SEC.4501.
PURPOSES
Section Summary
ESSA
SEC. 4501. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS.
Title IV (20 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.), as amended by section 4001, is
further amended by adding at the end the following:
``PART E--FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS
``SEC. 4501. <<NOTE: 20 USC 7241.>> PURPOSES.
``The purposes of this part are the following:
``(1) To provide financial support to organizations to
provide technical assistance and training to State educational
agencies and local educational agencies in the implementation
and enhancement of systemic and effective family engagement
policies, programs, and activities that lead to improvements in
student development and academic achievement.
``(2) To assist State educational agencies, local
educational agencies, community-based organizations, schools,
and educators in strengthening partnerships among parents,
teachers, school leaders, administrators, and other school
personnel in meeting the educational needs of children and
fostering greater parental engagement.
``(3) To support State educational agencies, local
educational agencies, schools, educators, and parents in
developing and strengthening the relationship between parents
and their children's school in order to further the
developmental progress of children.
``(4) To coordinate activities funded under this part with
parent involvement initiatives funded under section 1116 and
other provisions of this Act.
``(5) To assist the Secretary, State educational agencies,
and local educational agencies in the coordination and
integration of Federal, State, and local services and programs
to engage families in education.
``SEC. 4502. <<NOTE: 20 USC 7242.>> GRANTS AUTHORIZED.
``(a) Statewide Family Engagement Centers.--From the amount
appropriated under section 4506 and not reserved under subsection (d),
the Secretary is authorized to award grants for each fiscal year to
statewide organizations (or consortia of such organizations), to
establish statewide family engagement centers that--
``(1) carry out parent education, and family engagement in
education, programs; or
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``(2) provide comprehensive training and technical
assistance to State educational agencies, local educational
agencies, schools identified by State educational agencies and
local educational agencies, organizations that support family-
school partnerships, and other organizations that carry out such
programs.
``(b) Minimum Award.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, ensure that a grant is
awarded for a statewide family engagement center in an amount not less
than $500,000.
``(c) Matching Funds for Grant Renewal.--Each organization or
consortium receiving assistance under this part shall demonstrate that,
for each fiscal year after the first fiscal year for which the
organization or consortium is receiving such assistance, a portion of
the services provided by the organization or consortium is supported
through non-Federal contributions, which may be in cash or in-kind.
``(d) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary shall reserve not more
than 2 percent of the funds appropriated under section 4506 to carry out
this part to provide technical assistance, by competitive grant or
contract, for the establishment, development, and coordination of
statewide family engagement centers.
``SEC. 4503. <<NOTE: 20 USC 7243.>> APPLICATIONS.
``(a) Submissions.--Each statewide organization, or a consortium of
such organizations, that desires a grant under this part shall submit an
application to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the
Secretary may require, which shall include the information described in
subsection (b).
``(b) Contents.--Each application submitted under subsection (a)
shall include, at a minimum, the following:
``(1) A description of the applicant's approach to family
engagement in education.
``(2) A description of how the State educational agency and
any partner organization will support the statewide family
engagement center that will be operated by the applicant
including a description of the State educational agency and any
partner organization's commitment of such support.
``(3) A description of the applicant's plan for building a
statewide infrastructure for family engagement in education,
that includes--
``(A) management and governance;
``(B) statewide leadership; or
``(C) systemic services for family engagement in
education.
``(4) A description of the applicant's demonstrated
experience in providing training, information, and support to
State educational agencies, local educational agencies, schools,
educators, parents, and organizations on family engagement in
education policies and practices that are effective for parents
(including low-income parents) and families, parents of English
learners, minorities, students with disabilities, homeless
children and youth, children and youth in foster care, and
migrant students, including evaluation results, reporting, or
other data exhibiting such demonstrated experience.
``(5) A description of the steps the applicant will take to
target services to low-income students and parents.
``(6) An assurance that the applicant will--
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``(A) establish a special advisory committee, the
membership of which includes--
``(i) parents, who shall constitute a majority
of the members of the special advisory committee;
``(ii) representatives of education
professionals with expertise in improving services
for disadvantaged children;
``(iii) representatives of local elementary
schools and secondary schools, including students;
``(iv) representatives of the business
community; and
``(v) representatives of State educational
agencies and local educational agencies;
``(B) use not less than 65 percent of the funds
received under this part in each fiscal year to serve
local educational agencies, schools, and community-based
organizations that serve high concentrations of
disadvantaged students, including students who are
English learners, minorities, students with
disabilities, homeless children and youth, children and
youth in foster care, and migrant students;
``(C) operate a statewide family engagement center
of sufficient size, scope, and quality to ensure that
the center is adequate to serve the State educational
agency, local educational agencies, and community-based
organizations;
``(D) ensure that the statewide family engagement
center will retain staff with the requisite training and
experience to serve parents in the State;
``(E) serve urban, suburban, and rural local
educational agencies and schools;
``(F) work with--
``(i) other statewide family engagement
centers assisted under this part; and
``(ii) parent training and information centers
and community parent resource centers assisted
under sections 671 and 672 of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1471; 1472);
``(G) use not less than 30 percent of the funds
received under this part for each fiscal year to
establish or expand technical assistance for evidence-
based parent education programs;
``(H) provide assistance to State educational
agencies, local educational agencies, and community-
based organizations that support family members in
supporting student academic achievement;
``(I) work with State educational agencies, local
educational agencies, schools, educators, and parents to
determine parental needs and the best means for delivery
of services to address such needs;
``(J) conduct sufficient outreach to assist parents,
including parents who the applicant may have a difficult
time engaging with a school or local educational agency;
and
``(K) conduct outreach to low-income students and
parents, including low-income students and parents who
are not proficient in English.
[[Page 129 STAT. 2019]]
``(7) An assurance that the applicant will conduct training
programs in the community to improve adult literacy, including
financial literacy.
``(c) Priority.--In awarding grants for activities described in this
part, the Secretary shall give priority to statewide family engagement
centers that will use funds under section 4504 for evidence-based
activities, which, for the purposes of this part is defined as
activities meeting the requirements of section 8101(21)(A)(i).
``SEC. 4504. <<NOTE: 20 USC 7244.>> USES OF FUNDS.
``(a) In General.--Each statewide organization or consortium
receiving a grant under this part shall use the grant funds, based on
the needs determined under section 4503(b)(6)(I), to provide training
and technical assistance to State educational agencies, local
educational agencies, and organizations that support family-school
partnerships, and activities, services, and training for local
educational agencies, school leaders, educators, and parents--
``(1) to assist parents in participating effectively in
their children's education and to help their children meet
challenging State academic standards, such as by assisting
parents--
``(A) to engage in activities that will improve
student academic achievement, including understanding
how parents can support learning in the classroom with
activities at home and in after school and
extracurricular programs;
``(B) to communicate effectively with their
children, teachers, school leaders, counselors,
administrators, and other school personnel;
``(C) to become active participants in the
development, implementation, and review of school-parent
compacts, family engagement in education policies, and
school planning and improvement;
``(D) to participate in the design and provision of
assistance to students who are not making academic
progress;
``(E) to participate in State and local
decisionmaking;
``(F) to train other parents; and
``(G) in learning and using technology applied in
their children's education;
``(2) to develop and implement, in partnership with the
State educational agency, statewide family engagement in
education policy and systemic initiatives that will provide for
a continuum of services to remove barriers for family engagement
in education and support school reform efforts; and
``(3) to develop and implement parental involvement policies
under this Act.
``(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to prohibit a statewide family engagement center from--
``(1) having its employees or agents meet with a parent at a
site that is not on school grounds; or
``(2) working with another agency that serves children.
``(c) Parental Rights.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this
section--
``(1) no person (including a parent who educates a child at
home, a public school parent, or a private school parent) shall
be required to participate in any program of parent education or
developmental screening under this section; and
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``(2) no program or center assisted under this section shall
take any action that infringes in any manner on the right of
parents to direct the education of their children.
NCLB Text
Title IV (20 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) is amended to read as follows:
``TITLE IV--21ST CENTURY SCHOOLS
``PART <<NOTE: Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
Act. Grants.>> A--SAFE AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES
