Action Opportunities for Community Leaders

For NCLB public school choice to be meaningful, it is critical that the community and parents be involved, along with other stakeholders, in the development of the choice plan and that parents receive information in a timely fashion about their school choice options. Given that schools must communicate with parents in languages and formats they can understand, it is critical that community and parent leaders have open channels of communications so that they are equipped with the information they need to provide support to parents in Title I schools.

Most particularly, community leaders need to be informed about the NCLB choice provisions, the number of schools identified as being in the public school choice program, the district policy regarding choice and if it is fair and equitable. Community leaders should also know if parents are getting the supports they need to fully understand their choice option and the instructional consequences.

Community leaders should: