Outline of the state of District of Columbia
State
District of Columbia
Required

Category
Parent Supports and Education Programs

Category
Parent Supports and Education Programs

State law requires districts to implement parent education or support programs to address family needs.

Code of the District of Columbia 1-325.31. Fiscal Year 2006 Educational Investments Fund for District of Columbia Public Schools and Public Charter Schools.

There is established a Fiscal Year 2006 Educational Investments Fund for District of Columbia Public Schools and Public Charter Schools (“Fund”), into which shall be deposited $25.2 million in Fiscal Year 2006, of which $21 million and $4.2 million shall be allocated in Fiscal Year 2006 to the District of Columbia Public Schools and public charter schools, respectively, to conduct activities leading to increased student achievement and improved school performance, including comprehensive reading and math programs, parent and family resource centers, comprehensive art and music programs, the Summer Bridge Program, and a textbook management system. No funds from the Fund shall be made available for expenditure unless, by no later December 31, 2005, the Superintendent, the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board, and the District of Columbia Board of Education Charter School Board submit to the Mayor detailed plans which describe specific initiatives or activities that will be implemented during Fiscal Year 2006, and include budget and performance goals and measures for each identified initiative or activity.

Policy Type
Statute

Code of the District of Columbia 38-754.03. Administration of Community Schools Incentive Initiative.

(a) The Mayor shall establish and administer the multiyear Community Schools Incentive Initiative (“Incentive Initiative”) to award multiyear grants to incentivize the establishment of no fewer than 5 new community schools within one year of June 19, 2012, with priority given to schools that have:

  • (1) A focus on mental health prevention and treatment services;
  • (2) A student population where more than 60% of the students are at-risk as defined in § 38-2901(2A); and
  • (3) A focus on improving academic outcomes for students. (b) The Mayor shall promote and encourage the use of public school and public charter school facilities by community and neighborhood groups. (c) Within 60 days of June 19, 2012, the Mayor shall convene a Community Schools Advisory Committee that shall consist of:
  • (1) The Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools, or designee;
  • (2) The Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, or designee;
  • (3) The Director of the Department of Health, or designee;
  • (4) The Director of the Department of Employment Services, or designee;
  • (5) The President of the State Board of Education, or designee;
  • (6) The President of the University of the District of Columbia, or designee;
  • (7) The President of the University of the District of Columbia Community College, or designee;
  • (8) The Deputy Mayor for Education, or designee;
  • (9) Representatives from at least 4 community-based organizations;
  • (10) Representatives from at least 4 philanthropic or business organizations;
  • (11) The Director of the Public Charter School Board, or designee; and
  • (12) The directors of 2 public charter schools. (d) The Community Schools Advisory Committee shall:
  • (1) Advise the Mayor on the development of the Incentive Initiative, including the development of a results-based framework and accompanying performance indicators with which to measure the success of the Incentive Initiative;
  • (2) Participate in the selection process for Incentive Initiative grantees;
  • (3) Develop recommendations on how all public schools can become centers of their communities by opening school facilities for nonprofit and community use;
  • (4) Identify potential funding sources for the provision of eligible services within the Incentive Initiative;
  • (5) Develop yearly measurable performance goals to assess:
    • (A) How to increase the percentage of families and students receiving services for each year of the Incentive Initiative;
    • (B) The outcomes for students and families, particularly student academic achievement; and
    • (C) The number of public schools and public charter schools that have established formal relationships with community and neighborhood groups to use school facilities; and
  • (6) Meet at least annually to review and evaluate the annual progress of the Incentive Initiative and to make recommendations, if any, to the Mayor and the Council for improvement of the Incentive Initiative. (e) Within 180 days of June 19, 2012, the Mayor shall establish a process for awarding grants of no more than $200,000 a year to successful eligible consortiums and shall require that each application for an Incentive Initiative grant include:
  • (1) An assessment of the local school community, the neighborhood’s needs and assets, and an analysis of the academic, health, and social service needs of the target population of students;
  • (2) A description of the proposed eligible consortium, including the type and number of community partners, as defined in § 38-754.02, and how the eligible consortium shall address the needs and build upon the assets of the community that the eligible consortium will serve;
  • (3) A proposed budget and narrative description of the proposed use of grant funds, which budget shall reflect a core concept of service coordination and integration and the narrative describe how the eligible consortium shall provide at least 4 additional eligible services that did not exist before the establishment of the eligible consortium;
  • (4) The identification of operational funding for eligible services and community partners;
  • (5) A plan for the development of a community advisory board to include members of school leadership, school faculty, parents of school students, community leaders, community-based organizations, and other community members;
  • (6) A narrative description of the program approach, including an implementation action plan and explanation of how the chosen approach is evidence-based either through research or other proven community schools models; and
  • (7) A plan for quarterly qualitative and quantitative program evaluation, including measurable indicators of success in areas such as student academic achievement; graduation and attendance rate; and improvement in student health and socio-emotional well-being. (f) The Mayor shall:
  • (1) Conduct periodic evaluations of the progress achieved with funds allocated under a grant, consistent with the purposes of this section;
  • (2) Use the evaluations to refine and improve activities conducted with the grant and the performance measures for the activities;
  • (3) Make the results of the evaluations publicly available, including providing public notice of the availability; and
  • (4) Identify best practices and lessons learned for the purpose of informing the District-wide community school policy. (g)
  • (1) In Fiscal Year 2020, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education shall award, on a competitive basis, 2 one-year grants in the amount of $300,000 each, to increase attendance and literacy support for students in grades kindergarten through 5, with priority given to eligible consortiums that include:
    • (A) An elementary school with:
      • (i) More than 25% of students in grades kindergarten through 5 who were chronically truant in the 2018-2019 school year; and
      • (ii) More than 25% of students who scored at level 1 or level 2 on the state assessment for English language arts in the 2018-2019 school year; and
    • (B) Three or more community partners that provide at least one of the eligible services described in § 38-754.02(4)(D), (G), and (N).
  • (2) In Fiscal Year 2019, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education may solicit proposals and rank recipients in funding order for the expenditure of grant funds authorized in paragraph (1) of this subsection.
  • (3) The goal of this pilot is to test whether additional resources concurrently focusing numerous community partners dealing with literacy intervention, parental engagement, and social-emotional issues with elementary school students will significantly improve attendance and state assessment outcomes.
Policy Type
Statute

Code of the District of Columbia 38–2602. Responsibilities.

(a) Within one year of the Officer’s appointment, but not later than October 2001, and except as provided in § 38-2604, the OSSE shall assume the responsibilities listed in subsection (b) of this section. The transfer and assumption of responsibilities shall take place in accordance with the short-term plan to be submitted by the Officer to the Mayor for approval by February 15, 2001, or 5 weeks from the establishment of the OSSE, whichever is later. (b) The OSSE shall: (19) By August 1, 2013, create a truancy prevention resource guide for parents and legal guardians who have children who attend a District public school, which shall be updated and made available upon request and, at minimum, include: (C) A comprehensive list of resources that are available to a parent or legal guardian, and the student, that address the common causes of truancy and the prevention of it, such as:

  • (i) Hotlines that provide assistance to parents, legal guardians, and youth;
  • (ii) Counseling for the parent (or legal guardian) or the youth, or both;
  • (iii) Parenting classes;
  • (iv) Parent-support groups;
  • (v) Family psycho-education programs;
  • (vi) Parent-resource libraries;
  • (vii) Risk prevention education;
  • (viii) Neighborhood family support organizations and collaboratives that provide assistance to families experiencing hardship;
  • (ix) Behavioral health resources and programs in schools;
  • (x) The Behavioral Health Ombudsman Program; and
  • (xi) The resources at each public school for at-risk students and their parents or legal guardians.
Policy Type
Statute

Code of the District of Columbia 38–754.02. Definitions.

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term:

  • (1) “Community partner” means a provider of one or more eligible services.
  • (2) “Community school” means a public and private partnership to coordinate educational, developmental, family, health, and after-school-care programs during school and non-school hours for students, families, and local communities at a public school or public charter school with the objectives of improving academic achievement, reducing absenteeism, building stronger relationships between students, parents, and communities, and improving the skills, capacity, and well-being of the surrounding community residents.
  • (3) “Eligible consortium” means a partnership established between a local education agency and one or more community partners for purposes of establishing, operating, and sustaining a community school.
  • (4) “Eligible services” means:
    • (A) Primary medical and dental care that will be available to students and community residents;
    • (B) Mental health prevention and treatment services that will be available to students and community residents;
    • (C) Academic-enrichment activities designed to promote a student’s cognitive development and provide opportunities to practice and apply academic skills;
    • (D) Programs designed to increase attendance, including reducing early chronic absenteeism rates;
    • (E) Youth development programs designed to promote young people’s social, emotional, physical, and moral development, including arts, sports, physical fitness, youth leadership, community service, and service-learning opportunities;
    • (F) Early childhood education, including Head Start and Early Head Start programs;
    • (G) Programs designed to:
      • (i) Facilitate parental involvement in, and engagement with, their children’s education, including parental activities that involve supporting, monitoring, and advocating for their children’s education;
      • (ii) Promote parental leadership in the life of the school; and
      • (iii) Build parenting skills;
    • (H) School-age child-care services, including before-school and after-school services and full-day programming that operates during school holidays, summers, vacations, and weekends;
    • (I) Programs that provide assistance to students who have been truant, suspended, or expelled and that offer multiple pathways to high school graduation or General Educational Development completion;
    • (J) Youth and adult job-training services and career-counseling services;
    • (K) Nutrition-education services;
    • (L) Adult education, including instruction in English as a second language, adult literacy, computer literacy, financial literacy, and hard-skills training;
    • (M) Programs that provide remedial education and enrichment activities; or
    • (N) Programs that provide a full continuum of school-based, early literacy intervention services for all grades pre-K through 3, consisting of developmentally appropriate components for each grade, through a comprehensive intervention model.
Policy Type
Statute

District of Columbia Municipal Regulations 10-A1209. EDU -2.1 Neighborhood-Centered Schools.

1209.3 DCPS is accommodating "wrap-around" services at these 14 schools, with the objective of making them models for future projects around the city. Wrap-around services include family counseling and parenting programs, career education, mental health therapy and after-school enrichment programs. Implementation of this initiative at other campuses holds great promise for the District's children and families.

Policy Type
Regulation

District of Columbia Municipal Regulations 401 Neighborhood School Councils

401.4 The Superintendent shall develop programs, at local schools, with the support of parent and community organizations, for parents who need support in order to provide effective aid to their children.

Policy Type
Regulation