12199 Stratford Drive Clive, IA 50325 Web site: http://www.iowaparents.org Hours: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday

Director: Mr. Edward Redalen Phone: 641-751-4010 Fax: 515-267-1066 Evaluator: Robin Galloway Evaluator affiliation: Research Institute for Studies in Education, Iowa State University

Special Advisory Committees:

Tracey Adamowski, Parent
Carol Behrer, Executive Director – Youth Policy Institute of Iowa
Alison Bell, AEA Consultant and PIRC Early Childhood/PAT Team Leader
Johanna Bobenhouse, Iowa PTA President, Des Moines
Paul Cahill, Title I Director, Iowa Department of Education, Ad Hoc
Angelica Cardenas, Parent Involvement Coordinator – Perry High School
Troyce Fisher, Iowa Director, Wallace Leadership Program
Tania Fonseca, Student – Marshalltown High School
Tomasa Fonseca, Director, Family Education Center – Woodbury Elementary, Marshalltown
Janet Gartin, Iowa Empowerment Family Support Coordinator and Iowa PAT Coordinator
Emily Hajek, Aid to Iowa Governor Chet Culver
Lou Howell, SEA Consultant and PIRC Team Leader
Doris Kelley, Iowa House of Representatives, Ad Hoc
Teresa McCune, Title I Consultant, Iowa Department of Education
Ron Mirr, Consultant/Coordinator – Iowa City
Rosa Morales de Gonzales, ISU Extension – Perry
Ed Redalen, Director, Iowa Statewide PIRC
Thomas Renze, Principal, Woodbury Elementary, Marshalltown
Charletta Sadduth, PAT Coordinator, Waterloo Schools
Daniel Smith, Executive Director, School Administrators of Iowa, Ad Hoc

The Iowa Statewide PIRC is a joint effort of 3 agencies—School Administrators of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Education, and Area Education Agency 267. We are supported in our efforts by a wide range of partners that include the Iowa Association of School Boards, the Iowa PTA, the Iowa State Education Association, and Iowa State Extension.

The mission of the Iowa Statewide PIRC is “to inspire, engage and support parents, schools and communities to improve learning and developmental outcomes for children and youth.” The ultimate goal of our project is to help students move toward academic proficiency through: (1) implementation of effective parental involvement policies, programs, and activities; (2) improved partnerships among parents, teachers, principals, and administrators; (3) improved relationships between parents and their children’s school; (4) furthering the developmental progress of young children; and (5) coordination and integration of federal, state, and local services and programs. We are especially interested in targeting intensive information and support services to low-income parents throughout the state and to parents and educators in all “Low-Performing” (SINA) schools.

We have organized our project around 3 separate goals.

Our first goal provides for multiple statewide parent information and support activities targeting both parents and educators. Through the activities for Goal 1, our intention is to spread information about school choice, supplemental services, school report cards, the state’s accountability system, and effective parent engagement strategies to as many interested listeners as possible. As a result of Goal 1 activities we will assist groups of parents and educators (including administrators) to increase their awareness of and explore ways in which they can implement effective parent engagement strategies.

Our Goal 2 activities allow us to support identified groups of parents and educators who have made a commitment to impact student achievement at the local level through well-developed parent engagements projects and learning experiences. As a result of Goal 2 activities, targeted school and community teams will increase their skill base, refine their efforts, and ultimately evaluate and redirect their parent engagement efforts.

The final project goal (Goal 3) centers on statewide early childhood programming through which we will expand and support the literacy opportunities for parents of young children throughout the state using Parents As Teachers and other evidence-based approaches.

Parental Engagement Model
The Iowa PIRC project is designed to build upon existing parent engagement initiatives in our state in ways that promote systemic change as well as changes for individual parents and educators. Our project uses Iowa’s Learning Supports framework (http://www.iowa.gov/educate/content/view/498/711/1/2/) to guide our efforts so that all parent engagement efforts are linked to learning. As a result of this project, educators in Iowa will actively engage parents as partners in helping students become successful learners.

Early Childhood Model
Parents As Teachers

Alignment of Work to Statewide PIRC Efforts
Our 5-year project plan allows for us to provide information and assistance to parents in every SINA school in our state in collaboration with Iowa DE staff. We will also provide information and training on effective parent engagement strategies to educators and parents in many of our state’s 365 schools districts.