1. Jones Paideia Family Engagement Plan
Implementation for 2014-2015 School Year
Author
Michael Adkins

2. Jones Paideia Family Engagement Plan
1. Background Description of the Current Situation: Jones Paideia Magnet School is a
thematic magnet school that receives students from all over Davidson County. Currently, it
serves around 400 students in grades kindergarten through fourth. As a Paideia Magnet, the
school district contracted with the National Paideia Center for faculty training. Training started
during the 2002-2003 school year with a focus on one Paideia Component a year, beginning with
Seminar. All formal training was completed during the 2004-2005 school year. The focus is on
the implementation of all Paideia components with continued monitoring and training through
technical site visits from the National Paideia Center. The demographics of Jones Paideia for
the 2013-2014 school year, is as follows:
Enrollment: 401 students
 % Female: 51.8%
 % Male: 48.8%
 Asian: .3%
 Black: 93.6%
 Hispanic: 2.9%
 White: 4.0%
 Free/Reduced Lunch: 53.6%
 Special Education: 5.6%
 School Indigent Student-Body: 46.1%
 Teacher-Student Ratio: 1:20
Jones serves students from twenty (20) out of the forty-nine (49) zip-code areas associated with
Davidson County. The residential neighborhood is primarily an African American, middle to low
income community. A business district lies about one-half mile north-east of the school and
supports both large and small businesses.
The Jones Paideia learning community, which encompasses parents and other family members of
the student population, is made-up of a wide-range of socio- economic levels. Families include,
attorneys, educators, college professors, engineers, state department directors, a vice-mayor,
pastors of churches, entrepreneurs, home-makers, nurses as well as those who do not have a
college education and some that do not have a high school education. This family engagement
plan is being composed to meet the needs of all our students including our English Language
Learners (ELL) families because our school population has increased in the last two years. I
want to allow all families to have input in our school that meets the needs of all the students.
2. Vision Statement: We envision Jones Paideia Magnet School as a school dedicated to
family involvement, the academic success of each child, and committed to excellence in all
that we do.
3. Mission Statement: The mission of Jones Paideia Magnet School is to address the needs
of the whole child in a nurturing environment that develops intelligence, creativity, and
productivity citizenship.

3. 4. Goals:
 Effectively communicate with parents through a variety of ways.
 Provide parents the opportunity to be involved in the process of school-wide
decisions and encourage their input.
 Collaborate and partner with local businesses and Pencil Partners in an effort to
support our student as well as coordinate parental involvement.
 Provide outreach to parents of our students who are English Language Learners
(ELL), so they feel welcomed and supported.
5. Assessment Plan
a. Parent Involvement
The teacher version of the Parent-Teacher Involvement Questionnaire (INVOLVE) will be
used to assess parent involvement. The measure is a twenty-item scale with a 5-point scale
answer format (Webster-Stratton, Reid, & Hammond, 2001). The “Parent Involvement in
Education” subscale includes six items and assesses the teacher's perception of the positive
attitude parents have towards their child's education, teacher, and school. The examples of
these items include “How much is this parent interested in getting to know you?’ and “How
important is education in this family?”
b. Parent Involvement Effectiveness Assessment for Elementary Schools
This innovative tool is for measuring the effectiveness of parental involvement in elementary
schools, which is a crucial factor in student success.
c. Student-Teacher Relationship
The Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) consists of 28 items that measure aspects of
the relationship between the student and teacher (Pianta, 2001). The item responses are in a
5-point Likert-style format. The items assess the teacher's feelings about a child, the
teacher's beliefs about the child's feelings towards the teacher, and the teacher's observation
of the child's behavior in relation to the teacher (Pianta & Nimetz, 1991). The measure
yields three subscales: “Conflict,” “Closeness,” “Dependency”. An overall “Positive
Student-Teacher Relationship Scale” is calculated by summing the items on the “Closeness”
scale and the reverse-score of the items on the “Conflict” and “Dependency” scales. The
examples of items include “I share an affectionate, warm relationship with this child”
(Closeness), “This child easily becomes angry with me” (Conflict), and “This child is overly
dependent on me” (Dependency).
After reviewing the results from the assessments the school will meet with school leadership
team, PTO officers and members, stakeholders, to review our findings and implement new
strategies and procedures to better improve our parent engagement at our school.

4. 6. Action Steps (This is a detailed chart that includes a brief definition of each step to
improve family engagement, expectations, a timeline, measurement with cost).
Communication
Definition:  Every parent will be informed
through a variety of ways about
school activities, programs, and
events.
Expectations: The model will:
 “Meet the Teacher/Curriculum”
night- sharing with parents
regarding Common Core
Standards and assessments. Each
parent is provided a handbook of
their child’s specific grade level
content expectations.
 Weekly Parent/Guardian e-mail
updates, phone calls, including
the “All-Call” system by school
administrators.
 District and School website
 Monthly School Newsletters,
Report Cards and Progress
Reports
 Parent-Teacher Conferences-
communicate the monitoring of
student progress in a language
that they can understand through
use of bi-lingual tutors when
necessary.
 Monthly ELL (English Language
Learners) parent meetings-
provide our ELL families the
student progress from report
cards and progress report in a
translated language.
 Incoming Kindergarten students
and families participate in our
annual Kindergarten Preview and
Orientation with teachers and
administrators.
Timeline:  In summer of 2014, training
regarding family engagement
plan will occur with school
leadership team and
administrators.

5.  During the 2014-2015 school
year, the implementation of this
model will occur.
Measurement/Cost:  Measurement will be
documented in the school’s
Action Plan for Professional
Learning Communities, meeting
rosters, email, and faculty
meetings that will be kept on file
as evidence.
 Title I funds will be used to
allocate events for parents and
stakeholders of about $2,200 for
the year.
Decision-Making
Definition:  The ability to problem solve in
creating a solution deemed to be
satisfactory.
Expectations:  Provide parents a copy of this
parent involvement plan and
encourage their feedback.
 Partner with Parent Teacher
Organization (PTO) to assist and
participate in school-wide
activities and fundraisers, (e.g.
Jump Rope for Heart, Cookie-
Dough Sale, and Popcorn Sale).
 Include School Improvement
Plan (SIP) updates to parents.
 Parent surveys to encourage
feedback from parents on how
parents can be supported and
involved.
Timeline:  In summer of 2014, training
regarding family engagement
plan will occur with school
leadership team and
administrators.
 During the 2014-2015 school
year, the implementation of this
model will occur.
Measurement/Cost:  Measurement will be
documented in the school’s
Action Plan. Faculty, teachers,

6. and stakeholders will be notified
of results.
 Title I funds will be used to
allocate events for parents and
stakeholders of about $2,200 for
the year.
Community Partnerships
Definition:  Welcoming any interested parties
in the community that wants to
help support our schools.
Expectations:  Each school staff will conduct a
total asset review of their
resources so that may realize and
develop all potential partnerships
in communities.
 The school will explore
developing relationships with one
or more of the following:
 Organizations in the faith
community
 Business Partners (think about
what the school needs as well as
what the school can give back to
its partner).
 Neighborhoods Associations
(raise visibility, get on meeting
agendas, etc.)
 Schools in other districts (sharing
resources and mutual projects)
 University Partners (mentoring,
research studies, after school
activities, special events and
projects).
 Partners will be acknowledged
and appreciated at each site.
 Civic and service organizations
and individuals that support the
school’s mission.
Timeline:  School personnel should establish
relationships beginning in the fall
of 2014 and work on these on an
on-going basis.
 Development of a communication

7. to all partners by September 15
by email, mail letter, PTO
meetings, faculty and leadership
team meetings.
Measurement:  Documentation will be kept at the
school of dates for activities,
trainings, and specific partnership
initiatives. A brief survey will be
developed for partners and school
personnel in 2014-2015. This
will be beneficial to gather
feedback about community
engagement.
 Descriptive data will be recorded
and an Annual Report Data will
be completed by school for
accurate assessment of progress.
ELL (English Language Learners)
Definition:  Provide outreach to parents of
our students who are English
Language Learners (ELL),
so they feel welcomed and
supported.
Expectations:  Positive culturally-sensitive
communication. Contact parents
with good news about their child,
and consider cultural
implications first.
 Parent surveys given at the
beginning and end of school
year.
 Direct Contact- Teachers and
school administrators should
contact parents directly, through
phone calls, emails, and home
visits. Attending local events can
also help illustrate that school
staff is truly engaged and
interested in the community.
 Parent Ambassadors- Encourage
experienced or comfortable
parents to invite other families to
school events and to share
information on how to work with
the school, teachers, and the

8. education system.
 Translation Services- Allow the
school to become a
clearinghouse for community
organizations and materials that
serve bilingual individuals.
 Provide translation services at
all school meetings, parent-
teacher conferences, and other
parent engagement opportunities.
 Provide a translated version of
handouts, newsletters, and other
information in the parents’ native
language.
 Meeting Time-Have flexible
times during the day of school
events to minimize scheduling
conflicts for all parents and
encourage staff to be flexible and
persistent in seeking parent
involvement. For example, host
multiple sessions of parent-
teacher conferences that include
after school and evening hours as
well as a weekend sessions.
Contact parents who are still
unable to attend to schedule
personal meetings or conference
by phone or email.
 Host Meetings at Community
Sites- Parents who are new to the
American education system may
view the school as an authority
or find it intimidating.
Involving these families will
include, host meetings in the
community – where they are
already comfortable at locations
such as public libraries,
recreation centers, and parks.
Timeline:  Beginning of the 2014-2015
school year, implementation
providing the above
expectations to our ELL
students and families.

9.  Translators will be provided to
families that do not speak
English fluently.
Measurement/Cost:  Assessment Surveys, Parent
teacher conferences
documentations, Parent
Ambassadors meeting minutes,
Parent/Teacher communication
log sheets for each nine week
periods.
 Title I and Title III funds that are
used yearly from schools budget.
7. Rationale/Research Base
The research that is provided in my family engagement plan is supported by the CREDE
standards. I know that the most important element of this plan involves the students and
families. In reading the article, “Looking Out, Looking In” gave many suggestions on how to
engage the family and community within the schools. Pushor expressed how “a more honoring
and respectful approach is to start our work with families and communities by looking in a
different direction-inward” (2011). This statement allowed me to implement in the family
engagement plan the needs of my school to help students and families. I feel that it is not about
the educator but the students and families within the school to meet the necessary needs of
everyone involved. As educators, we have to build a culture that invites families in so that they
feel that they have a “voice” within their child’s school to be successful. If needs are not meet, I
feel it is a dis-service to our students, parents, and community because we have not provided
them with the necessary tools needed for success.
Moreover, Pushor expressed how teachers can gain understanding through their richness and
family life and complexities (2011). This statement was enriched by meeting with two of her
student’s parents who were being talked about because their clothes were dirty. Pushor
explained how she never told the parents what the meeting was regarding and when they came to
the classroom she made them feel welcomed. I feel that it is always important to allow parents
to feel safe and that they will open up about what my happening in their lives. This will allow
the teacher to be more understanding of the circumstances of their students. According to the
plan, I have emphasized engaging parents because this will allow a deeper understanding for
assumptions about families and communities. Also, having the leadership team and
administrators conduct summer trainings for professional development to help in examining
beliefs and looking inward towards about engaging parents and families. These are goals that I
have included in my family engagement plan that follows the CREDE standards because it is
meeting the needs of the students and families to collaborate with teachers, administrators and
stakeholders within the school.

10. References:
Henderson, A.T.& Mapp, K.L. A new wave of evidence: the impact of school, family, and
community connections on student achievement. Southwest Educational Development. 2002.
Epstein, Joyce. What research says about parent involvement in children’s education in relation
to academic achievement. The Center of School Family and Community Partnership at John
Hopkins. Michigan Department of Education: March 2002.
Pianta R. Implications of a developmental systems model for preventing and treating behavioral
disturbances in children and adolescents. In: Hughes J, LaGreca A, Conoley J, editors. Handbook
of psychological services for children and adolescents. Oxford University Press; New York:
2001. pp. 23–41.
Pianta RC, Nimetz SL. Relationships between children and teachers: Associations with
classroom and home behavior. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. 1991;12:379–
393.
Pushor, Debbie. Looking out, looking in: a partnership approach respects the strengths and
knowledge of student families. Educational Leadership. September 2011: 1-4.
Webster-Stratton C, Reid MJ, Hammond M. Preventing conduct problems, promoting social
competence: A parent and teacher training partnership in Head Start. Journal of Clinical Child
Psychology. 2001;3:283–302.[PubMed]