The involvement of families in the lives of their children is a strong predictor of student achievement. Ripley Elementary School along with a family advisory team has developed a plan to address this issue. The three step plan the team devised addresses the family friendly practices currently in place, the short term goals that would be implemented in the fall of 2005, and long term goals that will be ongoing. The family advisory committee, in collaboration with the school committee (made up of a representation of teachers, supplemental staff and administrators), is continuing to work on implementation of the plan.

The family committee was selected based on current involvement in our school. We also asked for family members to volunteer and provide additional input. The family members have the opportunity to meet regularly in order to offer suggestions regarding the revision of the plan. Ripley Elementary School offers many forms of communication including websites, email, newsletters, and parent-teacher conferences in an attempt to include family ideas and suggestions. The family involvement plan was sent to every family in the school along with a letter that allowed them to offer suggestions or make comments. Spanish speaking families received notification indicating that a translation of this document can be provided at their request. The notification also stated that a translator could be provided if they would like to express suggestions or concerns. Each letter was signed and returned to the homeroom teacher indicating that they received a copy of our plan.

Along with the Family Friendly Plan, R.E.S. and the committees developed a School-Parent Compact outlining the ways in which parents, staff, students and community will share the responsibility for improving the academic achievement of students. The committees were in agreement that we would hold high academic standards for our students. Working together, we would develop strategies that would enable and encourage students to achieve. The compact was reviewed by the committees and approved for the 2005-2006 school year.

Family Friendly Practices Currently in Place:

Family Volunteers-Readers, Class Projects, Class Coverage

Newsletters-School wide and classroom

AR Family Read Night

School handbooks

State agency collaboration regarding foster children

Family Involvement Coordinator to provide personal contacts

Awards program

Utilization of newspaper and radio to address student recognition

Provide times for conferences with family schedules in mind

Family and Community members serving on our school improvement planning committees

Avoid using teacher jargon when conferencing with families

Treat all family members courteously

School website

Emails/phone calls

Curriculum expectations for each grade level available to families

Donations of time or money from family/community that could provide enhancement of student leanring

Active PTO group

Home and School Connection-monthly publication that offers education tips to families

LEAD Open House to discuss policies and procedures regarding the after school program offered at Ripley Elementary School

Administrative Home Visits

Family Interventions with Doc Reedy-director of Family Enrichment Center, Jackson, Tn.

LEAD Faith Based Partnership-off site after school tutorial/homework assistance program

Family Friendly Short Term Goals to be Implemented Beginning Fall 2005:

Open House Scavenger Hunt-this will be implemented by the teacher council. The teachers will work with their committees in order to carry out a school wide scavenger hunt for our open house activity in the fall.

Committee (wing reps) for implementation of ideas-to work collectively on family friendly activities and carry the ideas back to their prospective committees.

Make & Take Workshop (various teachers or teams)-teachers have expressed ideas regarding workshops they would like to offer for families in order to familiarize them with the activities their children are completing in school. The school provides childcare.

Family Council-to work with the teacher committee to implement strategies and ideas for a family friendly environment.

LEAD Faith Based Partnership-we would like to continue strengthening this aspect of the LEAD program

Positive contact with families within first 2 weeks of school-every teacher will be asked to make a personal positive contact with each child's family within the first 2 weeks of school.

Utilization of newspaper and radio to address student recognition-in order for families to recognize and celebrate the personal achievements of their children.

Engaging families from all socio economic levels working to engage family members who normally do not volunteer and recognizing the unique qualities each culture has to offer.

Create family friendly atmosphere in front hallway-make the front hallway more family friendly while addressing the diverse cultures, represented within the populaiton of our school.

Address multicultural groups in school entryway and hallway

Individual teacher "open house" nights to address issues regarding policies and procedures for the individual classroom-individual teachers have expressed interest in hosting a classroom open house as part of their parent contact. This meeting will set the tone and pace for the remainder of the year.

Family Friendly Long Term Goals to be Implemented Within the 2005-2006 School Year:

Family Resource Center-a resource center housed in our building that will offer parents the opportunity to pull resources from our building that can help their child become more successful in school. The center could offer hours weekly or bi-weekly for families to come in and bring their child to work on skiills through the use of learning centers, computer software, manipulatives, reading centers, etc.

Family volunteers-continue to strengthen our network of parent volunteers and have this team set in place for the 2006-2007 school year.

Slide shows during parent/teacher conference-we have offered this previously during parent/teacher conferences; however, we would like to have a reputation in the future for offering a state of the art slide show playing in the entryway or another designated area during each parent/teacher conference.

Spanish speaking volunteers to serve as translators as needed-we would like to develop a team of resources to serve in this capacity

Work together with families to set expectations-we would like to work within the framework of our council of teachers and the community/parent team in order to provide family and community input when setting overall expectations at R.E.S.

Minister/chruch leader interaction-offered by the community in order to help minimize the threat of gang activity within our schools

Professional development opportunities for teachers and staff in the cultural and community values and practices that are common to their students and families-this will be paramount in dictation attitudes of teachers, staff, and administrators regarding implementation of family involvement.