4-7.01 The Division shall issue a Provisional License for up to three (3) years to an applicant who is seeking licensure through the Arkansas Professional Pathway to Educator Licensure (APPEL) program upon submission of the following: 4-7.01.6 Documentation of the completion of the following professional development through the ArkansasIDEAS Portal: 4-7.01.6.1 Two (2) hours of Family and Community Engagement; 4-7.01.6.2 Two (2) hours of child maltreatment training; 4-7.01.6.3 Two (2) hours of teen suicide awareness and prevention

6.04.2 Parent Involvement 6.04.2.1 In the 2014-2015 school year and every fourth school year thereafter, each educator shall be required to have two (2) hours of professional development designed to enhance understanding of effective parent involvement strategies. 6.04.2.2 In the 2014-2015 school year and every fourth school year thereafter, each administrator shall be required to have two (2) hours of professional development designed to enhance understanding of effective parent involvement strategies and the importance of administrative leadership in setting expectations and creating a climate conducive to parent participation.

8.01 All approved professional development shall be aligned to the Standard developed by the State Board of Education. 8.02 Approved professional development activities shall relate to the following Focus Areas: 8.02.12 Parent involvement/academic planning and scholarship.

5.01 To encourage communication with parents, each public school shall: 5.01.1 Prepare an informational packet to be distributed annually to the parent of each child in the school, appropriate for the age and grade of the child, describing in a parent-friendly manner: 5.01.1.1 The school's parental involvement program; 5.01.1.2 The recommended role of the parent, student, teacher, and school; 5.01.1.3 Ways for the parent to become involved in the school and his or her child's education; 5.01.1.4 A survey for the parent regarding his or her interests concerning volunteering at the school; 5.01.1.5 Activities planned throughout the school year to encourage parental involvement; and 5.01.1.6 A system to allow the parents and teachers to communicate in a regular, two-way, and meaningful manner with the child's teacher and the school principal; and 5.01.2 Schedule no fewer than two (2) parent-teacher conferences per school year. 5.01.2.1 The school may plan and engage in other activities determined by the school to be beneficial to encourage communication with parents. 5.02 To promote and support responsible parenting, each public school shall, as funds are available: 5.02.1 Purchase parenting books, magazines, and other informative material regarding responsible parenting through the school library, advertise the current selection, and give parents an opportunity to borrow the materials for review; 5.02.2 Create parent centers; and 5.02.3 Plan and engage in other activities determined by the school to be beneficial to promoting and supporting responsible parenting. 5.03 To help parents in assisting students, each public school shall: 5.03.1 Schedule regular parent involvement meetings at which parents are given a report on the state of the school and an overview of: 5.03.1.1 What students will be learning; 5.03.1.2 How students will be assessed; 5.03.1.3 What a parent should expect for his or her child's education; and 5.03.1.4 How a parent can assist and make a difference in his or her child's education; 5.03.2 Provide instruction to a parent on how to incorporate developmentally appropriate learning activities in the home environment, including without limitation: 5.03.2.1 Role play and demonstration by trained volunteers; 5.03.2.2 The use of and access to Department website tools for parents; 5.03.2.3 Assistance with nutritional meal planning and preparation; and 5.03.2.4 Other strategies or curricula developed or acquired by the school district for at-home parental instruction approved by the Department; and 5.03.3 Engage in other activities determined by the school to help a parent assist in his or her child's learning. 5.04 To welcome parents into the school, each public school shall: 5.04.1 Not have any school policies or procedures that would discourage a parent from visiting the school or from visiting a child's classrooms; 5.04.2 Encourage school staff to use the volunteer surveys to compile a volunteer resource book listing the interests and availability of volunteers so that school staff may: 5.04.2.1 Determine how frequently a volunteer would like to participate, including the option of just one (1) time per year; 5.04.2.2 Include options for those who are available to help at home; and 5.04.2.3 Help match school needs with volunteer interests; and 5.04.3 Engage in other activities determined by the school to welcome parents and families into the school. 5.05 To encourage a parent to participate as a full partner in the decisions that affect his or her child and family, each public school shall: 5.05.1 Include in the school's policy handbook the school's process for resolving parental concerns, including how to define a problem, whom to approach first, and how to develop solutions; 5.05.2 Sponsor seminars to inform the parents of students in grades nine (9) through twelve (12) about how to be involved in the decisions affecting course selection, career planning, and preparation for postsecondary opportunities; and 5.05.3 Engage in other activities that the school determines will encourage a parent to participate as a full partner in the decisions that affect his or her child and family. 5.06 Each public school shall investigate and, where feasible, utilize community resources in the instructional program of the school. 5.07 To take advantage of community resources, each public school shall: 5.07.1 Consider recruiting alumni from the school to create an alumni advisory commission to provide advice and guidance for school improvement; 5.07.2 Enable the formation of a Parent Teacher Association or organization that will foster parental and community involvement within the school; 5.07.2.1 Leaders of this organization shall be utilized in appropriate decisions affecting the children and families; and 5.07.3 Engage in other activities that the school determines will use community resources to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning. 5.08 The principal of each public school shall designate one (1) licensed staff member who is willing to serve as a parent facilitator to: 5.08.1 Help organize meaningful training for staff and parents; 5.08.2 Promote and encourage a welcoming atmosphere to foster parental involvement in the school; and 5.08.3 Undertake efforts to ensure that parental participation is recognized as an asset to the school. 5.08.4 The certified staff member serving as a parental facilitator shall receive supplemental pay for the assigned duties as required by law.

(a) The State Board of Education's Standard for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts shall require the following professional development according to the professional development schedule under § 6-17-709:

• (1) Two (2) hours of professional development, or professional learning credit as determined by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, as part of the professional development required for teachers, designed to enhance understanding of effective family and community engagement strategies; and
• (2) Two (2) hours of professional development, or professional learning credit as determined by the division, as part of the professional development required for administrators, designed to enhance understanding of:
  • (A) Effective family and community engagement strategies; and
  • (B) The importance of administrative leadership in setting expectations and creating a climate conducive to family and community participation. (b) A school district shall provide training at least annually for volunteers who assist in an instructional program for families and the community.

The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Division of Higher Education shall collaborate with institutions of higher education to incorporate into teacher and administrator education programs instruction regarding: (1) The importance of parental involvement; (2) Successful strategies for encouraging a parent to be a partner in his or her child's education; and (3) The relationship between cultural diversity and parental involvement.

(a) Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, a school district or an open-enrollment public charter school shall make available to the appropriate licensed personnel the following professional development: (2) In the 2014-2015 school year and every fourth school year thereafter, the family and community engagement professional development under § 6-15-1703. [...] (3) (A) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall not issue an initial teaching license until the applicant verifies that he or she has obtained the required professional development concerning: (ii) Family and community engagement under § 6-15-1703.