Background

Parents are critical to student success.

•· By state law each public school in North Carolina is required to develop a school improvement plan to improve student performance. 

•· By law parents must be elected members of the school improvement team that creates the plan. 

•· Because parent involvement is a critical component of student success and positive student achievement, it is the intent of the General Assembly that parents, along with teachers, have a substantial role in developing school improvement plans (General Statute 115C-105.27).

School Improvement teams (including elected parents) have been trained

•· The mission and primary goal of school improvement teams to develop a plan for improving student performance

•· Size, membership, organization and authority of school improvement teams

•· Legal and procedural requirements for electing school improvement teams

•· Implications of Open Meetings law for school improvement teams

•· Components of the school improvement plan required by law or policy

What's the plan?

•· Purpose: to improve student performance

•· School improvement teams set 2-5 goals for improvement

•· Goals based on the data, needs of each individual school

•· Goals must help support state and district goals

•· Each goal needs a powerful improvement strategy

•· 3 year plans to be approved by the Board of Education at October meeting

What can parents do?

•· Get involved in your own child's education.  It is one of the most important influences on student achievement.

 • Getting involved in your own child's education is proven research to improve your child's success in school.

•· Show your interest to your child, and encourage them to try.

•· Keep up with your child's grades and progress.

•· Communicate regularly with your child's teacher.  You are part of a team with your child and his/her teachers. 

•· Find out why the school selected specific goals and strategies for improving the achievement of students.

•· Find out what you can do to support the learning of your own child

•· Find out what parents can do to help the teachers and students succeed in improving achievement.

How can parents find out more about the School Improvement Plan?

•· These questions should help parents discuss and understand

 •    why the school set certain goals for improvement

 •    how the school plans to achieve those goals, and

 •    what parents can do to help their children and the school

Questions about WHY

•· What is the purpose of the school improvement plan? 

•· Does the vision and mission fit what parents know about the school  and the community?

•· What are the most important goals  for improvement this year? 

•· Why did the school pick these goals for improvement?  What data did the school use to set these goals?

Questions about HOW

•· What did students, parents and staff say about the school when surveyed?  How were their concerns addressed in either the goals or strategies the school set?

•· How will the school respond to other important issues that aren't in the plan?  Although schools do not have the time or resources to improve everything at once, are there other plans (such as a safe schools or Title I plan) that will enable the school to address other concerns?

•· What will the school be doing this year that is different from other years?  What research or data was used to select the new strategies?

Questions about WHAT PARENTS CAN DO

•· What does the plan say about what parents can do to help their child learn?

•· What help will the school and teachers provide to help parents assist their own children in learning? 

•· What does the plan say about what parents can do to help the teachers and the school improve?

•· What else could parents do that would help parents play a more active role in encouraging their students to learn and succeed?

•· What will teachers need to make the improvement plan work? 

•· How will parents know if plan is working?

•· What if the plan is not working?  How will the school improvement team know?  What will they do to correct the strategies needed to reach the goals?