7.2 Under Improvement Phase 2 - A school that is identified as Under Improvement Phase 1 pursuant to 7.1 and fails to meet AYP for an additional year shall be considered "Under Improvement Phase 2." Such schools shall:

• 7.2.1 Amend the School Success Plan to add, at a minimum, one or more of the following options deemed appropriate, if permitted by State and Federal law; and that should be closely aligned with the areas in which the school failed to make AYP. Districts and charter schools may use federal, state or local funding, as permitted by State and Federal law, to implement these initiatives:
  • 7.2.1.6 Technical assistance on budget development/usage, professional development and evaluation, engaging parents and the community;

(a) There is no adequate substitute for the involvement of a concerned and committed family in the education of a child. The State therefore endeavors to encourage parents and families to become involved in the education of their children and to operate a system of public schools which welcomes and fosters such positive involvement by parents and families.

(b) Among the most important elements of effective parental and family involvement in education are: communication--regular, 2-way, meaningful communications between parents and schools; effective parenting skills--the exercise by parents of good parenting skills for the benefit of their children and the fostering of such skills by public schools; parental involvement in student learning--parents play an integral role in student learning and emphasize the importance of education, and schools assist parents in these endeavors; volunteerism--parents are welcomed by schools, and commit themselves to providing support to their children's schools as volunteers; school based decisionmaking--parents involve themselves in the educational decisionmaking process at the school and district level and are welcomed in that role by schools; collaboration with the community--parents and schools work together to strengthen the connection between families, schools and community resources such as nonprofit organizations, business and religious institutions.

(c) The Department of Education shall work with the Delaware State Congress of Parents and Teachers to promulgate and maintain in current form a Parents' Declaration of Responsibilities reflecting the elements set forth in subsection (b) of this section and such other elements of effective parental and family involvement as the Department identifies. Such Declaration shall identify responsibilities for parents and families, as well as the responsibilities the public schools have to help parents meet such responsibilities.

(d) The Department of Education shall encourage local school districts and schools to adopt the Parents' Declaration of Responsibilities as local policy and to encourage parents at the beginning of each school year to execute an agreement to commit themselves to carry out, to the best of their abilities, the responsibilities outlined in the Declaration.

The Family Services Cabinet Council (Council), with the Department of Education and the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families acting as lead agencies, shall administer a program to offer prevention-related student support services (prevention services) to students to prevent them from becoming discipline problems and from failing academically in our schools. Within the limits of appropriations made for this purpose, the Council shall provide rules and regulations for the award of prevention grants and the conduct of prevention programs authorized under this section, subject to the following limitations:

• (1) The Council shall issue prevention funding to local school districts proposing to establish an integrated plan to deliver prevention services including, but not limited to, academic tutoring and student mentoring programs to provide at-risk students with the extra help they may need to succeed academically and with positive adult role models; outreach programs to promote parental, family and community involvement in students' academic studies and in reducing and resolving school discipline problems; school-linked support services to help students with family or health problems that may be adversely affecting their academic performance and their conduct at school; training to help students and school personnel resolve conflicts peacefully and non-disruptively; and assistance to help teachers better manage the behavior of students in their classrooms.
• (2) Applications for funding pursuant to this section shall be made by school districts in accordance with procedures and Standard established by the Council. Each applicant shall set forth an integrated plan to provide prevention services consistent with paragraph (1) of this section. To avoid duplication of effort, maximize the impact of limited resources, and increase the effect of efforts by state, local, community and private, nonprofit agencies through increased coordination and cooperation, the Council shall give preference to applications which:
  • a. Are submitted by 2 or more school districts working in concert, where appropriate;
  • b. Include private, nonprofit agencies and community organizations as partners in the application, and identify the roles those agencies and organizations are to play in delivering prevention services in the community;
  • c. Indicate how grants from the federal government and foundations will be used or sought to help deliver prevention services in the community; and
  • d. Identify the roles state and local agencies are to play in delivering prevention services in the community.
• (3) The Council shall provide technical assistance to districts preparing applications and ongoing assistance to districts awarded funding pursuant to this section.
• (4) The Council shall establish a timetable for the award of grants pursuant to this section which shall provide, at minimum, for a period of 1 month for joint planning between the Council and the applicants that the Counsel selects as finalists eligible for a funding award. During such joint planning, the Council and the applicant shall refine the applicant's prevention plan, ensure that the plan makes cost-effective use of the resources and services of state, local, community and private, nonprofit agencies, and consider the incorporation of successful elements of other districts' prevention programs into the applicant's plans. Final awards shall be made by the Council on or before January 15 of each year for the subsequent school year, contingent upon the appropriation of funds for such purpose in the annual appropriations act.