Parental Involvement Narrative

The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District is comprised of forty-three (43) campuses: thirty- one (31) elementary, six (6) middle schools, four (4) high schools, and our Vision and Edinburg Academies.

All elementary, middle and high schools are Title I campuses.

All campuses are served by a Parental Involvement Assistant (P.I.A.) and one (1) federally funded supervisor.

The Parental Involvement Program in the Edinburg C.I.S.D. incorporates the Texas Education Agency’s recommended model which includes Parent Awareness, Parent Partnership, and Parent Advisory Council. The aforementioned areas and activities are delineated in a detailed District Parental Involvement Model.

Parent Awareness is addressed with regularly scheduled district and campus-level meetings. The topics are obtained from Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) [P. L. 114-95 Section 1116] guidelines, as well as, topics of parent interest. Parenting skills are addressed through several programs which include Practical Parent Education (PPE), P.A.D.R.E.S., Padres Con Poder and others. District staff, professional persons from the community, government and local agencies support/supplement Parent Awareness efforts through district and campus-level presentations for parents. Parent meetings are conducted in English/Spanish (Bilingually) to minimize language barriers and encourage participation. In addition, our district supports parent participation of local, state and national conferences, when practical, to ensure and nurture the personal growth of parents.
Parent Partnership is encouraged through a variety of strategies intended to promote “family friendly schools”. These strategies include PTA/PTO, Parenting Skills Training, Literacy (Inglés sin Barreras), Volunteers In Public Schools (VIPS), and numerous district and campus-level activities unique to each school. Volunteers are recognized at the campus level for their dedication and contributions to the school. In addition, the district hosts an annual “Volunteer Appreciation” in the Spring to recognize their contributions to the district.
Parent Advisory Councils (PAC’s) are a Title I, Part C Migrant requirement. Members serve in an advisory capacity to plan, review and evaluate programs. The district’s council consists of Representatives and Alternates (TIR/TIM) from each of the participating schools. Representatives and Alternates are invited to represent their schools at the monthly District PAC meetings. The District PAC meets on a monthly basis to address important Migrant PAC agenda items and receive training on Title I programs provided collaboratively by the district’s Parental Involvement Office. PAC Officers are elected and serve a two-year term, as per the PAC By-laws.

Parents are invited and encouraged to participate in program related conferences. PAC Meetings are televised on KATS-TV Channel 17 for hard to reach families.

In an effort to fulfill and comply with federal program requirements, the following activities are facilitated at the campus level by the Parental Involvement Assistants under the supervision of the district Parental Involvement Supervisor and campus Principals.

The Parental Involvement Assistants campus-level daily activities consist of, but not limited to, the following:

P.I.A.’s …

Welcome/greet parents on a daily basis
Facilitate parent requests with information on the coordination of parent-teacher conferences, meetings, trainings, school-related activities, general information,
Assist in coordinating the identification of student absences
Assist in maintaining high levels of attendance by calling parents and/or making home visits to inquire on student absences
Maintain a record/log of daily absences for follow-up and documentation of parent contacts
Facilitate a variety of meetings/trainings of public interest (CHIP, health related information and other)
Facilitate the Parent/Volunteer Program
Facilitate the Literacy Program (Inglés sin Barreras)
Provide parenting skills training
Coordinate Practical Parenting Education with district Parent Center
Participate in the Dropout Recovery Outreach district-wide effort (Project Gateway)

Volunteer Program:

The district’s Volunteer Program (VIPS) is designed to promote parent partnership and encourage communication with parents in becoming equal partners with schools and their children’s education. The volunteer program uses the VIPS (Volunteers In Public Schools) Handbook to facilitate the campus program. Volunteers must fill out a campus-level application provided in the handbook. In addition, they must undergo a Criminal Background Check facilitated by our E.C.I.S.D. Personnel Department and the Department of Public Safety. A TB Skin Test questionnaire has to be filled out, as well. A copy of their ID and/or Driver’s License is required. These requirements are in an effort to ensure the safety of children; both, of a personal and health related nature.

P.I.A.'s....

Recruit and process necessary applications, background checks, etc…
Orient volunteers on the volunteer program
Facilitate and coordinate the daily assignments of volunteers
Welcome and check in volunteers/sign-in daily
Provide training on the importance of the Code of Ethics as a volunteer
Provide training on use of school A-V equipment, duplicating machines, computers and other areas of need or interest
Monitor the volunteers’ daily activities
Call volunteers for special campus activities
Invite volunteers to participate in meetings, trainings and conferences
Maintain a record of volunteer hours

Parenting Skills:

The PPE (Practical Parenting Education) curriculum is founded on the principals of family systems, life span development and creating long term change. Its flexibility allows it to be easily tailored to all stages of parenting for diverse populations and varied settings. Parenting Skills cannot be developed or significantly changed through exposure to a single parenting series but rather through continued involvement in classes in a supportive environment throughout the child’s rearing years. The core curriculum prepares parent educators to work with families throughout their parenting experience. The curriculum addresses the following: Section 1. - Understanding Your Role as a Parent, Section 2. - Developing trust within the Family, Section 3. – Communicating within the Family, Section 4. - Building Self-Esteem within the Family, Section 5. - Understanding Parenting and Power and Section 6.

- Accepting and Growing through Natural Transitions in the Life Cycle. Each section has a variety of training topics that can be developed to meet the needs of the families. In addition, the program provides Parenting Quick Tips (handouts) and online access to a newsletter (Connections) as a resource tool for the program

P.A.D.R.E.S. – Padres Aprendiendo a Dirigir, Respetar y Educar con Sabiduría is a Parenting Program developed collaboratively between the Texas Education Agency and Region XIX Education Service Center in El Paso, Texas. (1992)

The P.A.D.R.E.S. Parenting Program was developed to serve the parents of school children enrolled in a Bilingual or ESL program. The program addresses the needs of parents that may not be able to participate in mainstream school parenting programs because of language and /or literacy limitations. In addition, it is an excellent curriculum for recent immigrant families.

The program is unique because it is culturally and linguistically appropriate for parents that are limited English proficient and develops and enhances parenting skills. The lessons are presented in Spanish and allow for interaction and discussion as they develop a “dicho” (Spanish proverb) that relates to the topic, culture and traditions of the participants.

The P.A.D.R.E.S. Program consists of eight lessons which cover the following topics: culture, family relationships and communication, positive discipline, parent’s and children’s self-esteem, goal setting, study skills and parental involvement.

These sessions are facilitated by the Parental Involvement Assistants at the individual campuses. The program serves families PK-12.

Padres Con Poder is a parent empowerment program consisting of a series of 5 parent-training videos. The program addresses fifteen crucial themes. The themes are love, communication, physiological needs, self-concept, mental health, sexual education, family structure, responsibility, culture, role of tradition, planning education, community action, sociopolitical structure, and problem- solving techniques.

It is recommended that parents participate in a structured 5 week continuous program. The intent of the program is to have parents identify and analyze their actions in order to develop parenting strategies that will empower them to better impact the lives of their children. Thus, the more parents articulate, the better. Learning to articulate to a group will help them develop the ability to articulate ideas to their families. Likewise, learning to listen to their peers, will help develop the ability to listen to their families. This is accomplished by viewing and discussing the videos in a structured, cooperative format which is facilitated by the presenter, Parental Involvement Assistant.

P.I.A.'s....

Plan/invite parents to regularly scheduled trainings
Make necessary arrangements for meetings/refreshments,
Prepare invitations, agendas, and sign-in sheets for meetings, training
Facilitate the video presentations to parents on C.P./other
Maintain records of parent participation for documentation and follow-up
Have the parents fill out an evaluation of the meetings/trainings

Literacy (Ingles sin Barreras):

Inglés sin Barreras is an oral language program consisting of 12 DVD’s. The program design uses a three step process of delivery. Initially, the program introduces the vocabulary. The final session models the vocabulary through a dialogue. The unique component of the program is provided by the campus Parental Involvement Assistant, who provides additional drill, guidance and support. Sessions are scheduled to accommodate the participant’s needs and time schedule.

Inglés sin Barreras video cassettes previously used in our program are now being recycled as a resource for parents to check out and use at home to enrich their language skills

P.I.A.'s …

Plan/invite parents to regularly schedule I.S.B. sessions
Secure a meeting site
Review and plan delivery of the DVD’S prior to sessions
Prepare materials, handouts and equipment for sessions
Facilitate the training DVD’s for S.B.
Facilitate a variety of drills and activities to reinforce and supplement the training
Maintain records of parent participation for documentation and follow-up

Community:

Collaboration with the community is very important. Our Parental Involvement Office coordinates with different community organizations and agencies. One of our biggest supporters is KRGV-TV channel 5 and “Teach The Children” Project which provides school supplies and clothing to eligible 1st grade students from low income families in the district. The project serves approximately 1,000 children annually and is growing. Another great supporter is the Children’s Defense Fund which provides services and trainings on CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) to our school district’s Parental Involvement Office/staff in an effort to identify children who are uninsured. Our schools conduct outreach activities to assist families in processing CHIP applications to eligible children. To date ECISD Parental Involvement Office has identified and assisted over 14,000 students. Other community supporters are First United Methodist Church “In His Steps” Shoe Bank and United Way which provides a shopping spree every 2 years for some of our Middle School students and provides school supplies for incoming freshman at the 4 High Schools.

Publicity/Community Outreach:

The Edinburg CISD, Federal Programs and Parental Involvement Office are committed to keep the community informed about what is happening in our district and our schools. The Federal Program Department publishes a Title I, Part A Funded Publication titled “Spotlight” on Edinburg CISD. This newspaper is distributed every 6 weeks to ECISD families informing them of important dates and events occurring in the district. In addition, it show cases school and Parental Involvement activities throughout the district. The publication is send home with the students.

Staff Development:

Staff development for district administrators, Curriculum Assistants/Deans of Instruction, Parental Involvement Assistants, teachers and support staff is available through administrator’s, faculty and department meetings. The goal of staff development is to bring awareness of the district’s Parental Involvement Program, NCLB/Federal requirements and guidelines with emphasis on the value and impact of parents’ contributions to school.

Documentation:

The Parental Involvement Assistant’s provide the P.I. Office with a monthly report of the month’s Parental Involvement District and Campus-Level activities. These reports are reviewed by the Parental Involvement district supervisor and filed as documentation that the activities occurred.

Commendations:

The E.C.I.S.D. Title I Parental Involvement Program was awarded the Texas Outstanding Parent Program (TOPP) for 2004-05 school year by the Texas Association of School Boards for outstanding program services to the parent community. In addition, the Parental Involvement Program has received recognition for their commitment to the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The Parental Involvement Office and staff (Parental Involvement Assistant’s) have facilitated identified and processed hundreds of CHIP applications for families through sign-up events and outreach activities. Most recently, E.C.I.S.D.’s CHIP Outreach Program Model was recognized nationally as a “Best Practice” model for Children’s Defense.

For additional information on our Title I Parental Involvement Program, call the P.I. Office at 289-2318.