This offers schools an opportunity to develop new curricula and pedagogy, design after school and summer programs to supplement students regular education, and work closely with parents to ensure that they have the tools necessary to participate fully in their childrens education. The law also offers great possibilities in the area of parent involvement. Title I programs. The school level policy must include a school-parent compact which outlines how schools, parents, and students will share the responsibility for ensuring student achievement. Parents must also jointly develop the written schoolwide program plan and the local education agency Title I plan.
History proves, however, that the interests of parents are often marginalized.
Frequently, schools and LEAs expect one or two parents to represent the views of all Title I parents, providing no real opportunity for bringing together broad groups of parents to participate in informed decision-making. Too often, parents are presented with a Title I plan after it has been developed, and told that if they do not approve it, the school or LEA will not get any Title I funds that year. Now Title I went into effective July 1, 1995. Yet in many places, Title I programs still resemble the old Chapter 1 model, based on extensive pull-out programs in reading and math, low expectations for students, and few links to real school reform. It is critical that parents and their advocates get involved in the important decisions that are shaping how this law is implemented from now until 1999, when this reauthorization ends.