What is Family Engagement?

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

(A) That parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning.

(B) That parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education.

(C) 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.

(D) The carrying out of other activities, such as those described in Section 1116 of the ESSA.

Parent and Family Engagement Policy and Plan for Shared Student Success
2023-24 School Year

(REV. 7-25-23)

In support of strengthening student academic achievement, Dalton High 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). Acting parents/guardians of students residing in institutions designated as neglected or delinquent are included in all plans and communications.

 

Dalton High 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

JOINTLY DEVELOPED
Dalton High 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.
● An annual parent survey is conducted each year in order to gain input from parents on all parts of
our parent and family engagement programming, including this plan.
● An annual stakeholder feedback meeting is held each year in the spring in order to gain input
from parents on the revision of this plan for the upcoming school year.
● A feedback form is posted online as well as available in our front office in order to gain input from
parents year-round on all parts of our parent and family programming, including this plan.

ANNUAL TITLE I MEETING
Dalton High 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.
Our annual meeting is conducted annually in the fall, no later than October 31st. Please review the school calendar for the exact date, time, and location. This meeting is our annual opportunity to provide parents with information about our school, programs, and accountability results.

COMMUNICATIONS
Dalton High School will take the following actions to provide parents of participating children the following:
● Timely information about the Title I programs
● Flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide with
Title I funds, transportation, child care or home visits, as such services relate to parent and family
engagement.
● 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:
The parent and family engagement plan will be distributed for each student and family at the beginning of the year or when enrolled through the student agenda. Our parent and family program is described in this plan.

Additional information on our program and dates will be distributed to parents via the school calendar, school/class newsletters, the school website and social media. Communications will be translated into Spanish and can be translated into other languages within multiple platforms and upon request with Google Translate.

SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT
Dalton High 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.
An annual parent survey is conducted each year in order to gain input from parents on the school-parent
compact. The survey results, input from the spring meeting, and any additional feedback is considered when
revising the compact in the spring.

RESERVATION OF FUNDS
If applicable, Dalton High 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:
An annual parent survey is conducted each year in order to gain input from parents on the use of the school’s portion of the district’s 1% Parent Engagement funds. The survey results, input from the spring meeting, and any additional feedback is considered when revising the compact in the spring. The annual budget and expenditures are shared annually at the fall Annual Title I Meeting.

COORDINATION OF SERVICES
Dalton High 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:

Our school counselor, the district social worker, and parent educators help collaborate with essential partners in the community to provide activities, funding, and other reasonable supports to our parent and family engagement
program.
We coordinate with area PK/Headstart organizations to ensure an effective PK to Kindergarten transition training.
We coordinate with Bright from the Start for PK classrooms and additional summer opportunities for students who have not been in PK.

 

BUILDING CAPACITY OF PARENTS
Dalton High 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

BUILDING CAPACITY OF SCHOOL STAFF
Dalton High 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:
School staff will be trained on helping parents by participating in two face-to-face meetings that contain a focus on working
with parents. School staff will additionally participate in two informational opportunities to gain professional knowledge on
working with parents. Parents may provide input or assist in these opportunities by becoming a district PAC member,
providing feedback on the annual survey or feedback form, or by contacting the school Title I Coordinator.
Dalton High School will provide other reasonable support for parent and family engagement activities under Section 1116
as parents may request by:
Our school counselor collaborates with the district social worker and parent educators to ensure that parents and families
who request help have the support needed to help each child be academically successful.
Any parent or family member may request support, and we will meet with appropriate personnel as needed to assist
where we can or to refer families to community organizations.

What is it?
This is a plan that describes how Dalton High School will provide opportunities to improve family engagement to support student learning. Dalton High values the contributions and involvement of parents and family members to establish an equal partnership for the common goal of improving student achievement. This plan describes the different ways that Dalton High School will support family engagement and how parents can help plan and participate in activities and events to promote student learning at school and at home.

How is it revised?
Dalton High School invites all parents to attend our annual Title 1 meeting to review and revise this parent and family engagement policy, as well as the school wide plan, and our school-parent compact. Additionally, parent input and comments regarding this plan are welcome during the school year through an online form. The plan is posted on our school website for parents to view and submit feedback throughout the year. All parent feedback received during the year will be used to revise the plan for the next school year. We also distribute an annual survey and ask parents for their suggestions on the plan and the use of funds for family engagement. Parents and family members can also give feedback during parent meetings and activities during the school year.

Who is it for?
All students and their families are encouraged and invited to fully participate in the opportunities described in this plan. Dalton High School will provide full opportunity for the participation of parents and family members with limited English, with disabilities, and of migratory children.
Where is it available?
Each year the plan is posted on the school website. Parents can also retrieve a copy of the plan in the Parent Resource Center.