A Compact for Learning: An Action Handbook for Family-School-Community Partnerships

Chapter 3: Use Your School's Compact

Using your compact is the critical step that moves the compact from planning to action, from paper to partnership. First, people need to know about the compact--what it is and how they can get involved. Launching the compact is a great opportunity to create new partnerships and to reach out to families and community members who have not been involved at the school before.

One of the biggest challenges will be keeping people's attention on the compact once you launch it. Your compact partners will need constant reminders of how their daily activities -- whether helping a student with homework or attending a meeting at school -- fulfill the commitments in the compact.

Get the word out

Today, everyone is overwhelmed with information, and many people have trouble listening to any message closely. Experts say that it often takes eight reminders or notices for someone to say finally, "I've heard of that." When spreading the word about the compact and encouraging people to support it, be patient: you can count on having to remind people many times. Identify and seek out those in the school community who need to endorse the compact to make it work: teachers, school staff, parents, students, professionals and business people, the superintendent, the school board, the mayor, and others. Keep track of how many times you disseminate information about the compact and how you do it, so that you can pinpoint the most successful means of communicating the message of shared responsibility. Remind your partners that the compact is more than a piece of paper, that it is an action plan for student success and school improvement.

Here are some ways to publicize the compact:

Include the compact in the school newsletter.
Send home copies with students.
Attach it to the weekly lunch menu.
Create a Web site where people can share what they are doing to support a partnership for learning.
Send e-mail messages to parents, employers, and other community organizations about how they can get involved.
Start a listserv for compact partners.
Add information about the compact partnership to the school's voice-mail system.
Send out a mailing to the community.
Print the compact in the local newspaper.
Get the community involved through neighborhood get-togethers.
Do a speaking tour of local groups and community organizations.
Host a special event on the compact in conjunction with parent-teacher conferences.
Make the compact the focus of your back-to-school night.

Your compact can be as far-reaching as you would like. Whatever you choose to do, link the compact to action so that families, school staff, and the community see how the compact can work to make things happen in your school.

Provide the necessary support

Your compact is an evolving plan. It is important to decide each year how to support it. One way to ensure that the compact is used is to make it part of your school's annual plan -- supported by financial resources. Allocating resources makes a strong statement about a school's priorities and its commitment to family involvement.

What do you need to make the compact work?

Funding: Title I funds³, parent organization fundraiser profits, district funds, financial support through community and business partnerships.

Training for teachers and school staff, including release time.

Resources for parents: workshops, mailings, a newsletter, a parent library, a parent coordinator.

Communications technology: a homework help line, an interactive voice mail system, an informational phone tree, a Web site.

Put your compact into action

The most important and most effective way to get the word out about the compact is to use it in all parts of your school program. Make the compact an integral point of reference for all that you do at your school. In this way, all partners will understand how their commitments and their actions contribute to improved student learning and high achievement for all students. Here are some ways you can make your compact count.

Use the compact to:

Discuss student progress during parent-teacher conferences.

Explain the school's high academic standards and high expectations for all students.

Help launch programs for family involvement.

Support training for teachers and other staff to work effectively with families.

Complement school improvement plans.

Help partners discuss their responsibilities in meeting the goals of the school.

Activity Sheet C: Check Your Pulse will help you think about how to use the compact. While the questions will be useful as your compact gets off the ground, you can return to them periodically to check on how well the compact is working. Use the questions in a focus group discussion. It's a great opportunity to get a variety of people involved. Each partner brings a different perspective and new ideas for using the compact.

³ All school districts are now required to reserve "not less" than 1 percent of the Title I funds received (unless this amount is $5,000 or less) to support these activities, including family literacy and parenting classes. In addition, school districts, at their own discretion or at the request of constituents, may provide more than the minimum funds for these activities.

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