II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 941 

To strengthen families’ engagement in the education of their children. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 10, 2011 

Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. COONS, and Mr. WHITEHOUSE) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To strengthen families’ engagement in the education of their 

children. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Family Engagement 

5 in Education Act of 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

7 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

Sec. 3. Findings; purpose. 

Sec. 4. Amendment references. 

Sec. 5. Family engagement in education. 

Sec. 6. State plans. 

Sec. 7. Local educational agency plans. 


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Sec. 8. Family engagement in education policy. 

Sec. 9. Prevention and intervention programs for children and youth who are 

neglected, delinquent, or at risk. 

Sec. 10. High-quality teachers and principals. 

Sec. 11. Family engagement in education programs. 

Sec. 12. Definitions. 

Sec. 13. Conforming amendments. 

Sec. 14. Government Accountability Office study and report. 

Sec. 15. Federal coordination of family engagement in education programming. 

1 SEC. 3. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Family engagement in a child’s education 

4 raises student achievement, improves behavior and 

5 attendance, decreases drop-out rates, and improves 

6 the emotional and physical well-being of children. 

7 (2) Families are critical determinants of chil8 dren’s school readiness as well as of students’ deci9 sion to pursue higher education. 

10 (3) Effective family engagement is a great 

11 equalizer for students, contributing to their in12 creased academic achievement, regardless of parents’ 

13 education level, ethnicity, or socioeconomic back14 ground. 

15 (4) Family engagement can raise student aca16 demic achievement so substantially that schools 

17 would need to increase spending by more than 

18 $1,000 per pupil to gain the same results. 

19 (5) Positive benefits for children, youth, fami20 lies, and schools are maximized through effective 

21 family engagement that— 


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1 (A) is a shared responsibility in which 

2 schools and other community agencies and or3 ganizations are committed to reaching out to 

4 engage families in meaningful ways and families 

5 are committed to actively supporting their chil6 dren’s learning and development; 

7 (B) is continuous across a child’s life from 

8 birth to young adulthood; and 

9 (C) reinforces learning that takes place in 

10 all settings. 

11 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to 

12 strengthen families’ engagement in the education of their 

13 children. 

14 SEC. 4. AMENDMENT REFERENCES. 

15 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 

16 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 

17 of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi18 sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 

19 section or other provision of the Elementary and Sec20 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.). 

21 SEC. 5. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION. 

22 (a) FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AND RESPONSIBILITY

23 FUND.—Title I (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) is amended by 

24 adding after section 1004 the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 1005. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AND RESPONSIBILITY 

2 FUND. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each State educational agency 

4 may reserve not more than 1 percent of such agency’s allo5 cated funds under section 1122 for each fiscal year for 

6 use as provided in subsection (b). 

7 ‘‘(b) USE OF RESERVED FUNDS.—From the amounts 

8 reserved for each fiscal year under subsection (a), each 

9 State educational agency shall— 

10 ‘‘(1) reserve not less than 85 percent for Local 

11 Family Engagement Centers under section 1006; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(2) reserve not more than 15 percent for State 

14 educational agency capacity for family engagement 

15 activities under section 1007.’’. 

16 (b) LOCAL FAMILY ENGAGEMENT CENTERS PRO17 GRAM.—Title I (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) is amended by 

18 adding after section 1005, as added by subsection (a), the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 1006. LOCAL FAMILY ENGAGEMENT CENTERS PRO21 GRAM. 

22 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to es23 tablish and operate Local Family Engagement Centers 

24 and to evaluate the usefulness and effectiveness of innova25 tive approaches demonstrated by these centers in engaging 

26 families in their children’s education by providing training, 


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1 services, supports, and opportunities that meet families’ 

2 needs and remove barriers to their engagement in their 

3 children’s education to improve student achievement. 

4 ‘‘(b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—From the funds re5 served to carry out this section under section 1005(b)(1), 

6 a State educational agency shall award grants or enter 

7 into contracts and cooperative agreements with eligible en8 tities to establish and operate Local Family Engagement 

9 Centers. 

10 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this section, the term 

11 ‘eligible entity’ means a private, nonprofit organization 

12 that— 

13 ‘‘(1) has a demonstrated record of working with 

14 low-income parents and families in the community; 

15 ‘‘(2) is located in a community with elementary 

16 schools and secondary schools that receive funds 

17 under part A and is accessible to families of stu18 dents in those schools; and 

19 ‘‘(3) is partnering with 1 or more local edu20 cational agencies or 1 or more schools that receive 

21 funds under part A. 

22 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION FOR GRANTS.—To receive a grant 

23 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit an appli24 cation to the State educational agency at such time, in 


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1 such manner, and accompanied by such information as the 

2 State educational agency may require, including— 

3 ‘‘(1) a description of the entity’s approach on 

4 family engagement in education, including its use of 

5 strength-based strategies; 

6 ‘‘(2) information demonstrating that the appli7 cant meets the definition of an eligible entity; 

8 ‘‘(3) information that the applicant has the ca9 pacity to operate a center capable of conducting the 

10 training, services, and support activities to fulfill the 

11 purposes of a Local Family Engagement Center; 

12 ‘‘(4) information that the applicant will struc13 ture and operate a center of sufficient scope and 

14 quality adequate to serve the needs of the local area 

15 in which it is located; 

16 ‘‘(5) a description of the entity’s experience in 

17 providing training, services, and support to low-in18 come parents and families, English language learn19 ers, minorities, parents of students with disabilities, 

20 parents of homeless students, foster parents, and 

21 parents of migrant students; 

22 ‘‘(6) a description of the collaboration with the 

23 local educational agency or school personnel in the 

24 geographic area to be served by the center; 


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1 ‘‘(7) a description of the steering committee, a 

2 majority of whose members are parents of students 

3 in schools that receive funds under part A, that will 

4 direct and implement the activities of the Local 

5 Family Engagement Center; 

6 ‘‘(8) a description of how the entity will coordi7 nate its efforts with the Statewide Family Engage8 ment Centers under subpart 16 of part D of title V 

9 in the State; 

10 ‘‘(9) information that the applicant is capable 

11 of meeting milestones or deadlines as the State edu12 cational agency may prescribe; and 

13 ‘‘(10) such other information as the State edu14 cational agency determines necessary. 

15 ‘‘(e) USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that re16 ceives a grant under this section shall establish and oper17 ate a Local Family Engagement Center and use the grant 

18 funds to provide training, services, and supports to engage 

19 families in their children’s education and to build the 

20 school-family partnerships necessary to ensure that all 

21 children are on track to graduate from high school ready 

22 for college and careers, such as through— 

23 ‘‘(1) assisting parents and families in under24 standing how they can improve student achievement, 

25 including how to access ongoing student performVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:51 May 12, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S941.IS S941

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1 ance data and related information to support learn2 ing in the classroom with activities at home, and in 

3 afterschool and extracurricular activities; 

4 ‘‘(2) training parents and families on effective 

5 ongoing communication with their children, teachers, 

6 principals, counselors, administrators, and other 

7 school personnel; 

8 ‘‘(3) providing direct services to families, such 

9 as home visitation, family literacy programs, and 

10 health and behavioral health services to meet the 

11 needs of families and remove barriers for engaging 

12 in the education of their children; 

13 ‘‘(4) providing advocacy services to ensure that 

14 families can fully participate in their children’s edu15 cation; 

16 ‘‘(5) providing supports such as transportation, 

17 childcare, and meals to facilitate families’ engage18 ment in programs implemented or assisted by the 

19 Center; 

20 ‘‘(6) assisting parents and families in under21 standing how they can prepare their children aca22 demically, socially, and financially for postsecondary 

23 education, including early awareness of the avail24 ability of student financial assistance; and 


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1 ‘‘(7) improving the coordination, availability, 

2 and effectiveness of integrated services and com3 prehensive supports for children and families. 

4 ‘‘(f) EVALUATION AND ANNUAL REPORT.—A State 

5 educational agency shall— 

6 ‘‘(1) evaluate the effectiveness of the grants 

7 funded under this section; and 

8 ‘‘(2) issue an annual report on the implementa9 tion of such grants, describing any practices the 

10 State determines to be most effective or innovative 

11 for fulfilling the purposes of the Local Family En12 gagement Centers.’’. 

13 (c) STATE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATING

14 COUNCILS.—Title I (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) is amended 

15 by adding after section 1006, as added by subsection (b), 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 1007. STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY CAPACITY FOR 

18 FAMILY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES. 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each State educational agency 

20 shall administer and expend funds reserved under section 

21 1005(b)(2) to— 

22 ‘‘(1) provide for the establishment of a state23 wide family engagement coordinating council; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) support the development and implementa2 tion of a statewide family engagement in education 

3 plan. 

4 ‘‘(b) STATE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATING

5 COUNCILS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State educational 

7 agency that receives funds under part A shall estab8 lish a State Family Engagement Coordinating Coun9 cil (referred to in this section as a ‘Council’) to en10 sure coordination and integration of family engage11 ment in education activities across the education 

12 spectrum. 

13 ‘‘(2) REPORTING RESPONSIBILITY.—Each 

14 Council shall report to the Governor and the Chief 

15 State School Officer of the State on the Council’s 

16 findings and recommendations regarding family en17 gagement in education and such other information 

18 as the Governor may request. 

19 ‘‘(3) APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Governor of the 

21 State, in consultation with the State edu22 cational agency, shall determine the number of 

23 members to serve on the Council and their term 

24 of office, and shall appoint such members, ini25 tially, for a full term or for a period of less 


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1 than a full term, as the Governor determines 

2 appropriate. Such members shall include rep3 resentatives of— 

4 ‘‘(i) State educational agency pro5 grams, Statewide Family Engagement 

6 Centers under subpart 16 of part D of title 

7 V, and Local Family Engagement Centers 

8 under section 1006 operating in the State; 

9 ‘‘(ii) parent training and information 

10 centers and community parent resource 

11 centers assisted under sections 671 and 

12 672 of the Individuals with Disabilities 

13 Education Act, operating in the State; 

14 ‘‘(iii) the State parent teacher associa15 tion and other parent groups; 

16 ‘‘(iv) family members, students, teach17 ers, and school administrators; 

18 ‘‘(v) the State’s advisory council on 

19 early childhood education and care; 

20 ‘‘(vi) colleges and universities; and 

21 ‘‘(vii) nonprofit organizations and 

22 State governmental agencies serving chil23 dren and families. 

24 ‘‘(B) RESTRICTION ON GOVERNMENT EM25 PLOYEES.—Not more than 50 percent of the 


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1 Council members shall be employees of a State 

2 or local unit of government. 

3 ‘‘(4) DUTIES OF THE COUNCIL.—Duties of the 

4 Council shall include any duties the Governor may 

5 specify and the following duties: 

6 ‘‘(A) Establish a statewide vision of family 

7 engagement in education that is consistent 

8 with, and leverages, Federal family engagement 

9 in education resources and initiatives. 

10 ‘‘(B) Encourage consistency in family en11 gagement in education policies and practices 

12 across learning settings along the child and 

13 youth life span. 

14 ‘‘(C) Coordinate Federal, State, and local 

15 family engagement in education programs and 

16 activities. 

17 ‘‘(D) Coordinate family engagement in 

18 education programs and activities across early 

19 childhood, school-age, vocational and technical, 

20 and higher education programs. 

21 ‘‘(E) Identify opportunities for family en22 gagement in education collaboration and re23 source sharing among State educational agen24 cies, local educational agencies, and organiza25 tions that support family-school partnerships. 


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1 ‘‘(F) Review the family engagement in 

2 education component of the State plan prepared 

3 under section 1111(d) and submit to the State 

4 educational agency and to the Governor any 

5 recommendations of the Council for modifica6 tions to the plan. 

7 ‘‘(G) Visit local educational agencies, 

8 schools, and other learning settings to support 

9 the implementation and monitoring of family 

10 engagement in education policies, practices, and 

11 uses of funds. 

12 ‘‘(c) USES OF FUNDS.—Each State may use funds 

13 reserved under section 1005(b)(2) to support the develop14 ment and implementation of the statewide family engage15 ment in education plan described in section 1111(d) 

16 through activities such as— 

17 ‘‘(1) supporting an office or staff positions 

18 within the agency dedicated to family engagement; 

19 ‘‘(2) carrying out the State’s responsibilities 

20 under the Local Family Engagement Centers Pro21 gram under section 1006; 

22 ‘‘(3) developing and implementing a statewide 

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1 efit from training and support related to family en2 gagement in education; 

3 ‘‘(4) reviewing local educational agencies’ family 

4 engagement policies and practices as provided by 

5 sections 1112(b)(1)(P) and 1118(i), and evaluating 

6 the use of funds under this subsection; 

7 ‘‘(5) coordinating technical assistance and sup8 port to local educational agencies with schools that 

9 would benefit from training and support related to 

10 family engagement in education with the Statewide 

11 Family Engagement Centers; 

12 ‘‘(6) developing curricula for professional devel13 opment for teachers, principals, school librarians, 

14 and other school leaders on improving family en15 gagement in education; 

16 ‘‘(7) developing standards and curricula for 

17 family engagement in education for teacher and 

18 principal preparation programs; and 

19 ‘‘(8) coordinating statewide services related to 

20 early education, higher education, child health and 

21 welfare, after-school programs, community service22 learning programs, and other programs to develop 

23 coordinated family engagement in education policies, 

24 practices, and services.’’. 


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1 (d) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con2 tents in section 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu3 cation Act of 1965 is amended by inserting after the item 

4 relating to section 1004 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 1005. Family engagement and responsibility fund. 

‘‘Sec. 1006. Local Family Engagement Centers Program. 

‘‘Sec. 1007. State educational agency capacity for family engagement activities.’’. 

5 SEC. 6. STATE PLANS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1111(d) (20 U.S.C. 

7 6311(d)) is amended to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘(d) FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.—Each State plan shall 

9 include a plan for strengthening family engagement in 

10 education. Each such plan shall, at a minimum, include— 

11 ‘‘(1) a description of the State’s criteria and 

12 schedule for review and approval of local educational 

13 agency engagement policies and practices pursuant 

14 to sections 1112(e)(3) and 1118(i); 

15 ‘‘(2) a description of the State’s system and 

16 process for assessing local educational agency imple17 mentation of section 1118 responsibilities; 

18 ‘‘(3) a description of the State’s criteria for 

19 identifying local educational agencies that would 

20 benefit from training and support related to family 

21 engagement in education; 

22 ‘‘(4) a description of the State’s statewide sys23 tem of technical assistance and support for local 


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1 educational agencies and schools on family engage2 ment in education; 

3 ‘‘(5) an assurance that the State will refer to 

4 Statewide Family Engagement Centers those local 

5 educational agencies that would benefit from train6 ing and support related to family engagement in 

7 education; 

8 ‘‘(6) a plan for using funds received under sec9 tion 1005; 

10 ‘‘(7) a description of the relationship between 

11 the State educational agency and Statewide and 

12 Local Family Engagement Centers, parent training 

13 and information centers, and community parent re14 source centers in the State established under sec15 tions 671 and 672 of the Individuals with Disabil16 ities Education Act; and 

17 ‘‘(8) a plan for establishing a State Family En18 gagement Coordinating Council or, if a similar entity 

19 exists, a description of the composition and activities 

20 of such similar entity.’’. 

21 (b) REPORTS.— 

22 (1) ANNUAL STATE REPORT.—Section 

23 1111(h)(4) (20 U.S.C. 6311(h)(4)) is amended— 

24 (A) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

25 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 


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1 (B) in subparagraph (G), by striking the 

2 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

3 and 

4 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(H) the number of schools and the name 

6 of each school that would benefit from training 

7 and support related to family engagement in 

8 education, the reason why such school was so 

9 identified, and the measures taken to address 

10 the need for training and support; and 

11 ‘‘(I) information on the State educational 

12 agency’s family engagement in education pro13 grams and activities.’’. 

14 (2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Section 1111(j) 

15 (20 U.S.C. 6311(j)) is amended by inserting ‘‘the 

16 development and implementation of policies and pro17 cedures for family engagement in education,’’ after 

18 ‘‘reliable,’’. 

19 SEC. 7. LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY PLANS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1112(b)(1)(P) (20 U.S.C. 

21 6312(b)(1)(P)) is amended to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘(P) a description of the strategy the local 

23 educational agency will use to implement and 

24 assess family engagement in education under 

25 section 1118;’’. 


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1 (b) ENGAGEMENT IN DEVELOPING PLANS.—Section 

2 1112(b)(1) (20 U.S.C. 6312(b)(1)) is amended— 

3 (1) by redesignating subparagraph (Q) as sub4 paragraph (S); 

5 (2) in subparagraph (P), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

6 after the semicolon; and 

7 (3) by inserting after subparagraph (P) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(Q) a description of how the local edu10 cational agency will engage families in the de11 velopment, implementation, and assessment of 

12 local educational agency plans; 

13 ‘‘(R) a description of how the local edu14 cation agency will improve teacher and principal 

15 knowledge and skills in effectively engaging par16 ents in their children’s education; and’’. 

17 SEC. 8. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION POLICY. 

18 (a) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY DEVELOPMENT

19 OF POLICIES AND PRACTICES.—Section 1118 (20 U.S.C. 

20 6318) is amended— 

21 (1) by redesignating subsections (a) through (h) 

22 as subsections (b) through (i), respectively; and 

23 (2) by inserting before subsection (b), as redes24 ignated by paragraph (1), the following: 


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1 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each local educational agency 

2 and each school receiving funds under this part shall de3 velop policies and practices for family engagement in edu4 cation that meet the following principles and standards for 

5 family-school partnerships: 

6 ‘‘(1) Welcome all families to be active partici7 pants in the life of the school, so that they feel val8 ued, connected to each other and to school staff and 

9 to what students are learning in class. 

10 ‘‘(2) Communicate effectively by ensuring reg11 ular two-way, meaningful communication between 

12 family members and local educational agency and 

13 school staff in a manner, language, and with tech14 nology that family members can understand and ac15 cess. 

16 ‘‘(3) Support student success by fostering con17 tinuous collaboration between family members and 

18 local educational agency and school staff to support 

19 student learning and healthy development at school 

20 and at home. 

21 ‘‘(4) Speak up for every child and empower 

22 family members to be advocates for all students 

23 within the school. 


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1 ‘‘(5) Ensure that family members, local edu2 cational agencies, and school staff are equal partners 

3 in family engagement in education decisionmaking. 

4 ‘‘(6) Collaborate with community organizations 

5 and groups to turn the school into a hub of commu6 nity life. 

7 ‘‘(7) Create a continuum of family engagement 

8 in education in student learning and development 

9 from birth to young adulthood. 

10 ‘‘(8) Train and support superintendents, prin11 cipals, and teachers to fully engage families in the 

12 education of their children.’’. 

13 (b) WRITTEN POLICY.—Section 1118(b)(2), as redes14 ignated by subsection (a), is amended— 

15 (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘(e)’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘(f)’’; 

17 (2) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

18 after the semicolon; 

19 (3) in subparagraph (F), by striking the period 

20 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

21 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(G) participate in evaluations of the effec23 tiveness of family engagement in education 

24 strategies and policies; and 


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1 ‘‘(H) participate in developing rec2 ommendations for creating a positive school cli3 mate and safe and healthy schools.’’. 

4 (c) RESERVATION.—Section 1118(b)(3)(A), as redes5 ignated by subsection (a), is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each local educational 

7 agency shall reserve not less than 2 percent of 

8 its allocation under subpart 2 to carry out this 

9 section.’’. 

10 (d) RESERVED FUNDS.—Section 1118(b)(3), as re11 designated by subsection (a), is amended— 

12 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and 

13 (C) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respectively; and 

14 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(B) USE OF FUNDS.—Funds reserved 

17 under subparagraph (A) may be used for pur18 poses including the following: 

19 ‘‘(i) Increasing capacity through es20 tablishment of a dedicated office or dedi21 cated personnel within the local edu22 cational agency or at the school level for 

23 family engagement in education. 

24 ‘‘(ii) Supporting schools and nonprofit 

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1 velopment on family engagement in edu2 cation for school staff, parent leadership 

3 training, family literacy and numeracy pro4 grams, home visitation programs, family 

5 volunteerism programs, and other innova6 tive programs that meaningfully engage 

7 families. 

8 ‘‘(iii) Developing and implementing 

9 local educational agency family engage10 ment in education data-collection systems 

11 and indicators. 

12 ‘‘(iv) Assessing and providing rec13 ommendations on school family engage14 ment in education policies, practices, and 

15 use of funds. 

16 ‘‘(v) Providing technical assistance 

17 and training to schools on the implementa18 tion and assessment of family engagement 

19 in education policies and practices. 

20 ‘‘(vi) Providing additional support to 

21 schools that have been identified for im22 provement under section 1116(b) to assist 

23 in their implementation of family engage24 ment in education, including the hiring 


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1 and maintenance of family engagement co2 ordinators. 

3 ‘‘(vii) Partnering with Local Family 

4 Engagement Centers or community-based 

5 organizations to identify community re6 sources, services, and supports to remove 

7 economic obstacles to family engagement 

8 in education by meeting families’ needs. 

9 ‘‘(viii) Supporting schools and eligible 

10 entities in the development of early child11 hood programs that promote family en12 gagement in education and school readi13 ness. 

14 ‘‘(ix) Establishing and supporting an 

15 advisory group comprised of families, edu16 cators, and nonprofit organizations to de17 velop recommendations to strengthen fam18 ily engagement in education from birth to 

19 young adulthood. 

20 ‘‘(x) Assisting schools in the develop21 ment, implementation, and assessment of 

22 family engagement in education plans. 

23 ‘‘(xi) Monitoring and evaluating the 

24 family engagement in education policies 

25 and practices funded under this section. 


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1 ‘‘(xii) Partnering with Local Family 

2 Engagement Centers or Statewide Family 

3 Engagement Centers to assist the local 

4 educational agency and participating 

5 schools in the implementation of this sec6 tion. 

7 ‘‘(xiii) Supporting other activities ap8 proved in the local education agency’s plan 

9 for improving family engagement.’’. 

10 (e) SCHOOL PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY.— 

11 Section 1118(c)(1), as redesignated by subsection (a), is 

12 amended in the first sentence by striking ‘‘(c) through (f)’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘(d) through (g)’’. 

14 (f) SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIGH STUDENT

15 ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.—Section 1118(e), as redesig16 nated by subsection (a), is amended— 

17 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

18 striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

19 (c)’’; and 

20 (2) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(1) describe the school’s responsibility to— 

23 ‘‘(A) provide high-quality curriculum and 

24 instruction in a supportive and effective learn25 ing environment that enables the children 


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1 served under this part to meet the State’s stu2 dent academic achievement standards, and the 

3 ways in which each parent will support their 

4 children’s learning, such as— 

5 ‘‘(i) monitoring attendance and home6 work completion; 

7 ‘‘(ii) volunteering in their child’s 

8 classroom or school; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) participating, as appropriate, in 

10 decisions relating to the education of their 

11 children and positive use of extracurricular 

12 time; and 

13 ‘‘(B) engage family members in the devel14 opment of recommendations for student attend15 ance, expectations, behavior, and school safety, 

16 including the development of reasonable dis17 ciplinary policies and behavioral interventions, 

18 such as the implementation of school-wide posi19 tive behavior interventions and supports and 

20 the phase-out of out-of-school suspension and 

21 expulsion; and’’. 


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1 SEC. 9. PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION PROGRAMS FOR 

2 CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO ARE NE3 GLECTED, DELINQUENT, OR AT RISK. 

4 (a) STATE PLAN AND STATE AGENCY APPLICA5 TIONS.—Section 1414 (20 U.S.C. 6434) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 

7 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

8 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

9 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 

10 subparagraph (D); and 

11 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘(C) that contains an assurance that each 

14 child or youth serviced by the program will have 

15 a transition plan developed in partnership with 

16 families and aftercare providers that will place 

17 the child or youth on a path to career and col18 lege readiness; and’’; and 

19 (2) in subsection (c)— 

20 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (15) 

21 through (19) as paragraphs (17) through (21), 

22 respectively; and 

23 (B) by inserting after paragraph (14) the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(15) describes how the State agency will im2 plement family engagement in education policies and 

3 practices that align with section 1118; 

4 ‘‘(16) includes an assurance that the State 

5 agency will establish, for each child or youth served 

6 under this subpart, an educational services and tran7 sition plan that is developed in consultation with the 

8 child or youth, family members of the child or youth, 

9 and the local educational agency or alternative edu10 cation program that will receive the child or youth 

11 following their period of service under this sub12 part;’’. 

13 (b) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY APPLICATIONS.— 

14 Section 1423 (20 U.S.C. 6453) is amended— 

15 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (9) through 

16 (13) as paragraphs (11) through (15), respectively; 

17 and 

18 (2) by inserting after paragraph (8) the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(9) a description of how schools will implement 

21 family engagement in education policies and prac22 tices that align with the provisions of section 1118; 

23 ‘‘(10) an assurance that the local educational 

24 agency will establish for each child or youth served 

25 under this subpart an educational services plan that 


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1 is developed in consultation with the child or youth, 

2 family members of the child or youth, and the local 

3 educational agency or alternative education program 

4 receiving the child or youth following their period of 

5 service under this subpart;’’. 

6 (c) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS FOR CORRECTIONAL

7 FACILITIES RECEIVING FUNDS UNDER THIS SECTION.— 

8 Section 1425 (20 U.S.C. 6455) is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

10 the semicolon; 

11 (2) by striking the period at the end of para12 graph (11) and inserting a semicolon; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(12) prepare an educational services and tran15 sition plan for each child or youth served by the pro16 gram, in partnership with families and aftercare pro17 viders, consistent with section 1414(a)(1)(C); and 

18 ‘‘(13) establish for each child or youth residing 

19 in the facility and serviced by this subpart an edu20 cational services and transition plan that is devel21 oped in consultation with the child or youth, family 

22 members of the child or youth, and the local edu23 cational agency or alternative education program re24 ceiving the child or youth following their period of 

25 service under this subpart.’’. 


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1 SEC. 10. HIGH-QUALITY TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS. 

2 (a) STATE APPLICATION CONTENTS.—Section 

3 2112(b) (20 U.S.C. 6612(b)) is amended by adding at the 

4 end the following: 

5 ‘‘(13) A description of how the State edu6 cational agency will improve teacher and principal 

7 knowledge and skill in effectively engaging families 

8 in their children’s education.’’. 

9 (b) STATE ACTIVITIES.—Section 2113(c) (20 U.S.C. 

10 6613(c)) is amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (12) through 

12 (18) as paragraphs (13) through (19), respectively; 

13 and 

14 (2) by inserting after paragraph (11) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(12) Training of teachers and principals on 

17 how to effectively engage families in their children’s 

18 education.’’. 

19 SEC. 11. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS. 

20 (a) HEADING.—The heading for subpart 16 of part 

21 D of title V is amended to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘Subpart 16—Family Engagement in Education 

23 Programs’’. 

24 (b) FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.—Section 5561 (20 

25 U.S.C. 7273) is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 5561. PURPOSES. 

2 ‘‘The purposes of this subpart are the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) To provide financial support to nonprofit 

4 organizations to build the capacity of and provide 

5 technical assistance and training to States and local 

6 educational agencies in the implementation and en7 hancement of successful systemic and effective fam8 ily engagement policies, programs, and activities 

9 that lead to improvements in student development 

10 and academic achievement. 

11 ‘‘(2) To assist State educational agencies, local 

12 educational agencies, and community-based organi13 zations in strengthening partnerships among parents 

14 (including parents of children under the age of 6), 

15 teachers, principals, administrators, and other school 

16 personnel in meeting the educational needs of chil17 dren. 

18 ‘‘(3) To support State educational agencies and 

19 local educational agencies in developing and 

20 strengthening the relationship between parents and 

21 their children’s school in order to further the devel22 opmental progress of children. 

23 ‘‘(4) To coordinate activities funded under this 

24 subpart with engagement in education initiatives 

25 funded under section 1118 and other provisions of 

26 this Act. 


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1 ‘‘(5) To assist the Secretary, State educational 

2 agencies, and local educational agencies in the co3 ordination and integration of Federal, State, and 

4 local services and programs to engage families in 

5 education.’’. 

6 (c) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—Section 5562 (20 U.S.C. 

7 7273a) is amended to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 5562. GRANTS AUTHORIZED. 

9 ‘‘(a) STATEWIDE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT CENTERS.— 

10 The Secretary is authorized to award grants for each fiscal 

11 year to statewide nonprofit organizations (and consortia 

12 of such organizations and State educational agencies), to 

13 establish Statewide Family Engagement Centers that pro14 vide comprehensive training, technical assistance, and ca15 pacity building to State educational agencies, local edu16 cational agencies, schools identified by State educational 

17 agencies and local educational agencies, organizations that 

18 support family-school partnerships (such as parent-teach19 er associations and Parents as Teachers organizations), 

20 and other organizations that carry out parent education 

21 and family engagement in education programs. 

22 ‘‘(b) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—In awarding 

23 grants under this section, the Secretary shall, to the extent 

24 practicable, ensure that a grant is— 


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1 ‘‘(1) awarded for a Statewide Family Engage2 ment Center in each State and outlying area; and 

3 ‘‘(2) in an amount of not less than $500,000.’’. 

4 (d) APPLICATIONS.—Section 5563 (20 U.S.C. 

5 7273b) is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 5563. APPLICATIONS. 

7 ‘‘(a) SUBMISSIONS.—Each statewide nonprofit orga8 nization, or a consortium of such an organization and a 

9 State educational agency, that desires a grant under sec10 tion 5562 shall submit an application to the Secretary at 

11 such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such in12 formation as the Secretary may require. 

13 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted under 

14 paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) A description of the applicant’s approach 

16 to family engagement in education, including the use 

17 of strength-based strategies. 

18 ‘‘(2) A description of the applicant’s plan for 

19 building a statewide infrastructure for family en20 gagement in education, that includes— 

21 ‘‘(A) management capacity and govern22 ance; 

23 ‘‘(B) statewide leadership; 

24 ‘‘(C) systemic services for family engage25 ment in education; 


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1 ‘‘(D) capacity building for State edu2 cational agencies, local educational agencies, 

3 and schools; 

4 ‘‘(E) alignment with title I; and 

5 ‘‘(F) learning and improvement. 

6 ‘‘(3) A description of the applicant’s experience 

7 in providing training, information, and support to 

8 State educational agencies, local educational agen9 cies, schools, and nonprofit organizations on family 

10 engagement in education polices and practices that 

11 are effective for low-income parents and families, 

12 English language learners, minorities, parents of 

13 students with disabilities, parents of homeless stu14 dents, foster parents and students, and parents of 

15 migrant students. 

16 ‘‘(4) An assurance that the applicant will— 

17 ‘‘(A) be— 

18 ‘‘(i) governed by a board of directors, 

19 the membership of which includes parents 

20 of school-aged children; or 

21 ‘‘(ii) an organization or consortium 

22 that represents the interests of parents; 

23 ‘‘(B) establish a special advisory com24 mittee, the membership of which includes— 


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1 ‘‘(i) parents of children from birth 

2 through young adulthood, who shall con3 stitute a majority of the members of the 

4 special advisory committee; 

5 ‘‘(ii) representatives of the State par6 ent teacher association; 

7 ‘‘(iii) representatives of education pro8 fessionals with expertise in improving serv9 ices for disadvantaged children; 

10 ‘‘(iv) representatives of local elemen11 tary schools and secondary schools, includ12 ing students, disadvantaged youth, and 

13 representatives from local youth organiza14 tions; and 

15 ‘‘(v) representatives of State edu16 cational agencies and local educational 

17 agencies; 

18 ‘‘(C) use not less than 65 percent of the 

19 funds received under this subpart in each fiscal 

20 year to serve local educational agencies, schools, 

21 and community-based organizations that serve 

22 high concentrations of low-income families and 

23 disadvantaged children and youth, including 

24 English language learners, minorities, parents 

25 of students with disabilities, parents of homeVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:51 May 12, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S941.IS S941

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1 less students, foster parents and students, and 

2 parents of migrant students; 

3 ‘‘(D) operate a center of sufficient size, 

4 scope, and quality to ensure that the center is 

5 adequate to serve the State educational agen6 cies, local educational agencies, and community7 based organizations; 

8 ‘‘(E) serve urban, suburban, and rural 

9 local educational agencies and schools; 

10 ‘‘(F) work with— 

11 ‘‘(i) State educational agencies and 

12 local educational agencies and schools; 

13 ‘‘(ii) other Statewide Family Engage14 ment Centers assisted under this subpart; 

15 ‘‘(iii) Local Family Engagement Cen16 ters assisted under section 1006; 

17 ‘‘(iv) parent training and information 

18 centers and community parent resource 

19 centers assisted under sections 671 and 

20 672 of the Individuals with Disabilities 

21 Education Act; 

22 ‘‘(v) clearinghouses; and 

23 ‘‘(vi) other organizations and agen24 cies; 


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1 ‘‘(G) use not less than 30 percent of the 

2 funds received under this section in each fiscal 

3 year to establish or expand technical assistance 

4 for evidence-based early childhood parent edu5 cation programs; 

6 ‘‘(H) provide assistance to State edu7 cational agencies and local educational agencies 

8 and community-based organizations that sup9 port family members in areas such as assist10 ance in understanding State and local stand11 ards and measures of student and school aca12 demic achievement and strategies for sup13 porting school academic achievement; and 

14 ‘‘(I) work with State educational agencies, 

15 local educational agencies, and schools to deter16 mine parental needs and the best means for de17 livery of services to address such needs.’’. 

18 (e) USES OF FUNDS.—Section 5564 (20 U.S.C. 

19 7273c) is amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 5564. USES OF FUNDS. 

21 ‘‘Grantees shall use grant funds received under sec22 tion 5562 to provide training, technical assistance, and ca23 pacity building to State educational agencies, local edu24 cational agencies, and organizations that support familyVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:51 May 12, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S941.IS S941

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1 school partnerships, to enable those agencies and organi2 zations— 

3 ‘‘(1) to assist parents in participating effectively 

4 in their children’s education and to help their chil5 dren meet State and local standards, such as assist6 ing parents— 

7 ‘‘(A) to engage in activities that will im8 prove student academic achievement, including 

9 understanding how they can support learning in 

10 the classroom with activities at home and in 

11 afterschool and extracurricular programs; 

12 ‘‘(B) to communicate effectively with their 

13 children, teachers, principals, counselors, ad14 ministrators, and other school personnel; 

15 ‘‘(C) to become active participants in the 

16 development, implementation, and review of 

17 school-parent compacts, family engagement in 

18 education policies, and school planning and im19 provement; 

20 ‘‘(D) to participate in the design and pro21 vision of assistance to students who are not 

22 making adequate academic progress; 

23 ‘‘(E) to participate in State and local deci24 sionmaking; 

25 ‘‘(F) to train other parents; and 


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1 ‘‘(G) to help the parents learn and use 

2 technology applied in their children’s education; 

3 ‘‘(2) to develop and implement, in partnership 

4 with the State educational agency, a statewide fam5 ily engagement in education policy and systemic ini6 tiatives that will provide for a continuum of services 

7 to remove barriers for family engagement in edu8 cation and support school reform efforts; and 

9 ‘‘(3) to develop, implement, and assess family 

10 engagement in education policies and plans under 

11 sections 1112 and 1118.’’. 

12 (f) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.—Section 5565 (20 

13 U.S.C. 7273d) is amended to read as follows: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 5565. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

15 ‘‘(a) MATCHING FUNDS FOR GRANT RENEWAL.— 

16 For each fiscal year after the first fiscal year for which 

17 an organization or consortium receives assistance under 

18 this subpart, the organization or consortium shall dem19 onstrate in the application that a portion of the services 

20 provided by the organization or consortium is supported 

21 through non-Federal contributions, which may be in cash 

22 or in-kind. 

23 ‘‘(b) SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION.—Each organi24 zation or consortium receiving assistance under this sub25 part shall submit to the Secretary, on an annual basis, 


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1 information on the activities it has carried out using grant 

2 funds received under section 5562, including reporting on 

3 metrics developed under section 5567. 

4 ‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

5 reserve not more than 5 percent of the funds appropriated 

6 to carry out this subpart to provide technical assistance, 

7 by grant or contract, for the establishment, development, 

8 and coordination of Statewide Family Engagement Cen9 ters, including their establishment of statewide infrastruc10 tures for family engagement in education. 

11 ‘‘(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub12 part shall be construed to prohibit a Statewide Family En13 gagement Center from— 

14 ‘‘(1) having its employees or agents meet with 

15 a parent at a site that is not on school grounds; or 

16 ‘‘(2) working with another agency that serves 

17 children. 

18 ‘‘(e) PARENTAL RIGHTS.—Notwithstanding any 

19 other provision of this subpart— 

20 ‘‘(1) no person (including a parent who edu21 cates a child at home, a public school parent, or a 

22 private school parent) shall be required to partici23 pate in any program of parent education or develop24 mental screening under this subpart; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) no program or center assisted under this 

2 subpart shall take any action that infringes in any 

3 manner on the right of a parent to direct the edu4 cation of their children.’’. 

5 (g) FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN INDIAN SCHOOLS.— 

6 Section 5566 (20 U.S.C. 7273e) is amended to read as 

7 follows: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 5566. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN INDIAN SCHOOL. 

9 ‘‘The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with 

10 the Secretary of Education, shall establish, or enter into 

11 contracts and cooperative agreements with local Indian 

12 nonprofit parent organizations to establish and operate, 

13 Local Family Engagement Centers and shall establish a 

14 national Indian Family Engagement Coordinating Council 

15 modeled on the State Family Engagement Coordinating 

16 Council as described in section 1007.’’. 

17 (h) RESEARCH AND EVALUATION FOR EFFECTIVE

18 FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION.—Subpart 16 of 

19 part D of title V (20 U.S.C. 7273 et seq.) is amended 

20 by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 5567. RESEARCH AND EVALUATION FOR FAMILY EN22 GAGEMENT IN EDUCATION. 

23 ‘‘(a) DEVELOPMENT OF METRICS FOR FAMILY EN24 GAGEMENT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of en25 actment of the Family Engagement in Education Act of 


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1 2011, the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, 

2 after consultation with the advisory committee established 

3 under subsection (b), shall develop recommended metrics 

4 on family engagement in education for State educational 

5 agencies and local educational agencies that receive funds 

6 under section 1118 and provide recommendations on the 

7 integration of metrics into State accountability and longi8 tudinal data systems. 

9 ‘‘(b) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—The Secretary shall 

10 appoint an advisory committee, including researchers and 

11 representatives from national nonprofit organizations with 

12 expertise in family engagement in education, to make 

13 data-driven recommendations regarding metrics required 

14 under subsection (a). 

15 ‘‘(c) RESEARCH FOR EFFECTIVE FAMILY ENGAGE16 MENT IN EDUCATION.—The Secretary shall reserve not 

17 more than 5 percent of funds appropriated to carry out 

18 this subpart to conduct research on effective family en19 gagement in education, including through awarding grants 

20 and entering into contracts with eligible entities. Such re21 search may include— 

22 ‘‘(1) exploratory research to discover the under23 lying processes or components of family engagement 

24 programs that are associated with improved edu25 cation outcomes for students; 


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1 ‘‘(2) research to— 

2 ‘‘(A) develop culturally sensitive strategies 

3 or programs for improving family engagement 

4 in education; and 

5 ‘‘(B) rigorously evaluate the impact of 

6 such strategies or programs on students’ edu7 cation outcomes; and 

8 ‘‘(3) research to— 

9 ‘‘(A) develop professional development pro10 grams intended to enable school personnel to 

11 support parental involvement in education; and 

12 ‘‘(B) rigorously evaluate the impact of 

13 such programs on students’ education out14 comes.’’. 

15 SEC. 12. DEFINITIONS. 

16 Section 9101 (20 U.S.C. 7801) is amended— 

17 (1) by striking paragraph (32); 

18 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (20) through 

19 (31) as paragraphs (21) through (32), respectively; 

20 (3) by inserting after paragraph (19) the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(20) FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION.— 

23 The term ‘family engagement in education’ means a 

24 shared responsibility— 


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1 ‘‘(A) of families and schools for student 

2 success, in which schools and community-based 

3 organizations are committed to reaching out to 

4 engage families in meaningful ways and families 

5 are committed to actively supporting their chil6 dren’s learning and development; and 

7 ‘‘(B) that is continuous from birth through 

8 young adulthood and reinforces learning that 

9 takes place in the home, school, and commu10 nity.’’; and 

11 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(44) TRIBALLY CONTROLLED SCHOOLS.—The 

13 term ‘tribally controlled schools’ means schools ad14 ministered by Indian tribes or their delegates pursu15 ant to the Indian Self-Determination and Education 

16 Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450 et seq.).’’. 

17 SEC. 13. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

18 The Act (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) is amended by 

19 striking— 

20 (1) ‘‘parental involvement’’ and ‘‘parent involve21 ment’’ each place the terms appear and inserting 

22 ‘‘family engagement’’; 

23 (2) ‘‘involvement of parents’’ each place the 

24 term appears and inserting ‘‘engagement of fami25 lies’’; 


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1 (3) ‘‘parental information and resource center’’ 

2 each place the term appears and inserting ‘‘State3 wide Family Engagement Center’’; 

4 (4) ‘‘parental information and resource centers’’ 

5 each place the term appears and inserting ‘‘State6 wide Family Engagement Centers’’; and 

7 (5) ‘‘involve parents’’ each place the term ap8 pears and inserting ‘‘engage families’’. 

9 SEC. 14. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE STUDY 

10 AND REPORT. 

11 (a) STUDY.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of 

13 the United States shall conduct a study, and make 

14 findings and recommendations relating to compli15 ance with, and use of funds made available for, sec16 tion 1118 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu17 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6318), including mat18 ters specified in paragraph (2). 

19 (2) INCLUSIONS.—The study shall include a re20 view and analysis of— 

21 (A) the use of funds reserved by local edu22 cational agencies for family engagement under 

23 such section 1118; 

24 (B) the innovative, effective, replicable, or 

25 model family engagement in education policies, 


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1 practices, and uses of funds of State edu2 cational agencies and local educational agencies 

3 determined by the Secretary of Education to be 

4 in alignment with section 1118; 

5 (C) any barriers to State educational agen6 cies and local educational agencies in imple7 menting section 1118; 

8 (D) any barriers to Indian tribes and orga9 nizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, and 

10 Alaska Native organizations in developing, im11 plementing, and assessing family engagement in 

12 education policies and practices; and 

13 (E) the use of data collection and report14 ing and outcome and assessment systems of 

15 State educational agencies and local educational 

16 agencies to determine the extent to which fam17 ily engagement in education is implemented as 

18 described in section 1118. 

19 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

20 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

21 of the United States shall prepare and submit to the Com22 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 

23 Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor of the 

24 House of Representatives a report containing the findings 


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1 and recommendations resulting from the study conducted 

2 under this section. 

3 SEC. 15. FEDERAL COORDINATION OF FAMILY ENGAGE4 MENT IN EDUCATION PROGRAMMING. 

5 (a) STAFFING.—Not later than 6 months after the 

6 date of enactment of this Act, there shall be established 

7 in the Department of Education dedicated staff, including 

8 a Director, for family and community engagement. 

9 (b) DUTIES.—The duties of the Director shall include 

10 the following: 

11 (1) Articulating a national vision of family en12 gagement in education. 

13 (2) Coordinating and integrating activities re14 lated to family engagement strategies, services, and 

15 programs within the Department and across Federal 

16 agencies. 

17 (3) Providing guidance to Department offices 

18 and units on the administration of family engage19 ment in education programs, community school pro20 grams, and other related initiatives, such as Promise 

21 Neighborhoods. 

22 (4) Ensuring consistency in family engagement 

23 in education policies and programs within the De24 partment. 


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1 (5) Ensuring consistency in family engagement 

2 in education policies and programs with family en3 gagement policies and practices of the programs and 

4 activities of other Federal agencies. 

5 (6) Administering the Statewide Family En6 gagement Centers under subpart 16 of part D of 

7 title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

8 Act of 1965 and the Full Service Community 

9 Schools program. 

10 (7) Developing, in consultation with the public 

11 through an invitation for public comment in the 

12 Federal Register, a plan for innovation, research, 

13 and evaluation of family engagement in education, 

14 including impact, implementation, and replication 

15 studies. 

16 (8) Conducting, by arrangement with the De17 partment’s Institute of Education Sciences, by con18 tract, or by competition, innovation, research and 

19 evaluation on family engagement in education con20 sistent with the requirement of section 5567(c) of 

21 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

22 1965. 

23 (9) Disseminating effective and innovative prac24 tices on family engagement to State educational 

25 agencies, Statewide Family Engagement Centers 


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1 and Local Family Engagement Centers, parent 

2 training and information centers and community 

3 parent resource centers assisted under sections 671 

4 and 672 of the Individuals with Disabilities Edu5 cation Act, administrators of title I of the Elemen6 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

7 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), and others. 

8 (10) Coordinating innovation, research, train9 ing, and technical assistance activities among State10 wide Family Engagement Centers, Local Family En11 gagement Centers, and regional educational labora12 tories. 

13 (11) Identifying opportunities for family en14 gagement in education collaboration and resource 

15 sharing among State educational agencies, local edu16 cational agencies, and organizations that support 

17 family-school partnerships. 

18 (12) Preparing a biennial report to Congress on 

19 family engagement in education, including a sum20 mary of activities, performance, and outcomes under 

21 sections 1006, 1008, 1112, and 1118, and subpart 

22 16 of part D of title V of the Elementary and Sec23 ondary Education Act of 1965. 

24 (13) Publishing State educational agency family 

25 engagement in education plans and reports prepared 


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1 as required by section 1111 of the Elementary and 

2 Secondary Education Act of 1965 on the website of 

3 the Department. 

4 (14) Carrying out such other duties as may be 

5 designated by the Secretary. 

6 (c) FEDERAL DEPARTMENT AND AGENCY COOPERA7 TION.—Each department or agency of the Federal Gov8 ernment providing programs related to family and commu9 nity engagement in education shall— 

10 (1) cooperate with the efforts of the Director 

11 described in subsection (a); 

12 (2) provide such assistance, statistics, studies, 

13 reports, information, and advice as the Director may 

14 request, to the extent permitted by law; 

15 (3) adjust department or agency staff job de16 scriptions to support collaboration and implementa17 tion of the vision and strategy; and 

18 (4) assign department or agency liaisons to the 

19 office to oversee and implement interagency coordi20 nation. 

Æ 


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