School, Family, & Parent Community Services Parent Engagement Toolkit 1 LAUSD © 10/6/09 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Parent Engagement Toolkit is a compilation of much hard work accomplished by those who are passionate about serving the diverse needs of our students, parents, and families. We thank the willingness of so many to share what they have learned through years of working with our families and community members. We are grateful for the leadership and support offered by our Board of Education Vice-President, Yolie Flores-Aguilar, who initiated the current Parent Engagement Steering Committee as the Parent Engagement Leadership Task Force. This group was instrumental in producing the District’s Strategic Plan for Parent Engagement and Involvement, which included the development of the Parent Center Toolkit as a critical training resource for schools. The Parent Engagement Steering Committee continues to provide guidance, input, oversight, and support in order to strengthen the District’s efforts to implement true partnerships with parents and community at each school site. A very special thank-you is given to Charlotte Castagnola, Program Associate, Parents as Learning Partners, Local District 2, for allowing us to include the parent center materials and parent education curriculum she has developed throughout her years serving parents and parent center directors and for serving as “Director” for the production of the Parent Center video. This toolkit and video would not have been possible without her expertise and knowledge. Local District 2’s Parents as Learning Partners Program is to be recognized as a model for what quality parent engagement should look like, throughout the District. Much of what is in the Parent Center Handbook was taken from For the Benefit of Our Children – Voices of Parents on Engaging Parents for Student Achievement , which was prepared for our District by Beverly Ryder, William Espinosa, Charlotte Castagnola, and Patrice K. Gibson in October, 2008. We thank you for capturing the enthusiastic and honest voices of parents throughout the District. These voices serve as a guide for our work. We would also like to thank the following organizations, parent committees, and offices that contributed to the creation of this toolkit: Academic English Mastery Program—Mary Campbell and Aresa Allen Adult Education—Carol Okuno Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA)—Michael O’ Sullivan Community Advisory Committee District Advisory Committee District English Learner Advisory Committee Early Childhood Education—Michael Shannon and Ruth Yoon Families in Schools (FIS)—Maria Casillas, Jo Carcedo and Kathleen Mooney Local District 2 Parent Unit—Sandra Lopez-Caukin and Susanna Martinez, Laura Gonzalez, Marienela Sardelich, Rhonda Bradley, Laura Calderon and Shakeh Ayvazian MALDEF—Araceli Simeon-Luna Parent Collaborative Parent Organization Network (PON)—Goldie Buchanan PTA – 10 th & 31 st Districts Special Education Multicultural Advisory Committee The School Volunteer Program—Dale Petrulis and Susan Snelgrove United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA)—Juan Parrino and Jose Govea LAUSD © 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (cont.) Finally, thank you to the staff members of the Parent Community Services Branch, for their dedication and commitment to parents and for their training support of this tool. Please know that this toolkit is part of an ongoing effort to establish a different type of relationship between parents, students, and teachers than is currently found in many of our schools. We look forward to continuing the collaboration with our many partners to work and learn together for the common purpose of building respect, trust, and effective communication between schools, families, and communities for the benefit of all our students. Rita Caldera Chris Downing Assistant Superintendent Administrator School Family and Parent/Community Services School Family and Parent/Community Services LAUSD © 3 Background/Introduction LAUSD Strategic Plan for Parent Engagement and Involvement The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education passed Board Resolution 10 in July 2007, which mandated that a survey take place to identify barriers and solutions to improving parent engagement and involvement within the District. To accomplish this goal, the District established the Office of Civic Engagement, which conducted Focus Groups across the District to engage parents and community members in identifying ways to improve the District’s outreach efforts to parents. In 2008 the School, Family and Parent/Community Services was created to ensure that the partnership between the District and parents and community members is fostered; that all schools and offices within LAUSD provide a warm and welcoming environment; and that a three-year plan for parent engagement and involvement was developed and implemented. On November 20, 2008, the LAUSD Strategic Plan for Parent Engagement and Involvement was shared with the Board of Education. This plan was based on a compilation of research, parent/community at large input, central advisory committee input, and community based organization input. The plan establishes a clear direction for District staff to partner with parents and the community and focuses on the goals of Welcoming Environment at each school site; providing opportunities for parent Training and Learning ; improving Communication between parents and schools; developing parent Leadership and Advocacy ; involving parents in Decision-Making as equal partners ; engaging Community Partners ; and establishing Accountability. This Parent Engagement Toolkit, Parent Center Handbook, and Parent Education Curriculum are the centerpieces of this three-year plan. This plan also contains an outline of the process and training that will be used by the District to train administrators, teachers, and classified staff to better engage parents at school sites. A copy of the District’s Strategic Plan for Parent Engagement and Involvement is provided in the Federal, State, District and Community Resources section of this Parent Engagement Toolkit. 4 LAUSD © TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Background/Introduction of LAUSD Strategic Plan for Parent Engagement and Involvement Section I – Parent Center Handbook • What is a Parent Center? • Why Support Parent Centers? • Parent Engagement Theory of Action • Parent Center Guidelines, Programming o Understand the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program o Understand Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act o Understand the Individualized Education Program (IEP) • Job Descriptions o Parent/Family Center Director o Parent Resource Liaison o Community Representative ••• Parent Center Director Interview Protocols o Interview Questions o Parent Center’s Director Criteria Chart o Parent/Family Center Director’s Rubric Scoring Criteria • Culturally Relevant Parent Centers • Parent Center Tools o Principles for Effective Adult Learning o School-wide Policies to Encourage Parent Engagement o Tips for Working with Teachers • Parent Center Director’s Portfolio • End of Year Report – Elementary • End of Year Report – Secondary • Keeping the Record Straight – Parent Center Director’s Incentive Program • School Volunteers o Establishing and Administering School Volunteer Programs o Health and Safety Guidelines o Volunteer Processing Procedures o Responsibilities of Principals, Designated Coordinators, Teachers and Volunteers o Type of School Volunteering Programs o School Volunteer Application – English o School Volunteer Application – Spanish o LAUSD Clinic Sites o School Volunteer Fingerprint Application – English o School Volunteer Fingerprint Application – Spanish o Training Opportunities for School Volunteers o Academic Programs for Parent Centers Section II - Parent Center Video 5 Table of Contents (cont.) Section III - K-12 Parent Education Curriculum • Kindergarten Curriculum o Check List o Language Arts Games o Math Games ••• High Frequency Words (K-3 + Secondary SAT words) • Family Story Time (K-5) o Family Story Time Certificate of Excellence – English o Family Story Time Certificate of Excellence – Spanish • Family Math (K-12) • College Awareness/Preparation Program (6-8) o Workshop 1: Introduction o Workshop 2: Why College is important o Workshop 3: Exploring Careers o Workshop 4: Communication o Workshop 5: Self Esteem o References o Acknowledgements • Transition – Preparation for School Success o Kindergarten Transition Event o Other Transition Activities o First Week of School o Transition Timeline Section IV – Information for Parents of Exceptional Children ••• Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program ••• Section 504 under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ••• Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for Special Needs Students Section V –Federal, State, District and Community Resources • Federal • State • District • Community Section VI – LAUSD Strategic Plan for Parent Engagement and Involvement ••• Goal 1: Welcoming Environment ••• Goal 2: Training & Learning ••• Goal 3: Communication ••• Goal 4: Leadership and Advocacy ••• Goal 5: Decision-Making ••• Goal 6: Community Partners ••• Goal 7: Accountability LAUSD © 6 What is a Parent Center? Research has shown that Parent Centers are a critical and essential link toward creating an integrated and inclusive school environment. A well run Parent Center may serve as a teacher, social worker, and parent advocate; and has an important role in breaking down barriers, addressing issues of parent self-esteem, and providing knowledge and information