Framing PIRC Work:
Outcomes, Assurances, and Priorities

 

Outcomes

  • Improved home-school communication
  • Increased student achievement
  • Increased school academic achievement
  • Increased parent involvement in school planning
  • Increased parent involvement in school review
  • Increased parent involvement in school improvement
  • Increased school readiness

Assurances

  1. (A) be governed by a board of directors the membership of which includes parents; or
    (B) be an organization or consortium that represents the interests of parents;
  2. establish a special advisory committee the membership of which includes -
    (A) parents of children enrolled in elementary schools and secondary schools, who shall constitute a majority of the members of the special advisory committee;
    (B) representatives of education professionals with expertise in improving services for disadvantaged children; and
    (C) representatives of local elementary schools and secondary schools, including students and representatives from local youth organizations;
  3. use at least 50 percent of the funds received under this subpart in each fiscal year to serve areas with high concentrations of low-income families, in order to serve parents who are severely educationally or economically disadvantaged;
  4. operate a center of sufficient size, scope, and quality to ensure that the center is adequate to serve the parents in the area;
  5. serve both urban and rural areas;
  6. design a center that meets the unique training, information, and support needs of parents of children enrolled in elementary schools and secondary schools, particularly such parents who are educationally or economically disadvantaged;
  7. demonstrate the capacity and expertise to conduct the effective training, information, and support activities for which assistance is sought;
  8. network with -
    (A) local educational agencies and schools;
    (B) parents of children enrolled in elementary schools and secondary schools;
    (C) parent training and information centers assisted under section 682 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act;
    (D) clearinghouses; and
    (E) other organizations and agencies;
  9. focus on serving parents of children enrolled in elementary schools and secondary schools who are parents of low-income, minority, and limited English proficient children;
  10. use at least 30 percent of the funds received under this subpart in each fiscal year to establish, expand, or operate Parents as Teachers programs, Home Instruction of Preschool Youngsters programs, or other early childhood parent education programs;
  11. provide assistance to parents in areas such as understanding State and local standards and measures of student and school academic achievement;
  12. work with State educational agencies and local educational agencies to determine parental needs and the best means for delivery of services;
  13. identify and coordinate Federal, State, and local services and programs that support improved student learning, including programs supported under this Act, violence prevention programs, nutrition programs, housing programs, Head Start programs, adult education, and job training; and
  14. work with and foster partnerships with other agencies that provide programs and deliver services described in paragraph (13) to make such programs and services more accessible to children and families.

Priorities

  • Early Childhood Parent Education: implement effective plans to use at least 30 percent of the funds received in each fiscal year to establish, expand, or operate Parents as Teachers programs, Home Instruction for Preschool Youngsters programs or other early childhood parent education programs.
  • Statewide Impact of PIRC Services: implement broad statewide strategies to provide parents from across the State, particularly parents who are educationally or economically disadvantaged, with services that enhance their ability to participate effectively in their child's education, including their ability to communicate effectively with public school personnel in the school that their child attends.
  • Understanding State and Local Report Cards and Opportunities for Public School Choice and Supplemental Educational Services: implement activities that effectively assist parents in understanding State and local report cards under Title I of the ESEA and, in cases where their child attends a school identified as in need of improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under Title I, in understanding their options for public school choice or supplemental educational services.
  • Technical Assistance in the Implementation of Local Educational Agency and School Parental Involvement Policy under Section 1118 of the ESEA: implement technical assistance to support LEA and school parental involvement policies under Title I of the ESEA in order to improve academic achievement and school performance.