Parent and Family Engagement

Bayard Taylor Elementary School

The School District of Philadelphia

3698 N. Randolph Street

Philadelphia, PA 19140

Parent and Family Engagement Policy

School Year 2020-2021

Revision Date: May 14, 2020

In support of strengthening student academic achievement, Bayard Taylor Elementary School receives Title I, Part A funds and therefore must jointly develop with, agree on with, and distribute to parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy that contains information required by section 1116(b) and (c) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  The policy establishes the school’s expectations for parent and family engagement and describes how the school will implement a number of specific parent and family engagement activities, and it is incorporated into the school’s plan submitted to the local educational agency (LEA).

The Bayard Taylor Elementary School agrees to implement the following requirements as outlined by Section 1116:

Involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of programs under Title I, Part A, including the planning, review, and improvement of the school parent and family engagement policy and the joint development of the schoolwide program plan under Section 1114(b) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Update the school parent and family engagement policy periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school, distribute it to the parents of participating children, and make the parent and family engagement policy available to the local community.
Provide full opportunities, to the extent practicable, for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports required under Section 1111 of the ESSA in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.
If the schoolwide program plan under Section 1114(b) of the ESSA is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, submit any parent comments on the plan when the school makes the plan available to the local educational agency.
Be governed by the following statutory definition of parent and family engagement and will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with this definition:

Parent and Family Engagement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring:

(A) Parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning

(B) Parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school

(C) 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

(D) Other activities are carried out, such as those described in Section 1116 of the ESSA

DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE SCHOOL WILL IMPLEMENT

REQUIRED SCHOOL PARENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS

Section A: JOINTLY DEVELOPED

Bayard Taylor Elementary School will take the following actions to involve parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely manner in the planning, review, and improvement of Title I programs, including opportunities for regular meetings, if requested by parents, to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their child and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.

During the 2020-2021 School Year:

The Parents will be invited to attend School Advisory Council (SAC) meetings, these meetings will be held every other month during the 2020-2021 school year, and will ensure that families are encouraged to give input; any concerns will be addressed.
Parents will be invited to attend Fall Title I parent input meeting will be held to communicate the required Title I and ESSA information (September, 2020).
Parents will be invited to attend Winter Title I parent input into the Schoolwide Plan and the School Budget (December 2020).
Parents will be invited to attend the Spring Title I parent input meeting during which they will review and provide input into the Parent & Family Engagement policy (March 2021).
Parents will be informed of their right to be involved in their child’s school/education during the September 2020 Back to School Night program.
During the September 2020 Back to School Night, families will be encouraged to complete a Parent/Family survey and during the Report Card Conference schedule for November 20th, 21st, and 22nd; February 5th, 6th and 7th; and April 15th, 16th and 17th.
During the report card conferences scheduled for November 20th-22nd; February 5th-7th; and April 15th-17th , parents also have an opportunity to correspond with staff and utilize workshops, and other events that will be provided to the parents every report card period.
The Parent and Family Engagement Policy and School-Parent Compact documents for the 2020-2021 school year were jointly-developed during a meeting held on May 14, 2020

Section B: ANNUAL TITLE I MEETING

Bayard Taylor Elementary School will take the following actions to conduct an annual meeting, at a convenient time, and encourage and invite all parents of participating children to attend to inform them about the school’s Title I program, the nature of the Title I program, the parents’ requirements, the school parent and family engagement policy, the schoolwide plan, and the school-parent compact.

Families will be invited to attend annual Back to School Night in September 2020. During this time, we will review the Title I program at Taylor and notify parents of the following topics:  The 1% Parent set-aside, the Parent’s Right to Know, the State Academic Standards, Schoolwide Plan and a copy of the Parent Family policy and Compact will be provided.
During the Title I meetings in the Fall (September 2020), Winter (December 2020) and Spring (March, 2021) the principal and/or designee will review all pertinent information with parents to ensure that their input is considered and included regarding parent involvement programs, the school plan, budget planning and the use of Title I funds, and parent documents. We utilize surveys and parents will be made aware of the regularly-scheduled meetings where they can come and offer input into our school community.
School Advisory Council (SAC) will meet every other month to discuss ways to collectively and collaboratively improve the school.
Section C: COMMUNICATIONS

Bayard Taylor Elementary School will take the following actions to provide parents of participating children with (1) Timely information about the Title I programs, (2) Flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, (3) transportation, child care or home visits, as such services relate to parent and family engagement and may use Title I funds and (4) Information related to the school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the parents of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.

All information for parents is sent home through our Tuesday folders.  Due to our high Latino/Hispanic enrollment, all documents are translated into Spanish to meet the needs of our community. All information provided to parents is written in a parent friendly language.  Notice for parent meetings is given in advance and we also provide parents with reminder notice, one to two prior to meetings.  When applicable, we will send information home via U.S.P.S

Section D: SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT

Bayard Taylor Elementary School will take the following actions to jointly develop with parents of participating children a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state’s high standards.

The school will hold a meeting with parents, during the spring (March 2021) to develop the Family Engagement Policy and the Compact for the subsequent school year.
The school will hold School Advisory Council (SAC) meetings, during which the Family Engagement Policy and Compact will be reviewed and revised when necessary.
This School-Parent Compact was jointly developed during the Spring Title I Meeting held on May 14, 2020.

Section E: RESERVATION OF FUNDS

Bayard Taylor Elementary School will take the following actions to involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the 1 percent of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parent and family engagement is spent by:

All parents are notified of the 1% parent set-aside during the Annual TI meeting (Fall 2020).
The school will hold a Winter parent meeting (December 2020) to get input from parents on the schoolwide plan and the school  budget for the 2021-2022 School Year, including the parental engagement set-aside funds (1% of the School’s Title I budget).
The school will hold School Advisory Council (SAC) meetings, during which the budget is reviewed and revised when necessary.
On January 10, 2020 parents and families were invited to review and provide input on the school plan and budget for the current, 2020-21, school year, with particular focus on the 1% parent set-aside.
Section F: COORDINATION OF SERVICES

Bayard Taylor Elementary School will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement programs and activities with other Federal, State, and local programs, including public preschool programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children by:

The school will continue utilizing Girls Inc., Improving Literacy, FACE office, Playworks, have outgoing workshops during the Report Card conference schedule for November 20th,21st,and 22nd; February 5th, 6th and 7th; and April 15th, 16th and 17th.

Section G: BUILDING CAPACITY OF PARENTS

Bayard Taylor Elementary School will build the parents’ capacity for strong parent and family engagement to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school and the community to improve student academic achievement through the following:

Providing parents with a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessments used to measure student progress, and the achievement levels of the challenging State academic standards; and
Materials and training to help parents to work with their child to improve their child’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology (including education about the harms of copyright piracy), as appropriate, to foster parent and family engagement
Providing assistance to parents of participating children, as appropriate, in understanding topics such as the following:
The challenging State’s academic standards
The State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments
The requirements of Title I, Part A
How to monitor their child’s progress
How to work with educators to improve the achievement of their child
Parents are encouraged to attend the Annual Title I meeting in the Fall to learn about the academic standards, assessments, curriculum, Title I requirements, monitoring your child’s progress, and how to work with educators.
The school will support their parents in helping their student’s academic success by providing ongoing workshops on literacy, volunteer orientations, and possibly additional topics based on parent feedback.
The school will host a fun family game night that will demonstrate Math and Literacy concepts.

Section H: BUILDING CAPACITY OF SCHOOL STAFF

Bayard Taylor Elementary School will provide training to educate teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, and other school leaders, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school by:

Teacher Leaders will facilitate a discussion about best practices and strategies for reaching out to parents including positive communication, setting up successful parent conferences, and communication strategies during a staff professional development day in November 2020.  This information is also noted in the staff handbook.  Results from the parent surveys will be reviewed and will inform the discussion during professional development.

David Laver

Principal Signature Date 9/16/2020