Title III Guidance

This Title III, Part A: Increasing and Strengthening Parent, Family & Community Engagement website details how Title III, Part A-funded local educational agencies (LEAs) and ESCs (Fiscal Agents) are required to provide supplemental parent outreach training and activities, family outreach and training, and family literacy services, and community participation programs to English learners, immigrant students, and their families.

Title III, Part A, Section 3115 (a) and (c)(3)(A)(B) requires engagement activities for parents, family, and community. This resource tool outlines best practices for:

• Parent Engagement Activities
• Family Engagement Activities
• Community Engagement Activities

(a) PURPOSES OF SUBGRANTS.—A State educational agency may make a subgrant to an eligible entity from funds received by the agency under this subpart only if the entity agrees to expend the funds to improve the education of English learners by assisting the children to learn English and meet the challenging State academic standards. In carrying out activities with such funds, the eligible entity shall use effective approaches and methodologies for teaching English learners and immigrant children and youth

(c) REQUIRED SUBGRANTEE ACTIVITIES. An eligible entity receiving funds under section 3114(a) shall use the funds—

(3) to provide and implement other effective activities and strategies that enhance or supplement language instruction educational programs for English learners, which—
(A) shall include parent, family, and community engagement activities; and
(B) may include strategies that serve to coordinate and align related programs.

NOTE: For information on the required subgrantee activities for (c) (1) and (c) (2), click on the document titled Clarifying Title III LEA Required Activities Under ESSA.

Parent engagement includes fostering parent-school relationships through ongoing goal-directed communication and culturally responsive support. With shared responsibility, parents and school staff seek what is best for the academic success of students and families, both individually and collectively.

Parent outreach and training provided with Title III, Part A funds must

• include activities that clearly go above and beyond activities already funded through other sources (for example, a community participation program provided through Title III, Part A funds must be separate from any activity or event that is already funded through another source.)
• be supplemental to other services available to English learners, parents, and family members.
• have documentation to support the implementation of the activity. Documentation may include:
  • Presentations (PowerPoint slides, presenter’s notes, or handouts)
  • Meeting or training agendas
  • Sign-in sheets (documenting that the activity occurred during the appropriate academic year)
  • Notifications of the events (e.g., emails to parents, newsletters, or a flyer)

Family outreach and training and family literacy services provided with Title III, Part A funds must

• include activities that clearly go above and beyond activities already funded through other sources (for example, a community participation program provided through Title III, Part A funds must be separate from any activity or event that is already funded through another source.)
• be supplemental to other services available to English learners, parents, and family members.
• have documentation to support the implementation of the activity. Documentation may include:
  • Presentations (PowerPoint slides, presenter’s notes, or handouts)
  • Meeting or training agendas
  • Sign-in sheets (documenting that the activity occurred during the appropriate academic year)
  • Notifications of the events (e.g., emails to parents, newsletters, or a flyer)

Note: The State understands some examples of documentation may not be applicable, due to the size of the LEA/Fiscal Agent’s English learner population.

Community participation programs provided with Title III, Part A funds must

• include activities that clearly go above and beyond activities already funded through other sources (for example, a community participation program provided through Title III, Part A funds must be separate from any activity or event that is already funded through another source.)
• be supplemental to other services available to English learners, parents, and family members.
• have documentation to support the implementation of the activity. Documentation may include:
  • Presentations (PowerPoint slides, presenter’s notes, or handouts)
  • Meeting or training agendas
  • Sign-in sheets (documenting that the activity occurred during the appropriate academic year)
  • Notifications of the events (e.g., emails to parents, newsletters, or a flyer)

Note: The State understands some examples of documentation may not be applicable, due to the size of the LEA/Fiscal Agent’s English learner population.

The ESSA Consolidated Federal Grant application states the following under Part 1:

B. Supplemental Activities – Parent, Family, and Community Engagement The following activities are to be supplemental and above and beyond already funded activities that are accessible to English learners and their family members through other fund sources.

1. Parent outreach and trainings
2. Family literacy services and/or family outreach and trainings
3. Community participation programs

To meet these engagement requirements, an LEA or an ESC (Fiscal Agent) must maintain evidence that demonstrates each engagement component was implemented. In other words, an LEA or ESC may not host one family literacy night and consider the entire question “met.” The typical family literacy night alone does not necessarily meet the other components of the question.

Two specific outcomes are expected when using Title III, Part A funds to implement parent, family, and community engagement activities. As per Section 3115 (d) (6), Authorized Subgrantee Activities, these activities are provided

• to improve the English language skills of English learners, and
• to assist parents and families in helping their children to improve their academic achievement and in becoming active participants in the education of their children.

LEAs and ESCs (Fiscal Agents) must implement activities that will impact these outcomes, and shall maintain evidence of the impact.