Parent Engagement Policy

Head Magnet Middle School Parent Engagement Policy

Head Magnet Middle School will abide by the district family engagement policy and will follow a commitment to the following:

MNPS District Policy

The administration of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools recognizes the value and importance of meaningful parental involvement at the school and district levels. Parents are key stakeholders and are invited as partners in helping all students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in school and life.

This policy was developed jointly with and distributed to stakeholders in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. The MNPS parental involvement policy includes input from parents, community members, and school and district personnel in compliance with all pertinent mandates of state and federal regulatory standards as follows:

The District will:

• Conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the policy in increasing participation of parents and identifying barriers, giving particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background.
• Ensure all parents have access to a variety of parent involvement opportunities, in which no person is excluded based on race, religion, creed, gender, socio-economic status, physical impairment, or age.

All Schools, including Title I schools, Will:

• Offer flexible meeting times to include as many parents as possible.
• Provide multiple opportunities for parents to voice concerns and make suggestions related to the school and district improvement plan strategies. Input will be considered by the school and district for needed improvements. Opportunities can include monthly parent advisory council meetings, daily Customer Service Center hotline access, PTA/PTO meetings, school improvement committee meetings, school suggestion boxes, and school newsletters.

Title I Schools Only Will:

• Conduct an annual meeting with parents to discuss the school’s participation in Title I programs, such as Free and Reduced Lunch, Migrant Education, Distinguished Schools, etc., and the rights of parents to be involved in those programs.
• Provide multiple opportunities for parents to provide input for developing and revising policies related to parent involvement, including the use of school and district-level Parent Involvement funds, and on policies at the school level. Parents will also be asked to share suggestions for improving target participation in student learning.
• Conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the school parent involvement policy and the district parent involvement policy, including identification of barriers to greater participation by parents of diverse backgrounds. Such findings will be used to design more effective strategies for parent involvement.
• Involve parents in the activities of the schools served under Title I, Part A, including but not limited to the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Title I, Part A program.
• Provide parental and community participation in programs for EL students.
• Provide technical assistance and coordination with schools to support the schools in establishing effective parental involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance.

For the purpose of this document, the words "parents/family" represent individuals within the extended family of the student or persons with a legitimate interest in the student who are the student’s legal guardians.

Shared Responsibilities for High Student Academic Achievement

All Schools Will:

• Provide parents a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.
• Invite all parents to provide suggestions for removing barriers to student learning or voice concerns. Strategies to achieve this will include parent participation on each School Improvement Plan committee, teacher-parent conferences, school newsletters, parent surveys, parent meetings, parent advisory groups, school websites, phone call-out messages, anonymous suggestion boxes, and the Customer Service Parent Hotline.

Title I Schools Only Will:

Jointly develop, with parents, a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, school staff, and students will share responsibility for improved student academic achievement. The following information will be included:

• How the school provides high-quality curriculum and instruction.
• How the parent will support their student’s learning at home and at school with recommendations such as monitoring attendance, homework completion, TV watching, positive use of extracurricular time, volunteering, observation in the classroom, and involvement in educational decisions concerning their children.
• The importance of meaningful, two-way, ongoing communication between teachers and parents through meetings, phone calls, conferences, technology, and progress reports.

Building Capacity for Involvement

MNPS will build capacity for increased parental involvement using the following guidelines:

• Provide reasonable support for parent involvement activities, such as the provision of speakers, translators, transportation, childcare, service hotlines, phone call-outs, parent resource centers, and Tennessee Parent Information Resource Center.
• Notify parent representatives regarding cluster and district parent advisory council meetings in a timely manner.
• Provide access to curriculum materials and training sessions to help parents work with their students to improve their academic achievement in reading and math, literacy training, technology use, parenting sessions focused on middle and adolescent development, communicating effectively with educators, volunteering, accessing community resources, and serving as leaders. Training sessions will be conducted annually to address state performance benchmarks and district initiatives.
• Provide collaborative training sessions for staff and parents to develop mutual appreciation and a better understanding of the role all of us play in the development of our students. This training will include how to communicate with and work effectively with parents as partners and will consist of discussions on “best practices” among school staff, administrators, and community leaders.
• Coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with community organizations through partnerships with local agencies and non-profit organizations.
• Encourage and support the development and expansion of active PTA/PTO/PTSO organizations.
• Encourage parent representatives to attend cluster meetings to share their school’s accomplishments and concerns/needs each month.
• Provide daily assistance to parents through the Customer Service Center, ensuring that parents are given an opportunity to call an information hotline to request information, assistance, or voice a concern or complaint. Customer Service Staff will function as the parent’s advocate in resolving the matter or securing the requested information in a timely manner.

All Parents Will be Offered the Same Opportunities to Participate in Training Sessions, Including but Not Limited To:

• State academic and content standards
• State/local assessments
• Monitoring students’ progress
• Literacy program opportunities
• Home learning activities to strengthen their child’s reading and math skills
• Use of the internet to access information about their child’s progress
• Parental rights under ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act)
• Understanding child development
• Effective volunteer participation
• Parent leadership
• Parent organization involvement
• High School Redesign
• School choice options
• Community services
• Pre-school/Head Start programs
• Adult education programs and community education programs

Accessibility

• Provide opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children. Information and school reports will be provided in a language that parents can understand.
• Hold parent meetings and/or workshops at varied times and dates throughout the school year. Invitations for such opportunities will be provided in an understandable language and will be sent in a timely manner.

References/Authority

• Tennessee House Bill No. 2635, Chapter No. 706
• Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA) §1118(a) (s)
• SP 6.101 Student Records
• ESEA Title I Law, Section §1116
• MNPS Parent Survey Summary, 2008
• IM 4.105 Volunteers and Visitors in Schools Policy

Head Magnet Middle School Commitment to Families

Head Middle Magnet School, and the parents of the students participating in activities, services, and programs funded by Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (participating children), agree that this compact outlines how the parents, the entire school staff, and the 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 that will help children achieve the State’s high standards.

Head Middle Magnet School Staff will:

• Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the participating children to meet the State’s student academic achievement standards as follows:
  • Teachers will be well-prepared and will follow the State and Metro Curriculum Standards by using methods and materials that are research-based.
  • Data will be used to monitor student progress and to meet the needs of each student.
• Hold parent-teacher conferences on system-scheduled conference days and as needed with individual parents, during which this compact will be discussed as it relates to the individual child’s achievement.
• Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress. Specifically, the school will provide reports as follows:
  • HMMS progress reports Bi-Weekly
  • Written progress reports every four and a half weeks
  • Weekly communications from classroom teachers
  • Detailed reports every nine weeks
  • State reports will be sent home annually
  • Ongoing Schoology and Infinite Campus access
• Provide parents reasonable access to staff. Specifically, staff will be available for consultation with parents as follows:
  • Parents are always invited to attend parent-teacher conference day and other conference times requested by parent or staff members.
  • Parents can contact teachers by email or written communication.
• Provide parent opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and to observe classroom activities, as follows:
  • Parents are welcome to volunteer with PTSA and for school-wide events.
  • Parents will be provided opportunities to attend special activities, to assist in volunteer opportunities, and attend monthly parent workshops by call-outs, flyers, and emails.

Policy Translations

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