In an effort to support and strengthen student achievement, the Etiwanda School District receives Title I Part A funds. A number of our elementary schools are designated as Title I. These funds are used to provide supplemental programs and materials to schools with high numbers or percentages of low-income families. 

A copy of the Title I Family Involvement Plan can be downloaded here.

Mission Statement

The Etiwanda School District is dedicated to promoting high standards in curriculum, instruction, performance and personal behavior. It is our goal that each student achieves academic excellence and develops respect for self and others so that they become contributing members of our culturally diverse society. The responsibility for the development of these qualities in all students is accomplished through a cooperative effort among students, parents, staff and community.

In support of strengthening student academic achievement, Etiwanda School District receives Title I. Part A funds and therefore must jointly develop with, agree on with, and distribute to families of participating children a written family involvement policy. The policy establishes the Local Education Agency’s (LEA) expectation for family involvement and describes how the LEA will implement a number of specific family involvement activities.

The Etiwanda School District agrees to implement the following requirements:

• The school district will put into operation programs, activities, and procedures for the involvement of families in all of its schools with Title I, Part A programs. These programs, activities, and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with families of participating children.

• The school district will work with its schools to ensure that the required school-level family involvement policies meet State and Federal requirements.

• In carrying out the Title I, Part A family involvement requirements, to the extent practicable, the school district and its schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of family members with limited English proficiency, family members with disabilities, and families of migratory children, including providing State and Federally required information and school reports in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language family members can understand.

The district supports Title I schools in providing a comprehensive family involvement program that involves family members at all grade levels in a variety of roles. These programs are designed to:

• Help family members develop skills and foster conditions at home that support their children’s efforts in learning.

• Provide families with knowledge, techniques and materials to assist their children in learning at home.

• Provide access to and coordinate community support services for children and families.

• Promote clear and meaningful two-way communication between school and family about school programs and children’s progress.

• Support parents as decision makers and develop their leadership in governance, advisory and advocacy roles.

Jointly Developed

The Etiwanda School District will take the following actions to involve families in the joint development of its LEA family involvement plan and in the process of school review and improvement:

• Engage families in advisory and decision making committees (Title I policy, school-home compact, and family involvement committees; School Site Council (SSC), English Learner Advisory Committee, District English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC/DELAC) and District Advisory Committee (DAC); LCAP community forums and LCAP Advisory Committee).

• Conduct annual parent/family surveys to gather information on parent/family needs.

• Engage families in a comprehensive annual review of student outcomes. Each Title I school will analyze the implementation and success of the site’s Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), and make recommendations to the School Site Council (SSC) regarding revisions to the SPSA.

• Form a Title I Advisory Committee with family representation from each Title I site.

Technical Assistance

The Etiwanda School District will provide the following necessary coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist Title I, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective family involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance:

• Determine subjects of interest to families from across the district to coordinate district-wide family involvement and education opportunities.

• Coordinate with outside agencies and speakers.

• Coordinate child-care, snacks, and supports that enable families to participate in parent/family education and events.

• Provide processes, procedures, samples, templates, Power Point presentations and supporting documents (SPSA, SSC, Comprehensive Annual Review, School-Home Compact, site Family Involvement Policy, Annual Title I Meeting).

• Gather and provide data.

• Assist with data analysis.

• Schedule and plan monthly Title I Principals meetings.

• Provide school principals with information, research and scholarly articles regarding family involvement, student achievement, and developing staff-family partnerships.

• Provide book and materials lists and ideas to support the development of Family Resource Centers/Areas (computers, books, materials for parents and families to use to support student achievement).

Annual Evaluation

The Etiwanda School District will take the following actions to conduct, with the involvement of families, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this family involvement policy in improving the quality of its Title I, Part A schools. The evaluation will include identifying barriers to greater participation by family members in family involvement activities (with particular attention to families who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background). The school district will use its findings of the evaluation about its family involvement policy and activities to design strategies for more effective family involvement and to revise, if necessary (and with the involvement of family members) its family involvement policies.

• The district’s Title I administrator will hold an annual meeting, with parent/family representatives from each Title I School Site, to evaluate the effectiveness of this policy in supporting the district’s Title I schools. The lens of the meeting will be, “The role of family involvement in supporting student academic achievement. How can the Etiwanda School District facilitate, support and encourage family support of their children’s academic achievement and emotional growth?”

Reservation of Funds

The Etiwanda School District will involve families of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the 1 percent of Title I, Part A funds reserved for family involvement is spent and will ensure that not less than 95 percent of the 1 percent reserved goes directly to schools.

• Each Title I school site forms a Family Involvement Committee that provides input regarding family programs. This information is compiled by the district and used to inform district coordinated and site coordinated family involvement programs and events.

• The LEA Title I Family Involvement Plan Committee is provided with input from families of Title I sites for the purpose of policy revision.

Coordination of Services

The Etiwanda School District will coordinate and integrate family involvement strategies under other programs that encourage and support families in more fully participating in the education of their children by:

• Hiring district Teacher-Librarians who promote and develop family literacy events and coordinate with community libraries on reading and language development programs and materials that promote family involvement.

• Developing and providing a pre-school to kindergarten transition plan that encourages and provides strategies for family involvement.

• Contracting with CARES Counseling to provide counseling services.

• Hiring a liaison to connect homeless and socioeconomically disadvantaged families with needed services.

Building Capacities of Families

The Etiwanda School District will, with the assistance of its Title I schools, build capacity for strong family involvement by providing materials and training on such topics as literacy, developing math skills, and using technology to help family members work with their children to improve their children’s academic achievement. Assistance will also be provided to families in understanding the following topics:

• The State’s academic content standards.

• The State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments.

• The requirements of Title I, Part A.

• How to monitor their child’s progress.

• How to work with educators and access teacher websites to monitor homework.

• How to access their child’s grades through the online gradebook.

• How to access the online resources, textbooks and supplemental programs.

• Social-emotional growth/developing a growth mindset.

Building Capacity of Staff

The Etiwanda School District will, with the assistance of its schools and families, educate its teachers, principals, and other staff on how to reach out to, communicate, and work with parents/families as equal partners, in the value and utility of contributions of family members, and how to implement and coordinate family programs and build ties between parents and schools by:

• Developing a plan to support staff in effectively engaging and partnering with families.

• Analyzing and applying Generation Ready training to support Title I schools in building closer ties with families.

• Providing family members with easy to understand School Accountability Report Cards and LEA Data Dashboards.

• Providing information regarding student achievement and school and district programs and meetings in a format, and to the extent practicable, in a language family members can understand.