As you work on your school/program/department plan, and decide what part you will play in our district’s Strategic Plan, you can refer to the attached Standards for Increasing Family Involvement as a reference to guide your decisions in this key area.  It includes:

• Title I requirements
• Expectations aligned to the six types of family involvement in the SPPS Board of Education Policy on Family-School Partnerships and Dr. Joyce Epstein’s National Network of Partnership Schools
• Preferred and best practices

Below are a few of the recommended practices that you might find helpful:

• Designate a “go-to” contact person for major cultural/linguistic groups at every site
• Develop site council membership that reflects the demographics of the students
• Connect site council members with mentors who help them understand the issues confronting the school
• Hold workshops and give specific information on transitions at all school levels
• Conduct opening week parent/teacher conferences with all teachers
• Provide families with current information on culturally diverse community resources to help children do better at school
• Respond to parents within 24 hours

If you have any questions, suggestions for other schools, or need assistance in implementing one of these strategies in your school or program, please contact:

• Matthew Mohs, Title I / Funded Programs, at 632-3787 or matthew.mohs@spps.org
• Joe Munnich, Family and Community Involvement Coordinator, at 767-8109 or joe.munnich@spps.org