A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

A Compact for Learning - December 1997

Introduction

"Better education is everybody's business"

--The Partnership for Family
Involvement in Education

Today, we benefit from 30 years of research showing that families are important educators of their children. Until recently, however, many parents were told, "Hands off, you don't know how to do it." Not any more.

Truly, this is a new time in education, a time calling for the widest participation from school staff, family members, and students. All are asking, "What do we need to know? What are our responsibilities? What are the benefits of our actions? How can we work together?"

Family involvement in education makes a difference: in fact, it can make the difference in a student's achievement at school and in life. Many schools now sponsor family involvement initiatives and activities to improve student learning and to support effective school performance through family-school-community partnerships.

Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 supports local efforts to help children meet challenging standards and to get families involved.1 Every school receiving Title I funds must develop a compact. The compact is a document that clarifies what families and schools can do to help children reach high standards. It serves as a clear reminder of everybody's responsibility to take action at school and at home so that children can learn what is required of them. With the potential to create consensus and action, the compact defines the mutual responsibilities we all have for improving education now.

What is a compact?

A compact is a written commitment indicating how all members of a school community -- parents, teachers, principals, students, and concerned community members -- agree to share responsibility for student learning.

Writing a family-school compact provides an opportunity to create new partnerships in your school community. Principals and teachers, parents and other family members, students, and community members all have a role to play in helping students learn and achieve to standards of excellence. As you build your team, reach out, think big, and be creative. Use the development of a compact as a way to get parents and others who have not been closely connected to the school involved in the process. Bringing together a team to talk about your school's needs and the shared responsibilities of your school community can be as important as the task of developing a compact.

Five Step Compact Process graphic The family-school compact from Signal Hill Elementary School in Long Beach, California, focuses on improving students' academic achievement by setting high expectations for all students and for all of the school's partners. The compact is only one piece of a larger family-school partnership focused on shared responsibility. Notice how the commitments within the compact integrate the shared responsibilities of the compact into a cohesive plan of action. More examples of compacts may be found in Appendix A.

Purpose of the handbook

This action handbook explores the steps for compact implementation as illustrated in the diagram. The handbook is intended for the use of the compact team, whether it is a new group or an existing group, such as the site-based management council, a family-school advisory group, the local PTA, or any other group that works closely with the school.

Developing a partnership compact is good experience for any school. This handbook is intended to serve a variety of schools at all levels--elementary or secondary, Title I or not. If you already have a compact, the handbook can help you use, evaluate, and strengthen it. Just jump in at the appropriate step. At the end of each section is an activity sheet. Putting ideas on paper will help to focus your thinking and planning. In the folder, you will find a set of black and white master copies of the activity sheets to use with the compact team.

As you develop and use your compact, remember that your best resources are the people around you--the teachers, school staff, parents, students, and community members who share your concern about the school and about student learning. Each person has something valuable to offer to the compact: it's up to you to discover the potential in your school community. Good luck, and remember that successful partnerships make successful schools!

1 Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, amended by the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994, is designed to enable schools to provide opportunities for low-income and low-achieving children to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to meet the challenging standards developed for all children.
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[Foreword] [Table of Contents] [Step 1: Get Started]