Many NNPS members have asked questions about NCLB's requirements for family and community involvement in Section 1118. One confusing term that we must understand is the school-parent compact. Just what is a compact?
Some schools interpret the school-parent compact as a pledge, which recognizes that parents, teachers, students, and administrators will work together to help students succeed. Often, parents are asked to sign pledges to be good partners in their children's education. A pledge is a symbolic communication that calls attention to the importance of partnerships. It may be included as one Type 2-Communicating activity in a school's One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships, but it is not a compact. If a pledge is used, and many Title I schools collect pledges annually, it should be signed by teachers, parents, and students-not by parents alone. You can find guidelines and a sample set of pledges in the NNPS Handbook for Action, Second Edition on pages 122-126.
Some schools interpret the school-parent compact as a plan for partnerships. In fact, NCLB is very clear that a school-parent compact is a detailed plan that outlines how educators and parents will work together to support student achievement. NCLB specifies that a compact outlines "the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state's high standards." NCLB also gives examples of activities for the six types of involvement to illustrate the content of a well-planned partnership program.
Why has the term "compact" been confusing? Many schools have used pledges for so long that educators are not aware of the current definition of a school-parent compact in Section 1118. It may be easier to collect pledges than to write a full plan with a clear schedule of activities, but NCLB is very clear—a school-parent compact is a comprehensive plan for partnerships linked to school goals for student achievement and success.
School teams and district and state leaders in NNPS know that the annual One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships is the school-parent compact. With input from all families, each school's Action Team for Partnerships writes an annual plan that outlines the schedule of activities for family and community involvement linked to school goals for student success. Members of the team and others in the school share responsibility for implementing involvement activities that help students improve reading and writing skills, math skills and scores, attendance, behavior, or other school goals. Other actions are implemented to sustain a welcoming environment for all educators, students, and families. You can find a template for a goal-linked, annual action plan that will serve as your school-parent compact in the NNPS Handbook for Action, Second Edition on pages 349-352.
NOTE: An earlier version of this article appeared as: Epstein, J. L. (2004). How middle schools can meet NCLB requirements for family involvement. Middle Ground, 8(1):14-17. Examples of activities were included from Collinwood Computech Middle/High School, Cleveland, OH; Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School, Cleveland, OH; Thurmont Middle School, Thurmont, MD; Madison Junior High, Naperville, IL; Richard E. Byrd Middle School, Sun Valley, CA; and Lowndes Middle School, Valdosta, GA.