Title I District Parent and Family Engagement Policy

September 20, 2026By Leverett, Emily

Title I, Part A District Parent and Family Engagement Policy

2026–2027 School Year

Overview of Policy

USD 374 is committed to building strong partnerships with parents and families to support student success. We value families as important partners in education and will provide clear communication, meaningful opportunities for involvement, and resources to help support learning at home and at school.

Policy Goals

The goal of this policy is to strengthen partnerships between families, schools, and the district so that parents have meaningful opportunities to be involved in their child’s education. USD 374 will work to improve communication, support family participation, and provide resources that help students succeed academically.

Parent and Family Engagement in the Title I, Part A Program

USD 374 will promote meaningful parent and family participation by:

• Involving parents and family members in jointly developing the support and district wide improvement plans;
• Provide Title I schools with the guidance, resources, and support needed to plan meaningful family engagement activities that help students succeed. When appropriate, the district may also work with community members, local businesses, or other organizations to strengthen family involvement. 

Building Capacity Requirements

USD 374 is committed to:

1. Help parents and families understand academic standards, state and local assessments, their child’s progress, and ways they can work with teachers to support their child’s learning and success. ESSA Section 1116 (e)(1)
2. Provide materials and training to help parents to work with their children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy and technology. ESSA Section 1116 (e)(2)
3. Help school staff understand the importance of family involvement and provide guidance on how to communicate, collaborate, and build strong partnerships with parents and families. ESSA Section 1116 (e)(3)
4. When possible, coordinate family engagement activities with other federal, state, local, and early childhood programs to provide families with helpful resources and support. ESSA Section 111(a)(2)(C) and (e)(4)
5. Provide school and family information in a clear, easy-to-understand format and, when possible, in a language families can understand. ESSA Section 1116 (e)(5)
6. Provide such other reasonable support for parental and family involvement activities under this section as parents may request. ESSA Section 1116 (e)(14)
   • Conduct, with the meaningful involvement of parents and family members, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parent and family engagement policy in improving the academic quality of the schools served with Title I, Part A funds, including:
     • Identify and reduce barriers that may prevent parents and families from participating, especially for families facing financial challenges, disabilities, language barriers, limited literacy, or other obstacles to involvement. 
     • Using findings from the evaluation to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parental involvement and to revise, if necessary, the parent and family engagement district and building policies;
   • Use the evaluation results to improve family engagement strategies and update the Parent and Family Engagement Policy when needed. 1116;
   • Involve parents and families in Title I activities and give them opportunities to help develop, review, and update the Parent and Family Engagement Policy.
   • Our school district will ensure accessibility to all parents by providing outreach and communication to parents and families with limited English, and limited literacy and to parents of:
     • Students with special needs,
     • Migrant students,
     • Students receiving McKinney-Vento services
     • Students receiving services under Title III

Parents Right to Know

At the beginning of each school year, our district will notify parents of each student attending our school that the parent may request, and the agency will provide the parents upon request (and in a timely manner), information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers, including at a minimum the following:

• Whether the teacher has met State qualifications for grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;
• Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other professional status that the State has waived;
• Whether the teacher is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher; and
• Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and if so their qualifications.

Additional Information

USD 374, as a school district receiving Title I, Part A funding, must provide parents with the following information:

• Information about your child’s achievement and academic growth on required State assessments, when available.
• Timely notice if your child is taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet State certification or licensing requirements for the grade level or subject they are teaching. Section 1112(e)(2)(A-B)

Testing Transparency

At the beginning of each school year, USD 374 will notify parents that they may request information about State or local policies regarding student participation in assessments required under Section 1111(b)(2) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), as well as other assessments required by the State or local school district. This information will include any applicable policies, procedures, or parental rights related to opting a child out of an assessment.

Additional Information

USD 374 will make information about required assessments available to the public, including by posting it in a clear and easy-to-find location on the district website. For each grade level served by the district, USD 374 will provide information about assessments required by the State and, when available and appropriate, assessments required by the district, including:

• The subject matter assessed;
• The purpose for which the assessment is designed and used;
• The source of the requirement for the assessment; and
• Where such information is available –
  • The amount of time students will spend taking the assessment, and the schedule for the assessment; and
  • The time and format for disseminating results.