Carson Elementary School is committed to the education of the children of Decatur ISD. We understand that parent involvement is an essential piece in ensuring that our students are successful in school. We believe that when parents are more involved in the academic process, school becomes more of a priority for their children.

At Carson we hold certain core beliefs:

• Relationships are critical to our success, and partnerships with parents are at the center of those relationships

• We emphasize growth of the whole child—not just academics, but also social, emotional, behavioral, and physical development

• Growth, a growth mindset, and continuous improvement are our goals and mindsets

• We embrace the charge and responsibility that, as the school where our students spend their formative years, we will instill a love of learning and a love of school into our students

• We enact intentional efforts in proactive and responsive communication and a variety of parent engagement and involvement activities to strengthen our partnership with parents

Title I regulations require that each school served under Title I jointly develop with and distribute to parents of participating children, a written parent involvement policy agreed on by the parents that describes the requirements outlined in Title I law.

1. Convene an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents of participating children shall be invited and encouraged to attend, to inform parents of their school’s participation under this part and to explain the requirements of this part, and the rights of the parents to be involved:

   
   The school holds Back to School event at the start of the year to review with parents Title I School requirements and the school’s Parent Involvement Policy. In addition, the principal gives parents an update on school accountability data, and also facilitates a review of the school’s improvement plan.

2. Offer a variety of meetings, such as meetings during the day as well as in the evening, to educate parents in the importance of parent involvement, as well as inform parents about grade level expectations and their child’s progress.

   
   Parents are invited to participate in a variety of meetings and activities over the course of the school year.  A Meet the Teacher Night is held in August, and a curriculum night is held during the fall semester to provide parents the opportunity to visit with their child’s teacher and to become better informed about grade level expectations and their child’s academic progress.  Furthermore, parents are allowed the opportunity to meet individually with their child’s teacher after the first six weeks to discuss academic progress and address any concerns. Teachers may schedule meetings during the school day and/or after school to accommodate as many parents as possible.

3. Involve parents in the planning, review, and improvement of programs including the school parental involvement policy and the campus improvement plan:

    

   
   The school annually holds a Meet the Teacher Night where parents are given an introduction to Carson Elementary School, held in August shortly before students report for their first day. The parents are educated on the School Parent Involvement Plan as well as the Campus Improvement Plan. Both plans will be posted to the campus website for parents to review. Also, the campus PTO and the Campus Educational Improvement Committee will review and gather input on both the Campus Improvement Plan as well as the Parent Involvement Policy.

4. Provide parents timely information about programs such as descriptions and explanation of the curriculum, the forms of academic assessments used to measure student progress and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet, and opportunities for meetings to collaborate on recommendations and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children.

   
   Our school communicates with parents often the state’s curricular and assessment expectations, school wide requirements in relation to the delivery of instruction, the techniques utilized to evaluate student work, and individual classroom procedures pertinent to the academic success of our students. We use a variety of communicative techniques including, but not limited to, our Student Code of Conduct Handbook, Campus Handbook, classroom newsletters, school newsletters, school website, classroom websites, communication/ homework folders, Skyward parent call system, DOJO parent communication system, Remind 101, Parent/Teacher conferences, LPAC meetings, IEP meetings, ARD meetings, PTO meetings, individual emails/calls home, Family Fun Nights, Curriculum Nights, Meet the Teacher Night, Open House, Mid-Term progress reports, Report cards, Skyward family access, benchmark results, fluency scores, and the school marquee, to solicit parent participation and deliver important information in hopes of creating productive dialogue between home and school concerning improved student achievement.

1. As a component of the school-level parental involvement policy, the school shall jointly develop with parents for all children served under this part a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement.

   
   A Parent/Teacher/Student Compact has been developed and utilized in our schools. This document serves as an agreement between all parties that they will adhere to certain duties and responsibilities to ensure the success of the student. It is sent electronically and then reviewed and signed by the parent and student. The signed compact is reviewed by the teacher and parent at the beginning of each school year during the 1st 6 weeks Parent/Teacher conference. These compacts are used to motivate students and parents to become more involved in the educational process and to let parents know that they are partners in their child’s learning.

1. Shall ensure effective involvement of parents and will support a partnership among the school, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement.

   
   Shall provide assistance to the parents of children served by the school, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the state's academic content standards and state student academic achievement standards, state and local academic assessments, and how to monitor a child's progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.

2. Shall provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children's achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.

3. Shall educate teachers, pupil services personnel, principals and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school.

   
   Faculty and staff members will be cognizant of educational research on parent involvement. Parental input will be solicited throughout the year in meetings, through surveys and during one-on-one conferences. Information derived will be utilized by the school's Campus Educational Improvement Committee to strengthen the tie between school and home for the purpose of increasing student achievement.

4. Shall, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with community based early learning programs and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children.

   
   Decatur ISD has a daycare program, The Learning Ladder, for children aged birth to pre kindergarten age. The daycare program is working towards being a Texas Rising Star Center and it also coordinates with the district’s PPCD program. The district also coordinates with other programs offered through Head Start and the Wise County Extension Agency. Decatur Cares is also a summer feeding program where parents may receive food as well as education on food preparation and parenting matters. Field Trips, grade-level programs, and on-campus activities are plentiful throughout the year and parents are encouraged to attend these events as often as possible.

5.  

   Shall ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings and other activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and, to extent practicable, in a language parents can understand.

   
   In carrying out the parental involvement requirements of this part, districts and schools, to the extent practicable, shall provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with children with limited English proficiency, parents with children with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language such parents can understand. Parents of all students, regardless of English proficiency, mobility or disability, are considered to be an important part of our learning community. All parents are afforded the opportunity to be involved in their child's school environment. For this reason, if a special need is identified that would help a parent to more fully understand the educational process and the academic progress of his/her child, assistance will be provided to that parent. This type support often comes in the form of interpreted school documents in a parent's primary language, having an interpreter on hand to translate important information at school wide meetings and events, working with an interpreter to provide translation in parent/teacher conferences, making available parent resource in our center that are in English and Spanish, participating in faculty and staff training to better understand the culture of the students served, providing easier accessibility to parents and/or students with disabilities, etc.