FILE: IFD
PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
DESOTO PARISH SCHOOL BOARD MISSION STATEMENT
DeSoto Serves to care for our students, ensure their learning, and celebrate their graduation as citizens prepared to transform their dreams into realities.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The Desoto Parish School Board is committed to providing quality education for every child in the district.
The DeSoto Parish School Board Parent and Family Engagement program encourages the engagement of parents in the education of their children in developing strong partnership with teachers, principals, other staff, the community and their school to improve student academic achievement.
The DeSoto Parish School District will be governed by the following statutory definition of parental engagement, and expects that its Title I schools will carry out programs, activities and procedures in accordance with this definition:
Parental engagement 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;
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.
The major goal is a school-home partnership that will help all students in the district succeed. In doing so the DeSoto Parish School Board agrees to implement the following statutory requirements:
The DeSoto Parish School District will provide families with the information and supports they need to engage in their child’s education. Our district policy for Parent and Family Engagement will put into operation programs, activities and procedures for the engagement of parents and family members in all of its schools with Title I, Part A programs, consistent with section 1118 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Those programs, activities and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with engagement of parents and families of participating children. The programs, activities and procedures include:
Providing families with the information and supports they need to engage in their child’s education
Educating families on how to help with homework
Approaching problems and challenges as issues to be addressed together
DeSoto will provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support and training necessary to principals, teachers and staff to assist and build the capacity of all participating schools within the district in planning and implementing effective parent and family involvement activities. These activities will be designed to improve student academic achievement and school performance. These activities include:
Meaningful consultation with employers, business leaders, and philanthropic organizations, or individuals with expertise in effectively engaging parents and family members in education.
Communicating with families regularly
DoJo, emails, phone calls – with good news, not just bad
Making it easy for families to find contact information for teachers and staff
Publishing a clear calendar before the school year begins and sticking to it
Giving families regular opportunities to provide input and feedback
Student-parent-teacher conferences (three per school year)
DeSoto will coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies to the extent feasible and appropriate with other relevant Federal, State, and local laws and programs such as; Head Start, and public preschool and other programs. And conduct activities that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children through joint meetings and parent nights such as:
Home visits
Valuing and respecting parents’ time by scheduling school events that are adaptive to their schedules
Scheduling meetings that don’t require parents to miss work, if possible
Desoto Parish School Board, with the involvement of parents will conduct an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parent and family engagement policy in improving the academic quality of all schools served under this part, including identifying –
Barriers to greater participation by parents/families in activities authorized by this section (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, and disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background);
The needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers; and
Strategies to support successful school and family interactions.
District personnel and parents will evaluate the parental involvement activities and the Parent and Family Engagement policy. Use the findings of such evaluation, and recommendations in designing strategies for more effective parent and family engagement, revising if necessary.
DeSoto Parish School Board will involve parents in the activities of the schools, which may include:
Establishing a parent advisory board comprised of a sufficient number and representative group of parents of family members served by the district to adequately represent the needs of the population. This advisory board will help develop, revise, and review the parent and family engagement policy.
Providing parents timely information about educational and parent and family programs.
Providing parents, a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the schools, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the achievement levels of state academic standards.
To the extent practicable, all parents will receive necessary information and school reports required in a format, in a method that is understandable to them.
Give parents report cards that they can easily understand. This includes, but is not limited to, parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children. Whenever possible, childcare and language interpreters will be provided.
Schools may use communication strategies such as personal contact, newsletters, notes sent home with the students, and e-mail to invite parents to participate in the schools’ activities.
Offer alternate ways to participate in conferences:
Google Meet
Zoom
Phone Calls
ADOPTION
The DeSoto Parish School Board’s Parental and Family Engagement policy has been developed jointly, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs.
This policy will be distributed to all parents of participating Title I, Part A children.
The policy shall be made available to the local community and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.
Revised: May, 2004
Revised: June 7, 2018
Revised: December 3, 2020
Ref: 20 USC 6312 (Strengthening and Improvement of Elementary and Secondary Schools)
20 USC 6318 (Parent and Family Engagement)
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:235.2
Board minutes, 6-7-18, 12-3-20
DeSoto Parish School Board