Feingold Helps Parents, Communities Contribute to School Improvement

Press Release

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold unveiled legislation today to help ensure families and communities can play a role in improving some of our nation's struggling schools. Feingold's Families and Communities Improving Our Schools Act will require schools and school districts that accept federal School Improvement Grants to seek input from families and community members before selecting a school improvement model and develop ways to keep families and the community involved in the improvement efforts. The School Improvement Grant (SIG) program is authorized under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and provides federal funding to schools that have been identified for improvement under NCLB. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided $3 billion in funding for the SIG program and Wisconsin was recently awarded $50.7 million in SIG ARRA funding.

"Families and community members can greatly enrich the lives of many students and provide invaluable assistance to improve our nation's schools," Feingold said. "This legislation will ensure all hands are on deck in our communities to help improve the state of our schools and education in this country."

Research shows that effective family and community engagement is a key component of improving student achievement and improving our nation's schools. A four-part series by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last year highlighted the important impact parental engagement can have on a child's education and outlined many of the roadblocks parents, teachers and communities face in improving these partnerships. Examples of family and community engagement strategies include holding training programs for families, providing professional development to teachers and principals on how to more meaningfully engage families in their students' academic lives, and developing better partnerships between schools and community groups to provide comprehensive services to address a wide range of students' academic, social, and health needs.

Senator Feingold's legislation will require schools and districts who accept these SIG funds to:

* Provide notice to families and community members that their school will be receiving SIG funds and selecting a school improvement model;
* Solicit meaningful family and community input before selecting a specific school improvement model;
* Involve families and community members in the implementation of a new school intervention model;
* Develop a plan to ensure families and communities are involved in ongoing school improvement efforts; and
* Develop a plan to evaluate the effectiveness of any family and community engagement strategies used as part of these school improvement efforts.

Feingold's Families and Communities Improving Our Schools Act does not authorize any new spending and therefore does not increase the deficit. His legislation has been endorsed by the Wisconsin PTA, the Wisconsin Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development).

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