Consultation Process in the Development of State the Title I Plan

Related to Parental Involvement
Section 1111 (a) (1)
Section 1112 (e) (3)
Title I, Part A, Section 1118

Parental Involvement Title 1, Part A Non-Regulatory Guidance http://www.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/parentinvguid.pdf
http://www.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/parentinvguid.doc

While parents are mentioned over 300 times in various part of the No Child Left Behind act, this Action Brief will concentrate on Section 1118, Title I of the Act. It is the only section in the Act devoted solely to parental involvement, and if implemented effectively, provides the core elements that incorporate many of the other parental involvement provisions of NCLB. As you become familiar with NCLB through the various other PEN/NCPIE Action Briefs, you will find parental involvement roles defined throughout. These are important for you to know as well, but Section 1118 provisions are the core around which all of the other parental involvement provisions revolved.

More specifically, Section 1118 requires that every school district and every schools receiving Title I dollars must have a written parent involvement policy, as well as build school capacity to effectively implement the parent policy provisions. This policy must be developed jointly with, approved by, and distributed to parents of participating children and the local community. It must ensure that strong plans for parental involvement are in place in every Title I school, and should be designed to encourage and sustain active parental involvement.

The policy is the 'plan,' and requires both parents and schools to write down procedures and elements believed to constitute the most effective partnership between the school and families. Since Section 1118 does not contain enforcement provisions (for instance, nothing happens to a school if it does not have a policy, follow the provisions of the law, or fails to implement the polices), school districts and schools often over look this provision, or fail to make it an educational priority. In that case, parents need to take the lead in assuring the development of an effective parental involvement policy. This Action Brief will help you do just that by providing a review of Section 1118 and what the law requires.