coordinated by the District Improvement Committee and promoted by building principals and other school staff.