The commissioner shall have the following educational duties.

• 16. Parental involvement initiatives. The commissioner shall strongly encourage each school board to adopt local procedures for implementing a districtwide parental involvement initiative as school board policy in accordance with section 255, subsection 6.

The commissioner shall provide technical assistance regarding truancy, dropouts and reintegration and alternative education programs. To do this, the commissioner shall employ at least one consultant whose responsibility is to cover the area of truancy, dropouts and alternative education.

1. Qualifications. Any consultant must be knowledgeable in the problems of truancy, dropouts and reintegration and policies and programs.

2. Duties. The consultant shall:

A. Provide technical assistance to school administrative units and private schools approved for tuition purposes to establish alternative education programs;

B. Develop screening tools for early identification of potential dropouts;

C. Act as a clearinghouse for information on alternative education programs in the State, on exemplary programs in other states and on research pertaining to the subject, and promote effective programs;

D. Function as a liaison among the commissioner, department staff, advisory committee and school administrative units and private schools as it pertains to truants, dropouts and reintegration, alternative education programs, alternative learning and adult education;

E. Develop model curricula and programs for alternative education schools and programs;

F. Assess and provide for the evaluation of alternative education programs consistent with the Standard established by the commissioner;

G. Develop training programs for superintendents, principals and school attendance officers to improve effectiveness in performance of their duties as pertains to truants, dropouts and reintegration and alternative education programs;

H. Develop and submit a plan on behalf of the commissioner for the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and the state board on the prevalence of truancy and dropouts, assess alternative and adult education programs and prepare positive strategies to prevent and remedy the problems identified, including reintegration planning for juvenile offenders who have been released from juvenile facilities and are enrolling in schools in the State;

I. Have the responsibility for preventive programs and alternative education programs;

J. Collect data on the scope of the dropout and truancy problem in the State, including data on the number of students who are expelled from school and the number who are readmitted to school after expulsion;

K. Evaluate the scope of the problem of dropouts and truants and programs and policies directed to meet it, including reintegration planning and aftercare services provided for juvenile offenders who have been released from juvenile facilities and have enrolled in schools in the State;

L. Provide staff services to the advisory committee; and

M. Plan and coordinate programs and grant writing to stimulate programs and research on the problem of dropouts, truants, alternative education, alternative learning and adult education.