It is the policy of West Liberty Community Schools that parents of participating children shall have the opportunity to be involved jointly in the development of the district plan and in the district's review process for the purpose of school improvement.

Recognizing that parental involvement is the key to academic achievement, we seek to involve parents in an effective home-school partnership that will provide the best possible education for our students. The district provides coordination, technical assistance, and other supports necessary to aid in the planning and implementation of parent involvement activities. The district encourages parent involvement and supports this partnership through providing information about standards and assessments; providing training and materials for parents to help their children; educating school personnel about involving parents and the value of parent contributions; and developing roles for community organizations and businesses to work with parents and schools.

1. As a school-wide Title 1 program, this jointly developed and agreed upon written policy is distributed to parents of all students in West Liberty Elementary School through the district website.

2. An annual meeting will be held for all parents of students in the elementary school. Additional meetings with flexible times shall be held throughout the year as determined by parent suggestions.

3. Parents are given assistance in understanding the Title I requirements, standards, and assessments through the annual meeting and parent-teacher conferences.

4. Parents receive an explanation of the school’s performance profile (Annual Progress Report), the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the expected proficiency levels in the annual progress report distributed to all district stakeholders, through individual reports given to parents at conference time, and through report cards.

5. Parent recommendations are encouraged and responded to in a timely manner. Verbal or written responses will be given for all recommendations.

6. Parents will be involved with the planning, review, and improvement of the school-wide program. The School Title I Committee, of which parents are an integral part, will meet four times throughout the school year. All parents and teachers will be allowed to submit comments and suggestions to improve the Title I program each year.

7. A jointly developed school/parent compact outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students share responsibility for improved student achievement. The compact also describes the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve our local high standards. It is distributed through the student Friday Folders and in the newsletter.

8. The Title I program provides opportunities for parents to become partners with the school in promoting the education of their children both at home and at school. Parents are given help monitoring their student’s progress and provided assistance on how to participate in decisions related to their student’s education. The school also provides other reasonable support for parental involvement activities as requested by parents. Parents are encouraged to visit their child’s classroom and to participate as volunteers in the school setting. Individual conferences will also be held upon request. Resources, both in the school setting or available on-line, are made available to parents at their request. Such resources include a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the elementary school.

9. The school continues to coordinate and integrate, to the extent feasible and appropriate, the parent involvement policy and other programs and activities within the district. Such activities include PTO Family Curriculum Nights and parent information meetings for programs such as dual language. Transitional activities for students moving from preschool to kindergarten and from fourth grade to fifth grade will take place in the spring of the year.

10. An annual evaluation of this parental involvement policy shall be conducted to determine its effectiveness. Findings will be used to design strategies for school improvement and revision of policies. The annual spring meetings will serve as the site for the discussions of program adjustments. Providing all West Liberty Community School District’s children with equal access to quality education is of primary purpose. It is crucial that all partners (students, parents, educators, and communities) have the opportunity to provide input and offer resources to meet this purpose. As these partnerships are mutually beneficial, developing cooperative efforts will ensure improved academic achievement for all students.

Contact the district’s Title 1 investigators; Russell Hughes at (rhughes@wl.k12.ia.us) or Stephanie Paulsen at (spaulsent@wl.k12.ia.us) if you need assistance.