Title I Engagement Policy and Compact

Title I Parent & Family Engagement Policy & Compact

Purpose of this Policy and Compact

Efforts will be made to clearly articulate the school’s intentions to engage with and involve parents/caregivers in the educational process.

Bailey’s Elementary is a Title I school within Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) and utilizes the Title I grant to improve student achievement and help all students meet the objectives of the FCPS Program of Studies and the Virginia Standards of Learning. A partnership with families is essential to meeting this goal.

Under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, schools that receive Title I funds are expected to collaborate with families to develop and maintain a parent and family engagement policy that describes the school’s approach to involve families in students’ learning and includes a compact expressing the partnerships among staff, caregivers, and students to reach high academic goals for every student.

Bailey’s Elementary jointly developed this policy and compact with members of the school community and adopted it for the 2017-2018 school year. A number of the provisions specifically address state or federal expectations for the policy and compact.

This policy and compact is distributed to all caregivers in a language that families can understand. Caregivers have opportunities to provide comments and feedback on the policy and compact through PTA Meetings/Principal Parent Coffees, email and comment box in the Parent Resource Center. Comments are submitted with the school’s policy and compact to FCPS central offices and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). This policy and compact are made available to the broader school community through the school website.

Important Dates

Parent Teacher Conferences 

  • At least once during first quarter (see classroom teacher for sign up)

  • Additional dates, as needed

Progress Report Distribution

  • November 17

  • February 9

  • April 27

  • June 15

School Events

  • Back to School Night: September 7

  • Family Science Night:  September 21

  • Partners in Print:  November 20 & March 20

  • Advanced Academics Parent Night:  October 24th

  • PTA Family Movie Night:  December 1st

Building Capacity for Involvement


Efforts will be made to ensure parents/caregivers are actively involved in the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the school’s Title I program, including the following:
  • Provide family members a voice in decision-making on committees, such as Parent Teacher Association, Family Engagement Committee, and Gardening Committee.
  • Engage caregiver input when developing the School Innovation and Improvement Plan (SIIP), Title I Schoolwide Plan, the Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy and Compact, and plans for use of Title I family engagement funding.
  • Seek feedback from families on programs within the Title I Schoolwide Plan, offer multiple methods for caregivers to submit comments about programs they may not find satisfactory and submit any such comments with the Title I Schoolwide Plan to FCPS central offices.
  • Invite family members to help in organizing and executing a variety of school events to build collective ownership, such as becoming members of the school’s Family Engagement Committee, working with Parent Liaisons, Family Science Night, Garden Committee, and PTA events.
  • Provide opportunities for caregivers to volunteer within the school in various ways, such as supporting outdoor learning, helping teachers in the classroom, reading with students, supporting students in the cafeteria during lunch, and working in the bookroom.
  • Encourage families to take part in annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the division-level Title I parent and family engagement policy in order to identify:
    • barriers to greater family participation, 
    • ways to help family members be better able to assist in student learning, an
    • strategies to support successful school and family interactions.

Effective Communication with Parents


Efforts will be made to ensure parents/caregivers receive meaningful communication in a timely manner, including the following:
  • Use multiple methods of communication to families such as News You Choose, Keep-in-Touch, Thursday folders, monthly classroom newsletters, and Twitter. 
  • Encourage all caregivers to attend an annual meeting on September 14 at 7:00 p.m., to share information about Title I services, explain Title I grant requirements, and inform families of their right to be involved in the school.
  • Utilize the call-out Keep in Touch system in English, Spanish, and Arabic to communicate attendance information and provide reminders about school-wide and grade level activities. 
  • Share school and student performance data with families in ways that seek their ideas about how to improve performance toward Virginia’s challenging academic standards, such as during Back to School Night, parent-teacher conferences, principal coffees/PTA meetings, and curriculum nights. 
  • Provide opportunities throughout the year for families to better understand the school’s goals for students and find ways to improve student learning by dedicating a portion of each principal coffee/PTA meetings to various topics.
  • Maintain resources for caregivers to review student assignments and ongoing communication about student work, such as monthly newsletters and Thursday folders.
  • Provide ongoing feedback on student progress through quarterly progress reports that show specific areas of proficiency and areas for continued growth.
  • Hold parent-teacher conferences for all students at least annually in the fall and more often, as needed.
     

Shared Responsibilities for High Academic Achievement


Efforts will be made to ensure parents/caregivers receive materials, training, and benefits from school partnerships with social and academic services, community-based organizations, and businesses, including the following:
  • Hold workshops connecting caregivers to tools and resources, such as Partners in Print, Family Science Night, and weekly parent workshops in the Parent Resource Center.
  • Offer regular opportunities for families to learn directly from school staff about the school’s academic, behavioral, and social programming through principal coffees/PTA Meetings and curriculum nights.
  • Encourage participation in family learning events where caregivers learn strategies to support their child’s learning at home and have a chance to practice those strategies with their child, such as Partners in Print, Changing Education Through the Arts events, and curriculum events.
  • Provide opportunities to donate and access supplies donated by others, through our Children’s Clothing Boutique.
  • Leverage partnerships with local businesses and organizations to enhance school programs and events.
  • Support parents in accessing county and community resources, such as library services, medical care, parenting classes, food banks and immigration services. 
  • Offer outreach and training for targeted families, such as Friday morning Parent Education Seminars through our Parent Resource Center.   

Welcoming All Families 


Efforts will be made to ensure that all parents/caregivers are welcomed and provided opportunities to actively engage within the school, including the following:
  • Create a welcoming atmosphere at the school with welcome signs displayed in the main office. 
  • Provide interpretation services for parent-teacher conferences, workshops, and meetings.
  • Translate or provide interpretation of all school documents and communication to make them accessible in the caregiver’s preferred correspondence language and for those with vision or hearing impairments.
  • Support two-way communication between families and staff through the assistance of a parent liaison and interpretation services for parent-teacher conferences, Principal coffees/PTA meetings, and informational sessions. 
  • Employ two Parent Liaisons to focus on making connections with parents and enhancing support and opportunities for a successful schooling experience. The staff will provide support in English, Spanish, and Arabic.
  • Conduct a yearly Family Survey and Welcoming Walk-Through to identify areas of strength and areas of improvement to create a welcoming school environment.  

Compact Provisions


School staff, parents/caregivers, and students must work together to ensure a student success. 
The staff will:

We understand the importance of the school experience to every student and our role as educators in helping every child achieve. We agree to carry out the following responsibilities to the best of our ability:

  • Acknowledge that parents are vital to the success of this school and its students.
  • Provide Back to School, Parent-Teacher Conferences, Open House, Parent Workshops and family school events.
  • Communicate clear expectations of student behavior and academic learning.
  • Teach concepts to children in accordance with the State Standards of Learning and the County Program of Studies.
  • Be aware of the individual needs of each child.
  • Treat each child with dignity and respect.
  • Provide translations of documents, conferences, and events whenever possible.
  • Recall students and parents by name.
  • Provide clear expectations for student behavior and academic learning.
  • Offer a variety of resources to help students with their learning.
  • Hold an annual meeting to present information on the school’s Title I programs, state and division curriculum and assessments, and the school’s state and federal accountability status.
  • Provide multiple opportunities for caregivers to ask questions and give input into the Title I programs.
  • Include caregivers as members of the School Improvement Planning (SIP) Committee and as collaborators in developing the Title I Schoolwide Plan and plans for the use of Title I family engagement funds.

The parents/caregivers will:
We understand that my participation in my child’s education will help his/her achievement and attitude. I will continue to carry out the following actions to the best of my ability:

  • Let the teacher know if my child has any problems or confusions with learning.
  • Connect with our parental liaison and access needed resources and training. 
  • Attend Back to School Night, Parent-Teacher Conferences, Open House, and other school events.
  • Read and review all school communication in the weekly Thursday folder.
  • Send my child to school on time and well rested.
  • Ask my child, every day, what they learned at school.
  • Encourage my child to respect school personal, classmates, and school property.
  • Volunteer in my child’s classroom or in school activities and support learning at home.
  • Recall child’s teacher by name. 

The student will:
My education is important. I am responsible for my own success. I will carry out the following responsibilities to the best of my ability:

  • Get enough sleep every night.
  • Come to school on time unless I am sick. 
  • Try my hardest and work with my classmates to complete learning tasks.
  • Give my parents all notes and papers from my teacher. 
  • Ask for help when I am not sure what to do.
  • Eat breakfast and lunch every day.
  • Recall their teacher by name.