In support of strengthening student academic achievement, each school that receives Title I funds must develop a Parent and Family Engagement Plan (PFEP) jointly with parents of participating children. The plans are agreed upon by parties involved in their development and distributed to all “stakeholders” including parents, school staff, and administrators. Each written plan contains information required by section 1116 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which was later reauthorized as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and, most recently, as Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 

“Parent and Family Engagement (PFE) in a child’s education is a greater predictor of academic success than whether or not that family is affluent or poor. That’s why Title I, Part A program regulations insist on robust parent and family engagement activities at every school where federal funds support effective teaching and engaged learning.” Parent & Family Engagement (fldoe.org) Because of this, Title I, Part A program regulations insist on robust parent and family engagement activities at schools where federal funds support effective teaching and engaged learning. 

Students with engaged parents and families are most likely to:  

• Learn to read faster (exhibit faster rates of literacy acquisition)  

• Have higher grades and test scores  

• Are promoted and take more challenging classes  

• Adapt better to school and have better attendance  

• Have better social skills and behavior  

• Graduate  

• Go on to community/technical college or university  

Provided by Florida Department of Education. (Parent & Family Engagement (fldoe.org)  

Expectations are outlined in the Parent and Family Engagement Plan (PFEP) for how each school will implement a variety of different parent activities to involve parents as partners in their child’s education. 

At FSDB, there is a district-level Local Education Agency Parent and Family Engagement Plan (LEA PFEP), and each Title I school has a PFEP as well. Within the context of this LEA PFEP, FSDB strives to provide families and staff members with capacity-building opportunities that increase combined abilities to support students’ academic and personal growth. FSDB will accomplish this by:  

• Offering parents substantial and meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children 

• Providing capacity-building trainings for staff members and families 

• Strengthening district, school, and family partnerships  

At the end of each school year, FSDB Parent Services facilitates a meeting to review the content of the LEA PFEP and its effectiveness in supporting Title I schools as related to parent engagement. Parents have the option to participate in the review virtually or by attending an on-campus meeting. The LEA PFEP for the upcoming school year is then developed incorporating feasible programmatic suggestions.  

According to the FSDB 2023-2024  Parent Climate Survey, 85 percent of families feel there are sufficient opportunities to be involved in their child’s school. 

Two percent of Title I grant funds are allocated as “parent set aside funds” and dedicated to supporting parent engagement. Each year Title I parents determine how this “parent set aside” will be spent. For the 2024-2025 school year, the two percent set aside will sustain the travel reimbursement program.   

In accordance with FSDB policies and Florida Statutes section 112.61, Parent Services offers reimbursement for expenses incurred when Title I families travel to attend approved educational classes, workshops, or training sessions. This program creates opportunities for families to attend capacity-building meetings and events and is one of the most valued means of support for parent involvement activities in the Title I budget. 

FSDB Parent Services facilitates Parent University, a combination of educational classes and workshops offered to parents and families. Parent Engagement Workshops (PEW) provide full-day learning opportunities open to all FSDB families for the specific purpose of building parent capacity. Throughout the year, these efforts teach parents techniques to support student academic and personal growth. Title I funds can be used to reimburse parent travel to attend these classes.

“When schools work together with families to support learning, children are inclined to succeed not just in school, but throughout life.” —Florida Department of Education 

The FSDB LEA Team works with each Title I school, providing technical assistance to meet grant requirements, offering feedback and support to each Assistant Principal to ensure the inclusion of all parents, and working in partnership to facilitate trainings for staff and families. 

The LEA team and Assistant Principals work collaboratively to develop and distribute school-level, Title I Handbooks. School-level PFEPs and family-school compacts are developed during the first Title I parent meeting. These plans outline objectives such as developing parent partnership skills for staff and building parent capacity to support children in obtaining academic goals.  The Family-School compact outlines responsibilities of parents, students, and staff in supporting student achievement.   

The Parent Liaison and Communications and Public Relations Department assist the schools in publishing their handbooks. New Title I Handbooks are created, to include the LEA PFEP, Parent Right to Know and McKinney-Vento program information.  The handbooks are then made available to families in appropriate formats and languages.   

The Title I Grant Coordinator provides technical assistance to ensure that parent plans are reviewed and developed, and that parent requirements are disseminated. This can take the form of weekly email reminders on "Title I Tuesdays", Teams meetings, or PowerPoints and other prepared documents. 

The Parent Liaison is available to Assistant Principals of each Title I school to provide continuous support and assistance in planning and implementing capacity-building events and engagement opportunities for school parents/caregivers and staff.  

Assistant Principals are encouraged to schedule school-level Title I meetings in conjunction with Parent University or other campus-based events to increase parent attendance, collaborate efforts, and consolidate parent travel. 

The FSDB Learning Network, led by FSDB Instructional Services, is a professional development program for staff members. The Learning Network provides opportunities at a variety of levels ranging from bits of knowledge to in-depth training. The Parent Liaison partners with the Learning Network to offer staff training focusing on the importance of a strong partnership between home and school. 

Throughout the year, the Parent Liaison attends meetings, shares information, and provides support to all staff to ensure that our schools and programs campus-wide are family-friendly. 

FSDB staff members are encouraged to utilize the resources provided through the Florida Department of Education’s Family and Community Engagement website (Family & Community Outreach (fldoe.org) 

According to the FSDB 2023-2024 Parent Climate Survey  a satisfactory rating of 86% in the area of communication and participation. 

Title I, Part A defines parent involvement as the ...participation of parents in regular, two-way and meaningful communications with school staff that involves the student, addresses learning and engages the family in school activities. Parent & Family Engagement (fldoe.org) 

The FSDB website, school newsletters, and social media provide families with continuous access to information about opportunities for participation in educational activities.  

Interpreters and translators are present at all meetings, classes, and trainings when requested so that parents/guardians can receive information in their native language. Accommodations, such as braille, large print, and ASL (American Sign Language) interpreters are provided for FSDB families upon request as needed to ensure all parties have the resources needed to participate.  

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