5570 Kirkwood Hghwy Orchard Commons Business Cntr Wilmington, DE 19808 Web site: http://www.depirc.org Hours: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Director: Ms. Jill Simonds Phone: (302) 999-7394 Fax: 302-999-7637 Evaluator: Kirk Knestis

State PIRC Board:

Jeff Benatti, Delaware Head Start
John Carwell, Jr., Community and District Partnerships, Rodel Foundation
Ellen Coulston, Parent Information Center, Parent
Carmen Gallagher, PAT Kent County
Shannon Griffin, Delaware Leadership Institute
Suchi HirAesave, Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware/21st CCLC
Wanda Lopez, Governor’s Council on Hispanic Affairs
Connie Moran, Early Childhood Assistance Programs/Parents as Teachers DE DOE
Charles “Bud” Mullin, Delaware PTA
Faith Newton, Title I Red Clay S.D.
Nadine Smack, Delaware Title I State Parent Advisory Committee
Anna Scovell, PAT Sussex County
Malik Stewart, School Improvement/Title I DE DOE
Caren Turner, Christina School District Parent Advisory Panel
Whitney Williams, PAT New Castle County

Special Advisory Committees:

County Specific Special Advisory Committees are comprised of families with limited incomes and Hispanic families of children enrolled in: Early childhood programs –Title I Elementary schools, middle and high schools.

The mission of the Delaware State PIRC (DE State PIRC) is to advance academic outcomes for students most at-risk of academic failure by empowering parents and educators to become knowledgeable and powerful advocates for school improvement and student success. To maximize impact, the DE State PIRC is partnering with the Delaware Department of Education’s Parents as Teachers Program (PAT) and the Rodel Foundation’s Delaware Parent Leadership Institute (DPLI), as well as with state and local education agencies. (SEA and LEA’s)

Parent Engagement Model
Build capacity with existing parental involvement initiatives by annually funding 30 economically disadvantaged parents to attend the Delaware Parent Leadership Institute’s evidence based training. The expectation is for graduates to subsequently assume leadership roles and to help promote and develop evidence based parent involvement initiatives in their schools.

Early Childhood Model
Build capacity with the PAT to serve previously unserved parents of children ages three -to-five and to promote activities that foster their children’s growth, development and school readiness, and to give parents the know-how and skills essential to becoming engaged and informed partners in their children’s transitions from early-care and education programs to school.

Major Activities
Build statewide capacity with state and local education agencies and parents by developing and implementing both school-linked and school-based models that provide education and technical assistance about Title 1 mandated parental engagement, school accountability, supplemental educational services and school choice as well as a mechanism for developing evidence-based parental involvement policies and practice.

Quasi-Experimental Model. The DE State PIRC will follow a cohort of parents whose children move from an elementary Title I school to middle school and assist them in expanding previously acquired parental involvement skills so as to develop a replicable evidence-based middle school model for parental engagement that impacts student achievement and school success.

The DE State PIRC will develop informational toolkits, a parent leadership manual, fact sheets, a website and a weekly internet-based news cast. Parents will receive information and skills training via community workshops, audio and web conferences and a toll- free call center. To promote the DE State PIRC, we will purchase ads on buses, use state and local education agencies, faith-based and community agency networks along with local access television and radio PSA’s.

How the Work Plan Meets the Needs of Parents
Based on the results of a baseline statewide parental needs survey, the goals of the DE State PIRC will be designed to meet the unique needs of Delaware’s low–income and LEP families in both urban and rural areas. The information of the survey will be shared with the SEA and LEA’s and using both school -based and school -linked models for providing technical assistance to schools and information and training to parents.

Alignment of Work to Statewide PIRC Efforts
DEPIRC’s school-linked resources and technical assistance activities will have statewide reach and impact. Whereas a school-based model, which provides more intensive school-specific support, will be implemented in targeted Title 1 schools not meeting standards across the state.

Unique Characteristics
The DE state PIRC is housed at the Parent Information Center of Delaware (PIC) Delaware’s largest non-profit organization providing education related information to families through out the state. PIC is also home to a Parent Training and Information Center for families of children with special needs. This unique structure will enable the PTI and PIRC to leverage resources and expertise to help all families and strengthen the performance of all students.