• BANCROFT MIDDLE SCHOOL

    PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY


    Bancroft Middle School has developed a written Title I parental involvement policy with input from Title I parents. Input was secured through:

    · Annual Title I Parent Meeting

    · Parent Survey

    · School Site Council

    · United Parents of Bancroft 

    · PTA

    · English Learners Advisory Council (ELAC)

    It has distributed the policy to parents of Title I students at every parent group meeting and parent events. It is also made available on the school website, with hardcopies available in the main office.

    Bancroft Middle School’s policy describes the means for carrying out the following Title I parental involvement requirements.

    I. Involvement of Parents in the Title I Program

    Bancroft Middle School does the following: Convenes an annual meeting to inform parents of Title I students of Title I requirements and their rights to be involved in the Title I program. This evening meeting is held by January and all parents are invited through a mass phone call and the Bancroft Banner. A presentation of school information, school data, and school goals are shared with all parents. We also solicit feedback on crafting the parent involvement policy and school compact.

    Bancroft Middle School offers a flexible number of parent meetings throughout the year. There are monthly Coffee & Conversation Parent Group meetings, African-American & Padres Unidos Parent Group meetings, and PTA meetings. ELAC and School Site Council meetings occur every other month. Depending on the climate of the school, additional parent meetings and events are also scheduled.

    Bancroft Middle School involves parents of Title I students in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of its Title I programs and the Title I parental involvement policy by regularly securing feedback from parents at each parent group meeting.

    Bancroft Middle School provides parents of Title I students with timely information about Title I programs by regularly securing feedback from parents at each parent group meeting.

    Bancroft Middle School provides parents of Title I students with an explanation of the curriculum, assessments, and proficiency levels students are expected to meet by regularly reviewing achievement data at the each parent group meeting.

    Bancroft Middle School provides parents of Title I students, if requested, with opportunities for regular meetings to participate in decisions relating to the education of their children by regularly advising parents of decisions that need to be made that require parental feedback from parents at each parent group meeting.

    II. School-Parent Compact

    Bancroft Middle School has jointly developed with and distributed to parents of Title I students a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement. It also describes how the school and parents will develop a partnership to help children reach proficiency on the California content standards. The school-parent compact describes the following items in addition to items added by parents of Title I students:

    · The school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction.

    · The parents’ responsibility to support their children’s learning.

    · The importance of ongoing communication between parents and teachers through, at least, annual conferences, reports on student progress, access to staff, and opportunities to volunteer and participate in and observe the educational program.

    III. Building Capacity for Involvement

    Bancroft Middle School engages Title I parents in meaningful interactions with the school. It supports a partnership among staff, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement. To help reach these goals, the school does the following:

    · Assists Title I parents in understanding academic content standards, assessments, and how to monitor and improve the achievement of their children by providing to parents an annual copy of state assessment results and by providing consultation to parents on the interpretation of those results.

    · Provides materials and training to help Title I parents work with their children to improve their children's achievement by providing counseling and guidance services to parents.



    · Educates staff, with the assistance of Title I parents, in the value of parent contributions and how to work with parents as equal partners by providing collaboration time that includes explicit time in which staff provide outreach to parents.

    · Coordinates and integrates the Title I parental involvement program with other programs and conducts other activities that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children by promoting parent participation in other parent group meetings

    · Distributes to Title I parents information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities in a form and language that the parents understand by regularly communicating to parents through a weekly parent phone update and monthly Bancroft Banner.

    · Provides support for parental involvement activities requested by Title I parents by regularly seeking feedback from parents at each parent group meeting and by making leadership approachable to parent suggestions and ideas.
    IV. Accessibility

    Bancroft Middle School provides opportunities for all Title I parents to participate, including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory students. This includes providing information and school reports in a form and language parents understand by providing a weekly parent update and monthly Bancroft Banner.
    V. Parent Information and Resource Centers

    PIRCs are funded by the US Department of Education. They provide both local and statewide services. California has two PIRCs: PIRC1, Project Inspire at the California Association of Bilingual Education, Covina, CA and PIRC2, Cal-PIRC at Cambridge Academies, Modesto, CA. www.nationalpirc.org

    PIRC1, Project Inspire is the result of a partnership among the California Association for Bilingual Education, the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, and the Alameda County Office of Education. Project Inspire provides parent training workshops and will be funded through 2011. A list of workshop topics, www.bilingualeducation.org , in English and Spanish that describes services are available. Workshops are available in multiple languages.

    PIRC2, Cal-PIRC has established three Parent Information and Resource Center hubs in Northern and Central California. CalPIRC provides direct services to parents and schools in selected communities within Merced and Stanislaus Counties, and West Sacramento areas. It also provides support throughout the state through conferences, workshops, and a website- www.calpirc.org will be funded through 2011. Whenever available, resources are posted in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, and Hmong.