The policy below on Parent and Family Engagement, has been developed jointly with, agreed upon with, and distributed to, families of participating children at Agora Cyber Charter School. This policy reflects those requirements of Section 1116 of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

In accordance with Federal regulations (ESSA, Section 1116(a)(2)(A), Agora Cyber Charter School, as a recipient of Title I funds, will consult with families and teachers of the children being served. Notification of the planning process, including solicitation of questions, comments, and input will be given at least two weeks prior to the planning meeting.

To meet the consultation requirements Agora Cyber Charter School shall design, implement and offer activities at various times to ensure that families of children being served have an adequate opportunity to participate in the design and implementation of the Agora Cyber Charter School’s Title I plan.

1. Agora family activities include, but are not limited to, the following:
   1. Involve families in the development of the Title I plan, the Parent and Family Engagement Policy, and the process of school review and improvement.
      1. Families will be involved in the development of the plan through participation in school-wide planning committees and school improvement councils
      2. Families will be involved in the process of school review and improvement throughout the year and feedback will be sought through family surveys.
      3. Families will be involved in the joint development of any school-wide program plan under (ESSA, section 1116(a)(2)(A)
   2. Provide coordination, technical assistance, and support to the schools for effective family engagement to improve student academic achievement and performance.
      1. Provide families with the opportunity to maintain ongoing communication among families, teachers, and administrators through our internal electronic system of communication (e-mail) as well as through USPS mail and the school’s chosen messaging system
      2. Provide materials and suggestions through calendars and newsletters to families to help them promote the education of their children. Timely information about the program also will be provided in the newsletter and will be posted to the school’s website.
      3. Agora families will assist with coordination of Title I Parent and Family Engagement policies and activities
      4. Involve families in an Annual School-wide Title I meeting to discuss the compact and school wide programs that are needed
      5. School-wide parenting workshops will be presented in a variety of ways including online and family training recordings made available through email, newsletters and school website
   3. Build the school and family capacity for strong parent and family engagement
      1. Maintain strong communication between school and home.
         1. e-mail
         2. postal mail
         3. newsletters
         4. conference calls
         5. Online sessions
         6. Social media options
      2. Establish family engagement programs to mentor new families.
         1. Learning Coach Orientation is an online resource offered to families
         2. Family coaches are provided to families as a resource for engagement and relationships.
         3. Learning Coach Mentors assist new and returning families with questions and concerns and their contact information is posted on the school website.
      3. Develop school-parent compacts and Parent and Family Engagement policies with the families of all children
         1. Describe the school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective home learning environment that enables children served to meet the State’s student academic achievement standards
         2. Describe the ways in which each family or learning coach will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning.
         3. Address the importance of communication between teachers and families on an ongoing basis.
         4. Provide to families the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress.
      4. Guide families to understand state content standards and academic expectations by providing materials and training designed to help families monitor and improve student achievement.
         1. workshops/online trainings
         2. templates, graphic organizers, study guides
         3. student schedules and report cards
         4. lesson recordings
         5. online resource literature
         6. technology and systems training
      5. Educate teachers, administrators, and other school staff, with the assistance of families, in the value of parent and family engagement.
         1. presentation at school-wide professional development
         2. distribute research based materials to staff for ongoing understanding of the value of parental and family engagement
      6. To the extent possible, provide information, programs, and activities for families in a language and form they can understand. Agora’s website and Agora’s Resource Center for families have options for families to translate content in their language.
      7. Provide support for parental family engagement activities
   4. Coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement under Title I with parental engagement programs through our family coaches, parent engagement advisors, support staff and teachers.
      1. meet and greet sessions at various locations across the state
      2. online family workshops
   5. Conduct, with the engagement of families, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parent and family engagement policies in improving the academic quality of the Title I school.
      1. Utilize the End of the Year Parent Evaluation to identify barriers to greater participation by families.
      2. The End of the Year Parent Evaluation will also be used to improve family programs at the school the following school year.
   6. Engage families in the activities of the schools.
      1. Convene an annual fall meeting at each school at which the following items will be discussed. A flexible number of meetings will be offered, and invites will be shared through the newsletter and through emails sent to families.
         1. Inform families of their school’s participation under Title I and to explain Title I, its requirements, and their right to be involved.
         2. Families have the right to consult in the design of the Title I plan and how the federal funds are allocated.
            1. planning questionnaire
            2. surveys
         3. Families have the right to consult in the design of the Title I plan and in the process of school review and improvement through surveys
         4. Family’ input will be solicited; observations and comments will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.
         5. Families will be given a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.
         6. Provisions for further activities will be offered and made available for all students.
            1. Copies of the proposed and final applications, needs assessment, budget, and evaluation, are available for review. Copies of the draft and final parent involvement policy will be distributed.
            2. Meetings will be held virtually.
            3. Training programs for families will be offered as needed.
            4. Other reasonable requests made by families will be considered.
      2. Report to each child’s family on the child’s progress by sending frequent reports home. Reports will include informal teacher newsletters, monthly newsletters and end of each semester reports.
      3. Establish conferences between families and teachers by scheduling at least one conference with parents or guardians of children.
         1. Provide to families the school’s performance profiles.
         2. Provide to families their child’s individual student assessment results.
         3. Provide families with timely information about the Title I programs.