Based on the belief that parent involvement is critical to students’ academic achievement, the Sunnyside District strives to welcome, inform and engage parents. A new Parent Engagement Initiative coordinates resources already in place and gives direction to systemwide efforts. The initiative was launched in August 2007 with the formation of a Parent Engagement Steering Committee that includes the superintendent, parent engagement specialist, Federal Programs director, district and school site administrators, community members, representatives of the University of Arizona and Pima Community College, parents and teachers. This Parent Engagement Initiative meets the requirements of Corrective Action’s mandate to increase parent engagement districtwide as well as the NCLB requirement to set aside 1% of the Title I budget for parent engagement. The Parent
Engagement Initiative is based on the six standards of parental involvement identified by the National Parent Teacher Association: Communication, Parenting, Student Learning, Volunteering, School Decision-Making and Advocacy, and Collaborating with the Community. The Steering Committee established the following goals for the initiative for 2007-08:

• Identify and align district and parent community resources.
• Create a forum for parent engagement.
• Create a steering committee to implement a strategic plan to increase parent engagement.
• Establish uniformity of parent engagement services and programs delivered by the parent involvement assistants (PIAs).

Parent Engagement Initiative components initiated first semester 2007-08:

• The District Parent Council brings school teams, composed of the principal, parent involvement assistant, and parents, together five times in the school year. The purpose of the meeting is to inform parents and provide them an opportunity to voice their concerns and ideas.
• A Parent Academy is planned for October 2008. The Academy will raise awareness of district and community resources for parents.
• The Parent Training Institute is a series of parent workshops focusing on either college preparation or strength-based parenting. The University of Arizona’s College Academy for Parents graduated 114 elementary parents in April 2008, twice as many as last year.
• Communication with parents and the community is assessed by looking at what we currently do well and what we need to do better. The Steering Committee, which meets monthly, recommended that each school have a parent involvement assistant (PIA) to help strengthen the communication efforts.
• Data collection will be used to measure the success of the initiative. Participation data has been collected on District Parent Council meeting attendance, Steering Committee attendance, and College Academy for Parents (CAP) participation.