If you are a Texas school or district receiving Title I funds, then implementing a Parent Involvement Policy is a requirement. Establishing a good policy may take a significant amount of teamwork and tactic, however, having a well-planned policy greatly supports the role of parents in their children’s education and helps connect schools and districts with their students’ families. A good parent involvement policy for Texas school districts involve the following, but are not limited to:

• A written policy created with collaboration from parents. Download this guide to help you develop an effective policy at your school or district.
• Must address supportive measures for parent involvement activities, programs such as Head Start, and State-run preschool programs.
• Involve parents in the activities and programs supported in the policy.
• Must conduct annual meetings with parents evaluating the effectiveness of the parental involvement policy as well as school review and improvement.

Texas school parent involvement policy requirements differ marginally from a district policy. Some of these conditions include, but are not limited to:

• A written policy created with collaboration from parents.
• Flexible annual meetings with parents regarding the review of policies, programs, and school improvement; and they must provide any necessary support such as transportation and childcare.
• Address the importance of teacher and parent communication through parent-teacher conferences, report cards, and volunteer or classroom observation opportunities.
• Provide materials and training to parents so they can help their children’s academic improvement.

The Texas Region 16 ESC provides great resources for helping schools and districts establish a Parent Involvement Policy. Check out their website for more information.

The Latino Family Literacy Project is a great program that supports both parent involvement and English literacy development. Several schools and districts in Texas are already using our programs as part of their Parent Involvement Policy and love it.

Socorro Independent School District in El Paso, Texas did such an AMAZING job with their efforts to engage parents in reading and to inspire a love of reading with kids and parents together! This is their testimonial video. They graduated 350 parents their first semester using The Latino Family Literacy Project

Here’s what some districts in Texas have to say about The Latino Family Literacy Project:

“The Latino Family Literacy Project™ provides family reading routines for Spanish- and English-speaking parents and their children. The Project introduces the VISTA Method, a language acquisition method and a step-by-step literacy instruction process. It involves family reading, vocabulary development, and English-language development for Latino parents and their children. Each age specific program engages the parents in reading with their children, reflects the experiences of Latino families, and is centered around universal themes.” – Fort Bend ISD, Sugar Land, TX

“Godley Elementary recently hosted an 8 week Latino Family Literacy Project. Families of our English Language Learners were invited to come and participate in a program designed to enhance literacy and language skills of Latino children. The program included bilingual children’s books that reflected the lives and issues of Latino families. The group met once a week for 8 weeks during which they reflected on the children’s books through reading, dialogue, writing, and art projects. Instructors for the program were Cindy Travioli, ESL Director, and Hortencia Garcia, ESL Aide and translator. Babysitting was provided by the High School PALS program and Polly Lindsey. The program concluded with a fiesta. A new session is planned for this fall.” – Godley Elementary School, Godley, TX

“We believe the partnership between the home and the school is an important part of each student’s success,” said Bret Jimerson, the Superintendent for Burleson. “The Latino Family Literacy Project offers us a way to continue this initiative.” – Cleburne, TX

“LFLP is a family reading program for the entire family. It uses books that are appropriate for reading levels grades 1-4 – depending on the literacy levels of the student. It teaches parents the importance of establishing a family reading routine with their children, how to share the book and it helps both parents and school age children learn English vocabulary, verbs, grammar, and conversation. It teaches parents the skills they need to share literature and to be involved in the school-going process with their children.”– Northwest ISD

“The Latino Family Literacy Project is an effective and interactive parent program designed to support parents in building a family reading routine in Spanish and English through short stories that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Parents will be given access to books to read at home with their children that reflect the knowledge of Latino families. This is a fun and exciting time to talk and meet other parents and learn to help your child be successful.”– Brule Elementary School, Navasota, TX

“Hutto has adopted the Family Latino Literacy Project as a parental involvement program. This comprehensive parental involvement program provides culturally relevant and a linguistically enhancing guided approach to family reading. The program offers quality bilingual books (English/Spanish), English-language development, vocabulary review and an engaging curriculum to promote a focus on family literacy. The program encourages parents to read with their children to enhance their reading and language skills.” – Hutto ISD, Hutto, TX

As part of the First Lady’s Family Literacy Initiative for Texas grant, five Krum families recently participated in The Latino Family Literacy Project™ at the Krum Early Education Center. During the ten week class, families had the opportunity to study the latest bilingual books and learn tips on how to read at home with their children. The main goal of the course was to establish a family reading routine. Kindergarten teacher Denise Burns introduced a new book each week and parents took the book home to read to their children. When class resumed the next week, the families discussed how their at-home reading went.
Each participant in the class made a family album and had the opportunity to think and write about their goals for their children. The parents discovered how special their children and families were and how important it is to maintain traditions in their home.
In a post-program questionnaire, the families were asked what they enjoyed most about the class. Ruth Vega commented, “I learned how to teach my kids and tell them about the books. I learned how to gain more patience with them when reading and loved being with Mrs. Burns. She helped me a lot.”– Krum ISD, Krum, TX