II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 622 

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

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 2, 2015 

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 2015’’. 

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. Research and evaluation for family engagement in education. 

Sec. 11. High-quality teachers and principals. 

Sec. 12. Definitions. 

Sec. 13. Repeal of Parental Assistance and Local Family Information Centers. 

Sec. 14. Conforming amendments. 

Sec. 15. Government Accountability Office study and report. 

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) Research on school improvement has identi16 fied meaningful partnerships with families and com17 munities as 1 of 5 critical ingredients necessary to 

18 turnaround chronically low-performing schools. 

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 increase 

12 student success and foster school improvement by 

13 strengthening families’ engagement in the education of 

14 their children. 

15 SEC. 4. AMENDMENT REFERENCES. 

16 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 

17 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 

18 of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi19 sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 

20 section or other provision of the Elementary and Sec21 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.). 

22 SEC. 5. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION. 

23 (a) FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AND RESPONSIBILITY

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

25 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 shall reserve not less than 0.3 percent and not more than 

5 1 percent of such agency’s allocated funds under section 

6 1122 for each fiscal year for use as provided in subsection 

7 (b). 

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

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

10 State educational agency— 

11 ‘‘(1) shall establish a Statewide Family Engage12 ment Center under section 1006; 

13 ‘‘(2) shall establish at least 1 Local Family En14 gagement Center under section 1007; and 

15 ‘‘(3) may allocate any funds remaining after 

16 carrying out paragraphs (1) and (2) for building 

17 State educational agency capacity for family engage18 ment activities under section 1008. 

19 ‘‘(c) SPECIAL RULE.—If a State’s allocation under 

20 section 1122 for a fiscal year is less than $60,000,000, 

21 and such State determines that such allocation is insuffi22 cient to establish a center of sufficient size and scope to 

23 meet the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) of sub24 section (b), such State may use its allocation for activities 

25 under section 1008.’’. 


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1 (b) STATEWIDE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT CENTERS

2 PROGRAM.—Title I (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) is amended 

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

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 1006. STATEWIDE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT CENTERS. 

6 ‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—From the funds re7 served under section 1005, each State shall award a grant 

8 or contract to a statewide nonprofit organization to estab9 lish a Statewide Family Engagement Center to provide 

10 comprehensive training, technical assistance, and capacity11 building to local educational agencies, organizations that 

12 support family-school partnerships, and other organiza13 tions that carry out parent education and family engage14 ment in education programs. 

15 ‘‘(b) APPLICATIONS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each statewide nonprofit 

17 organization that desires a grant under this section 

18 shall submit an application to the State at such 

19 time, in such manner, and accompanied by such in20 formation as the State may require. 

21 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

22 under paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, 

23 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(A) A description of the applicant’s ap2 proach to family engagement in education, in3 cluding the use of strength-based strategies. 

4 ‘‘(B) A description of the applicant’s plan 

5 for improving statewide capacity for family en6 gagement in education, that includes— 

7 ‘‘(i) management capacity and govern8 ance; 

9 ‘‘(ii) statewide leadership; 

10 ‘‘(iii) systemic services for family en11 gagement in education; 

12 ‘‘(iv) capacity-building for local edu13 cational agencies, and schools served under 

14 this title; and 

15 ‘‘(v) student learning and school im16 provement. 

17 ‘‘(C) A description of the applicant’s expe18 rience in providing training, information, and 

19 support to local educational agencies, schools, 

20 and nonprofit organizations on family engage21 ment in education policies and practices that 

22 are effective for low-income parents and fami23 lies, limited English proficient individuals, mi24 norities, parents of students with disabilities, 

25 parents of homeless students, foster parents 


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1 and students, parents of migrant students, and 

2 parents of Indian and Native Hawaiian stu3 dents, where applicable. 

4 ‘‘(D) An assurance that the Statewide 

5 Family Engagement Center will— 

6 ‘‘(i) be governed by a board of direc7 tors, the membership of which includes 

8 parents of school-aged children; 

9 ‘‘(ii) have a process for outreach and 

10 consultation with— 

11 ‘‘(I) parents of children from 

12 birth through young adulthood; 

13 ‘‘(II) representatives of the State 

14 parent-teacher association; 

15 ‘‘(III) representatives of edu16 cation professionals with expertise in 

17 improving services for disadvantaged 

18 children; 

19 ‘‘(IV) representatives of local ele20 mentary schools and secondary 

21 schools, including students, disadvan22 taged youth, and representatives from 

23 local youth organizations; and 


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1 ‘‘(V) representatives of a State 

2 educational agency, a local edu3 cational agency, and an Indian tribe; 

4 ‘‘(iii) operate a center of sufficient 

5 size, scope, and quality to ensure that the 

6 center is adequate to serve the State edu7 cational agency, local educational agencies, 

8 and community-based organizations; 

9 ‘‘(iv) serve urban, suburban, and rural 

10 local educational agencies and schools; 

11 ‘‘(v) work with— 

12 ‘‘(I) the State educational agen13 cy, local educational agencies (includ14 ing local educational agencies receiv15 ing funds under section 7113), and 

16 schools; 

17 ‘‘(II) Local Family Engagement 

18 Centers assisted under section 1007; 

19 ‘‘(III) parent training and infor20 mation centers and community parent 

21 resource centers assisted under sec22 tions 671 and 672 of the Individuals 

23 with Disabilities Education Act; and 

24 ‘‘(IV) other organizations and 

25 agencies; 


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1 ‘‘(vi) use not less than 20 percent of 

2 the funds received under this section in 

3 each fiscal year to establish or expand 

4 technical assistance for evidence-based 

5 early childhood parent education programs 

6 that focus on successful transition to 

7 school; 

8 ‘‘(vii) provide assistance to the State 

9 educational agency, local educational agen10 cies, Indian tribes, and community-based 

11 organizations that support family members 

12 in areas such as assistance in under13 standing State and local standards and 

14 measures of student and school academic 

15 achievement and strategies for supporting 

16 school academic achievement; 

17 ‘‘(viii) work with the State educational 

18 agency, local educational agencies, Indian 

19 tribes, and schools to determine parental 

20 needs and the best means for delivery of 

21 services to address such needs; and 

22 ‘‘(ix) meet the requirements for 

23 matching funds under subsection (d). 

24 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.—A statewide nonprofit organi25 zation that receives a grant under this section shall use 


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1 the grant funds to provide training, technical assistance, 

2 and capacity-building in coordination with the State edu3 cational agency, local educational agencies, Indian tribes, 

4 and organizations that support family-school partnerships 

5 to— 

6 ‘‘(1) assist parents in participating effectively in 

7 their children’s education and to help their children 

8 meet State and local standards, such as assisting 

9 parents— 

10 ‘‘(A) to engage in activities that will im11 prove student academic achievement, including 

12 understanding how they can support learning in 

13 the classroom with activities at home and in 

14 afterschool and extracurricular programs; 

15 ‘‘(B) to communicate effectively with their 

16 children, teachers, principals, counselors, ad17 ministrators, and other school personnel; 

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

19 development, implementation, and review of 

20 school-parent compacts, family engagement in 

21 education policies, and school planning and im22 provement; 

23 ‘‘(D) to participate in the design and pro24 vision of assistance to students who are not 

25 making adequate academic progress; 


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1 ‘‘(E) to participate in State and local deci2 sionmaking; 

3 ‘‘(F) to train other parents; and 

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

5 technology applied in their children’s education; 

6 ‘‘(2) assist the State educational agency in de7 veloping and implementing a statewide family en8 gagement in education policy and systemic initiatives 

9 that will provide for a continuum of services to re10 move barriers for family engagement in education 

11 and support school reform efforts; 

12 ‘‘(3) assist in the development, implementation, 

13 and assessment of family engagement in education 

14 policies and plans under sections 1112 and 1118; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(4) supplement the family engagement activi17 ties under section 7115 and coordinate with the Bu18 reau of Indian Education and Indian tribes to im19 prove family engagement in education policies and 

20 programs, where applicable. 

21 ‘‘(d) MATCHING FUNDS FOR GRANT RENEWAL.— 

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

23 a statewide nonprofit organization receives a grant under 

24 this section, the organization shall demonstrate in the ap25 plication that a portion of the services provided by the orVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:00 Mar 10, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S622.IS S622

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1 ganization, as determined by the State, is supported 

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

3 or in-kind. 

4 ‘‘(e) SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION.—Each statewide 

5 nonprofit organization that receives a grant under this 

6 section shall submit to the State, on an annual basis, in7 formation on the activities it has carried out using grant 

8 funds received under this section, including reporting on 

9 metrics developed under section 1505 and reporting on the 

10 recommendations provided by the special advisory com11 mittee and the actions taken in response to such rec12 ommendations. 

13 ‘‘(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec14 tion shall be construed to prohibit a Statewide Family En15 gagement Center from— 

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

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

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

19 children. 

20 ‘‘(g) PARENTAL RIGHTS.—Notwithstanding any 

21 other provision of this section— 

22 ‘‘(1) no person (including a parent who edu23 cates a child at home, a public school parent, or a 

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1 pate in any program of parent education or develop2 mental screening under this section; and 

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

4 section shall take any action that infringes in any 

5 manner on the right of a parent to direct the edu6 cation of their children. 

7 ‘‘SEC. 1007. LOCAL FAMILY ENGAGEMENT CENTERS PRO8 GRAM. 

9 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to es10 tablish and operate Local Family Engagement Centers 

11 and to evaluate the usefulness and effectiveness of innova12 tive approaches demonstrated by these centers in engaging 

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

14 services, supports, and opportunities that meet families’ 

15 needs and remove barriers to their engagement in their 

16 children’s education to improve student achievement. 

17 ‘‘(b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—From the funds re18 served to carry out this section under section 1005(b)(2), 

19 a State educational agency shall award grants or enter 

20 into contracts and cooperative agreements with eligible en21 tities to establish and operate Local Family Engagement 

22 Centers. 

23 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this sec24 tion, the State shall give priority to eligible entities that 


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1 propose to serve communities with the greatest need, as 

2 determined by the State. 

3 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this section, the term 

4 ‘eligible entity’ means a private, nonprofit organization or 

5 Indian tribe that— 

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

7 low-income parents and families in the community; 

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

9 schools and secondary schools that receive funds 

10 under part A and is accessible to families of stu11 dents in those schools; and 

12 ‘‘(3) is partnering with 1 or more local edu13 cational agencies or 1 or more schools that receive 

14 funds under part A. 

15 ‘‘(e) APPLICATION FOR GRANTS.—To receive a grant 

16 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit an appli17 cation to the State educational agency at such time, in 

18 such manner, and accompanied by such information as the 

19 State educational agency may require, including— 

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

21 family engagement in education, including its use of 

22 strength-based strategies; 

23 ‘‘(2) information demonstrating that the appli24 cant meets the definition of an eligible entity; 


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1 ‘‘(3) information that the applicant has the ca2 pacity to structure and operate a center of sufficient 

3 scope and quality adequate to serve the needs of the 

4 local area in which it is located; 

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

6 providing training, services, and support to low-in7 come parents and families, English language learn8 ers, minorities, parents of students with disabilities, 

9 parents of homeless students, foster parents, parents 

10 of Indian and Native Hawaiian students, and par11 ents of migrant students; 

12 ‘‘(5) a description of the collaboration with the 

13 local educational agency or school personnel in the 

14 area to be served by the center; 

15 ‘‘(6) a description of the steering committee, a 

16 majority of whose members are parents of students 

17 in schools that receive funds under part A, who will 

18 be targeted for services by the Local Family En19 gagement Center, that will direct and implement the 

20 activities of the Local Family Engagement Center; 

21 ‘‘(7) a description of how the entity will coordi22 nate its efforts with the Statewide Family Engage23 ment Center; 


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1 ‘‘(8) information that the applicant is capable 

2 of meeting milestones or deadlines as the State edu3 cational agency may prescribe; and 

4 ‘‘(9) such other information as the State edu5 cational agency determines necessary. 

6 ‘‘(f) USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that re7 ceives a grant under this section shall establish and oper8 ate a Local Family Engagement Center and use the grant 

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

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

11 school-family partnerships necessary to ensure that all 

12 children are on track to graduate from high school ready 

13 for college and careers, such as through— 

14 ‘‘(1) assisting parents and families in under15 standing how they can improve student achievement, 

16 including how to access ongoing student perform17 ance data and related information to support learn18 ing in the classroom with activities at home, and in 

19 afterschool and extracurricular activities; 

20 ‘‘(2) assisting parents and families in sup21 porting on-time graduation, including understanding 

22 early warning indicators that a student is at risk of 

23 not graduating on time; 

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1 demically, socially, and financially for postsecondary 

2 education, including early awareness of the avail3 ability of student financial assistance and career and 

4 technical education opportunities; 

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

6 ongoing communication with their children, teachers, 

7 principals, counselors, administrators, and other 

8 school personnel; 

9 ‘‘(5) providing direct services to families, such 

10 as home visitation, family literacy programs, and 

11 health and behavioral health services to meet the 

12 needs of families and remove barriers for engaging 

13 in the education of their children; 

14 ‘‘(6) providing advocacy services to ensure that 

15 families can fully participate in their children’s edu16 cation; 

17 ‘‘(7) providing supports such as transportation, 

18 childcare, and meals to facilitate family engagement 

19 in education in programs implemented or assisted by 

20 the Center; and 

21 ‘‘(8) improving the coordination, availability, 

22 and effectiveness of integrated services and com23 prehensive supports for children and families. 

24 ‘‘(g) EVALUATION AND ANNUAL REPORT.—A State 

25 educational agency shall— 


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

2 funded under this section and section 1006; and 

3 ‘‘(2) issue an annual report on the implementa4 tion of such grants, describing any practices the 

5 State determines to be most effective or innovative 

6 for fulfilling the purposes of the Local Family En7 gagement Centers. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 1008. STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY CAPACITY FOR 

9 FAMILY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES. 

10 ‘‘Each State may use funds reserved under section 

11 1005(b)(3) to support the development and implementa12 tion of the statewide family engagement in education plan 

13 described in section 1111(d) through activities such as— 

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

15 within the agency dedicated to family engagement in 

16 education; 

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

18 under sections 1006 and 1007; 

19 ‘‘(3) developing and implementing a statewide 

20 data collection and evaluation system on family en21 gagement in education metrics to identify schools 

22 that would benefit from training and support related 

23 to family engagement in education; 

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

25 engagement in education policies and practices as 


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1 provided by sections 1112(b)(1)(P) and 1118(i), and 

2 evaluating the use of funds under this section; 

3 ‘‘(5) coordinating technical assistance and sup4 port to local educational agencies, including local 

5 educational agencies receiving funds under section 

6 7113, with schools that would benefit from training 

7 and support related to family engagement in edu8 cation; 

9 ‘‘(6) developing curricula for professional devel10 opment for teachers, principals, school librarians, 

11 and other school leaders on improving family en12 gagement in education; 

13 ‘‘(7) developing standards and curricula for 

14 family engagement in education in partnership with 

15 teacher and principal preparation programs; and 

16 ‘‘(8) coordinating statewide services related to 

17 early education, higher education, child health and 

18 welfare, after-school programs, community service19 learning programs, and other programs to develop 

20 coordinated family engagement in education policies, 

21 practices, and services.’’. 

22 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con23 tents in section 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu24 cation Act of 1965 is amended by inserting after the item 

25 relating to section 1004 the following: 

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


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‘‘Sec. 1006. Statewide Family Engagement Centers. 

‘‘Sec. 1007. Local Family Engagement Centers Program. 

‘‘Sec. 1008. State educational agency capacity for family engagement activities.’’. 

1 SEC. 6. STATE PLANS. 

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

3 6311(d)) is amended to read as follows: 

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

5 include a plan for strengthening family engagement in 

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

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

8 schedule for review and approval of local educational 

9 agency family engagement in education policies and 

10 practices pursuant to sections 1112(e)(3) and 

11 1118(i); 

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

13 process for assessing local educational agency imple14 mentation of section 1118 responsibilities; 

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

16 identifying local educational agencies that would 

17 benefit from training and support related to family 

18 engagement in education; 

19 ‘‘(4) a description of the State’s statewide sys20 tem of technical assistance and support for local 

21 educational agencies and schools on family engage22 ment in education; 


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1 ‘‘(5) an assurance that the State will, when ap2 plicable, refer to the Statewide Family Engagement 

3 Center and the applicable Local Family Engagement 

4 Center those local educational agencies that would 

5 benefit from training and support related to family 

6 engagement in education; 

7 ‘‘(6) a description of the procedure assuring the 

8 State educational agency will engage in timely, on9 going, and meaningful consultation with representa10 tives of Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian edu11 cational organizations located in the State in the de12 velopment of the State plan to serve local edu13 cational agencies under its jurisdiction in order to 

14 improve the coordination of activities under this Act, 

15 to meet the purpose of this title, to meet the unique 

16 cultural, language, and educational needs of Indian 

17 and Native Hawaiian students, and to improve im18 plementation of family engagement in education pro19 grams and services for parents of Indian and Native 

20 Hawaiian students; 

21 ‘‘(7) a plan for using funds reserved under sec22 tion 1005; and 

23 ‘‘(8) a description of the relationship, as appli24 cable, between the State educational agency and 

25 Statewide and Local Family Engagement Centers, 


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1 parent training and information centers, and com2 munity parent resource centers in the State estab3 lished under sections 671 and 672 of the Individuals 

4 with Disabilities Education Act.’’. 

5 (b) REPORTS.— 

6 (1) ANNUAL STATE REPORT.—Section 

7 1111(h)(4) (20 U.S.C. 6311(h)(4)) is amended— 

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

9 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

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

11 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

12 and 

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

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

15 of each school that would benefit from training 

16 and support related to family engagement in 

17 education, the reason why such school was so 

18 identified, and the measures taken to address 

19 the need for training and support; and 

20 ‘‘(I) information on the State educational 

21 agency’s family engagement in education pro22 grams and activities.’’. 

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

24 (20 U.S.C. 6311(j)) is amended by inserting ‘‘the 

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1 cedures for family engagement in education,’’ after 

2 ‘‘reliable,’’. 

3 SEC. 7. LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY PLANS. 

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

5 6312(b)(1)(P)) is amended to read as follows: 

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

7 educational agency will use to implement and 

8 assess family engagement in education under 

9 section 1118;’’. 

10 (b) ENGAGEMENT IN DEVELOPING PLANS.—Section 

11 1112(b)(1) (20 U.S.C. 6312(b)(1)) is amended— 

12 (1) by redesignating subparagraph (Q) as sub13 paragraph (T); and 

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

16 ‘‘(Q) a description of how the local edu17 cational agency will engage families in the de18 velopment, implementation, and assessment of 

19 local educational agency plans; 

20 ‘‘(R) a description of how the local edu21 cational agency will improve teacher and prin22 cipal knowledge and skills in effectively engag23 ing parents in their children’s education; 

24 ‘‘(S) a description of the procedure assur25 ing the local educational agency will engage in 


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1 timely, on-going, and meaningful consultation 

2 with representatives of Indian tribes and Native 

3 Hawaiian educational organizations located in 

4 the area served by the local educational agency 

5 in the development of the local plan in order to 

6 improve the coordination of activities under this 

7 Act, to meet the purpose of this title, to meet 

8 the unique cultural, language, and educational 

9 needs of Indian students and Native Hawaiian 

10 students, and to improve implementation of 

11 family engagement in education programs and 

12 services for parents of Indian and Native Ha13 waiian students; and’’. 

14 SEC. 8. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION POLICY. 

15 (a) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY DEVELOPMENT

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

17 6318) is amended— 

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

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

20 (2) by inserting before subsection (b), as redes21 ignated by paragraph (1), the following: 

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

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1 cation that meet the following principles and standards for 

2 family-school partnerships: 

3 ‘‘(1) Welcome all families to be active partici4 pants in the life of the school, so that they feel val5 ued and connected to each other, school staff, and 

6 what students are learning in class. 

7 ‘‘(2) Communicate effectively by ensuring reg8 ular two-way, meaningful communication between 

9 family members and local educational agency and 

10 school staff in a manner, language, and with tech11 nology that family members can understand and ac12 cess. 

13 ‘‘(3) Support student success by fostering con14 tinuous collaboration between family members and 

15 local educational agency and school staff to support 

16 student learning and healthy development at school 

17 and at home. 

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

19 family members to be advocates for all students 

20 within the school. 

21 ‘‘(5) Ensure that family members, local edu22 cational agencies, and school staff are equal partners 

23 in family engagement in education decisionmaking. 


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1 ‘‘(6) Collaborate with community organizations 

2 and groups to turn the school into a hub of commu3 nity life. 

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

5 in education in student learning and development 

6 from birth to young adulthood. 

7 ‘‘(8) Train and support superintendents, prin8 cipals, and teachers to fully engage families in the 

9 education of their children.’’. 

10 (b) WRITTEN POLICY.—Section 1118(b)(2), as redes11 ignated by subsection (a), is amended— 

12 (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘sub13 section (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (f)’’; 

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

15 after the semicolon; 

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

17 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

19 ‘‘(G) participate in evaluations of the effec20 tiveness of family engagement in education 

21 strategies and policies; and 

22 ‘‘(H) participate in developing rec23 ommendations for creating a positive school cli24 mate and safe and healthy schools.’’. 


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1 (c) RESERVATION.—Section 1118(b)(3)(A), as redes2 ignated by subsection (a), is amended to read as follows: 

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

4 agency shall reserve not less than 2 percent of 

5 its allocation under subpart 2 to carry out this 

6 section, except that this subparagraph shall not 

7 apply if 2 percent of such agency’s allocation 

8 under subpart 2 for the fiscal year for which 

9 the determination is made is $10,000 or less.’’. 

10 (d) DISTRIBUTION.—Section 1118(b)(3)(C), as re11 designated by subsection (a), is amended to read as fol12 lows: 

13 ‘‘(C) DISTRIBUTION.—Not less than 75 

14 percent of the funds reserved under subpara15 graph (A) shall be distributed to schools served 

16 under this part.’’. 

17 (e) RESERVED FUNDS.—Section 1118(b)(3), as re18 designated by subsection (a), is amended— 

19 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and 

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

21 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol22 lowing: 

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

24 under subparagraph (A) may be used for the 

25 following: 


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1 ‘‘(i) Increasing capacity through es2 tablishment of a dedicated office or dedi3 cated personnel within the local edu4 cational agency or at the school level for 

5 family engagement in education. 

6 ‘‘(ii) Supporting schools and nonprofit 

7 organizations in providing professional de8 velopment on family engagement in edu9 cation for school staff, parent leadership 

10 training, family literacy and numeracy pro11 grams, home visitation programs, family 

12 volunteerism programs, and other innova13 tive programs that meaningfully engage 

14 families. 

15 ‘‘(iii) Developing and implementing 

16 local educational agency family engage17 ment in education data-collection systems 

18 and indicators. 

19 ‘‘(iv) Providing technical assistance 

20 and training to schools on the implementa21 tion and assessment of family engagement 

22 in education policies and practices. 

23 ‘‘(v) Providing additional support to 

24 schools that have been identified for im25 provement under section 1116(b) to assist 


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1 in their implementation of family engage2 ment in education, including the hiring 

3 and maintenance of family engagement in 

4 education coordinators. 

5 ‘‘(vi) Partnering with the Statewide 

6 Family Engagement Center and the appli7 cable Local Family Engagement Centers or 

8 community-based organizations to identify 

9 community resources, services, and sup10 ports to remove economic obstacles to fam11 ily engagement in education by meeting 

12 families’ needs. 

13 ‘‘(vii) Supporting schools and eligible 

14 entities in the development and implemen15 tation of research-based family practices in 

16 programs that emphasize the importance 

17 of family engagement in education, includ18 ing— 

19 ‘‘(I) successful transitions from 

20 early learning to kindergarten through 

21 grade 12 settings; 

22 ‘‘(II) improved understanding of 

23 and shared responsibility for student 

24 success; 


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1 ‘‘(III) use of student and school 

2 data; 

3 ‘‘(IV) importance of open, effec4 tive communication between schools 

5 and families; 

6 ‘‘(V) early warning indicators 

7 that a student is at risk of not grad8 uating on time; 

9 ‘‘(VI) parent and community ad10 vocacy to increase parent participa11 tion; and 

12 ‘‘(VII) improved understanding 

13 of the parents’ role in academic, so14 cial, and financial preparation for 

15 postsecondary education, including ca16 reer and technical education. 

17 ‘‘(viii) Assisting schools in the devel18 opment, implementation, and assessment 

19 of family engagement in education plans. 

20 ‘‘(ix) Monitoring and evaluating the 

21 family engagement in education policies 

22 and practices funded under this section. 

23 ‘‘(x) Supporting other activities ap24 proved in the local educational agency’s 


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1 plan for improving family engagement in 

2 education.’’. 

3 (f) SCHOOL PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY.— 

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

5 amended in the first sentence by striking ‘‘subsections (c) 

6 through (f)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsections (d) through (g)’’. 

7 (g) SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIGH STUDENT

8 ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.—Section 1118(e), as redesig9 nated by subsection (a), is amended— 

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

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

12 (c)’’; and 

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

14 following: 

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

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

17 instruction in a supportive and effective learn18 ing environment that enables the children 

19 served under this part to meet the State’s stu20 dent academic achievement standards, and the 

21 ways in which each parent will support their 

22 children’s learning, such as— 

23 ‘‘(i) monitoring attendance and home24 work completion; 


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

2 classroom or school; and 

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

4 decisions relating to the education of their 

5 children and positive use of extracurricular 

6 time; and 

7 ‘‘(B) engage family members in the devel8 opment of recommendations for student attend9 ance, expectations, behavior, and school safety, 

10 including the development of reasonable dis11 ciplinary policies and behavioral interventions, 

12 such as the implementation of school-wide posi13 tive behavior interventions and supports and 

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

15 expulsion; and’’. 

16 SEC. 9. PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION PROGRAMS FOR 

17 CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO ARE NE18 GLECTED, DELINQUENT, OR AT RISK. 

19 (a) STATE PLAN AND STATE AGENCY APPLICA20 TIONS.—Section 1414 (20 U.S.C. 6434) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 

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

23 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

24 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 

25 subparagraph (D); and 


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1 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 

2 the following: 

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

4 child or youth serviced by the program will have 

5 a transition plan developed in partnership with 

6 families and aftercare providers that will place 

7 the child or youth on a path to career and col8 lege readiness; and’’; and 

9 (2) in subsection (c)— 

10 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (15) 

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

12 respectively; and 

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

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(15) describes how the State agency will im16 plement family engagement in education policies and 

17 practices that align with section 1118; 

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

19 agency will establish, for each child or youth served 

20 under this subpart, an educational services and tran21 sition plan that is developed in consultation with the 

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

23 and the local educational agency or alternative edu24 cation program that will receive the child or youth 


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1 following their period of service under this sub2 part;’’. 

3 (b) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY APPLICATIONS.— 

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

5 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (9) through 

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

7 and 

8 (2) by inserting after paragraph (8) the fol9 lowing: 

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

11 family engagement in education policies and prac12 tices that align with the provisions of section 1118; 

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

14 agency will establish for each child or youth served 

15 under this subpart an educational services plan that 

16 is developed in consultation with the child or youth, 

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

18 educational agency or alternative education program 

19 receiving the child or youth following their period of 

20 service under this subpart;’’. 

21 (c) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS FOR CORRECTIONAL

22 FACILITIES RECEIVING FUNDS UNDER THIS SECTION.— 

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

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

25 the semicolon; 


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1 (2) by striking the period at the end of para2 graph (11) and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

4 ‘‘(12) prepare an educational services and tran5 sition plan for each child or youth served by the pro6 gram, in partnership with families and aftercare pro7 viders, consistent with section 1414(a)(1)(C); and 

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

9 in the facility and serviced by this subpart an edu10 cational services and transition plan that is devel11 oped in consultation with the child or youth, family 

12 members of the child or youth, and the local edu13 cational agency or alternative education program re14 ceiving the child or youth following their period of 

15 service under this subpart.’’. 

16 SEC. 10. RESEARCH AND EVALUATION FOR FAMILY EN17 GAGEMENT IN EDUCATION. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part E of title I (20 U.S.C. 6491 

19 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 1505. RESEARCH AND EVALUATION FOR FAMILY EN21 GAGEMENT IN EDUCATION. 

22 ‘‘(a) DEVELOPMENT OF METRICS FOR FAMILY EN23 GAGEMENT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of en24 actment of the Family Engagement in Education Act of 

25 2015 the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, 


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1 after consultation with the advisory committee established 

2 under subsection (b), shall develop recommended metrics 

3 on family engagement in education for State educational 

4 agencies that reserve funds under section 1005 and local 

5 educational agencies that reserve funds under section 

6 1118 and provide recommendations on the integration of 

7 metrics into State accountability and longitudinal data 

8 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.—From funds appropriated to carry 

17 out this subpart, the Secretary shall conduct research on 

18 effective family engagement in education, including 

19 through awarding grants and entering into contracts with 

20 eligible entities. Such research may include— 

21 ‘‘(1) exploratory research to discover the under22 lying processes or components of family engagement 

23 in education programs that are associated with im24 proved education outcomes for students; 

25 ‘‘(2) research to— 


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1 ‘‘(A) develop culturally sensitive strategies 

2 or programs for improving family engagement 

3 in education; and 

4 ‘‘(B) rigorously evaluate the impact of 

5 such strategies or programs on students’ edu6 cation outcomes; and 

7 ‘‘(3) research to— 

8 ‘‘(A) develop professional development pro9 grams intended to enable school personnel to 

10 support parental involvement in education; and 

11 ‘‘(B) rigorously evaluate the impact of 

12 such programs on students’ education out13 comes.’’. 

14 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents in 

15 section 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

16 of 1965 is amended by inserting after the item relating 

17 to section 1504 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 1505. Research and evaluation for family engagement in education.’’. 

18 SEC. 11. HIGH-QUALITY TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS. 

19 (a) STATE APPLICATION CONTENTS.—Section 

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

21 end the following: 

22 ‘‘(13) A description of how the State edu23 cational agency will improve teacher and principal 

24 knowledge and skill in effectively engaging families 

25 in their children’s education.’’. 


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

2 6613(c)) is amended— 

3 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (12) through 

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

5 and 

6 (2) by inserting after paragraph (11) the fol7 lowing: 

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

9 how to effectively engage families in their children’s 

10 education.’’. 

11 SEC. 12. DEFINITIONS. 

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

13 (1) by striking paragraph (32); 

14 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (20) through 

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

16 and 

17 (3) by inserting after paragraph (19) the fol18 lowing: 

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

20 The term ‘family engagement in education’ means a 

21 shared responsibility— 

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

23 success, in which schools and community-based 

24 organizations are committed to reaching out to 

25 engage families in meaningful ways and families 


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1 are committed to actively supporting their chil2 dren’s learning and development; and 

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

4 young adulthood and reinforces learning that 

5 takes place in the home, school, and commu6 nity.’’. 

7 SEC. 13. REPEAL OF PARENTAL ASSISTANCE AND LOCAL 

8 FAMILY INFORMATION CENTERS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part D of title V of the Elemen10 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

11 7241 et seq.) is amended— 

12 (1) by striking subpart 16; and 

13 (2) by redesignating subparts 17, 18, 19, 20, 

14 and 21, as subparts 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20, respec15 tively. 

16 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents in 

17 section 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

18 of 1965 is amended— 

19 (1) by striking the item relating to subpart 16 

20 of part D of title V; 

21 (2) by striking the items relating to sections 

22 5561, 5562, 5563, 5564, 5565, and 5566; and 

23 (3) by redesignating the items relating to sub24 parts 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21 of part D of title V, 


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1 as subparts 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 of part D of title 

2 V, respectively. 

3 SEC. 14. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

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

5 striking— 

6 (1) ‘‘parental involvement’’ and ‘‘parent involve7 ment’’ each place the terms appear and inserting 

8 ‘‘family engagement in education’’; 

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

10 term appears and inserting ‘‘engagement of fami11 lies’’; 

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

13 each place the term appears and inserting ‘‘State14 wide Family Engagement Center’’; 

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

16 each place the term appears and inserting ‘‘State17 wide Family Engagement Centers’’; and 

18 (5) ‘‘involve parents’’ each place the term ap19 pears and inserting ‘‘engage families’’. 

20 SEC. 15. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE STUDY 

21 AND REPORT. 

22 (a) STUDY.— 

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

24 the United States shall conduct a study, and make 

25 findings and recommendations relating to compliVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:00 Mar 10, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S622.IS S622

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1 ance with, and use of funds made available for, sec2 tion 1118 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu3 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6318), including mat4 ters specified in paragraph (2). 

5 (2) INCLUSIONS.—The study shall include a re6 view and analysis of— 

7 (A) the use of funds reserved by local edu8 cational agencies for family engagement in edu9 cation under such section 1118; 

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

11 model family engagement in education policies, 

12 practices, and uses of funds of State edu13 cational agencies and local educational agencies 

14 determined by the Secretary of Education to be 

15 in alignment with section 1118; 

16 (C) any barriers to State educational agen17 cies and local educational agencies in imple18 menting section 1118; 

19 (D) any barriers to Indian tribes and Na20 tive Hawaiian educational organizations in de21 veloping, implementing, and assessing family 

22 engagement in education policies and practices; 

23 and 

24 (E) the use of data collection and report25 ing and outcome and assessment systems of 


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1 State educational agencies and local educational 

2 agencies to determine the extent to which fam3 ily engagement in education is implemented as 

4 described in section 1118. 

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

6 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

7 of the United States shall prepare and submit to the Com8 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 

9 Senate and the Committee on Education and the Work10 force of the House of Representatives a report containing 

11 the findings and recommendations resulting from the 

12 study conducted under this section. 

Æ 


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