State PIRC Board:

Phillip Brown, PhD, NJ, Center for Character Education
Ronald Capasso, PhD, EIRC and NJISFCP
Tonya Hall-Coston, NJ DOE, Office of Early Childhood Education
Dianne Browne, MA, NJ DCF, School Based Youth Services
Judith Hall, NJDHSS-Child Health
Debra Jennings, SPANNJ (PTI organization)
Sondra Dublinsky, Family Support Organization of Atlantic and Cape May
Daniel Santo Pietro, Hispanic Directors Association
Veronica Ray, NJ Head Start Association
Nancy Thomson, NJ Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
Constance Webster, PhD., NJ DOE, Title 1, Parent Involvement Representative
Donna Bogart, NJDOE, Learning Resource Center
Lisa Brady, PhD, Superintendent, South Hunterdon Regional High School
Erika Reed, NJ DOE, Title III Office
Harry A. Capers, Jr., State PTA President

Special Advisory Committees:

To be formed at each of 8 school districts in September 2007.

Purposes and Goals

There are eight stated goals: To strengthen parental understanding of how to support a child’s education in the home by increasing the availability of information on this topic for parents throughout New Jersey; to strengthen parenting skills and parental understanding of how to support education in the home by increasing the availability of parent training, information, and support programs in New Jersey; to improve student achievement in New Jersey high needs school districts throughout the state by providing training and technical assistance to strengthen and/or develop parental involvement policies, programs and activities; to strengthen the capacity of “Abbott” and Title 1 communities to assist schools and parents in meeting the educational needs of children by organizing Special Advisory committees in each district to identify needs and initiate programs; to increase parents’ skills and understanding of how to support the development of their child’s literacy skills by providing literacy training programs, particularly in disadvantaged areas of New Jersey; to improve parents’ understanding of the New Jersey accountability system and opportunities for supplemental education services and public school choice under Section 1116 of the ESEA; to further the developmental progress of disadvantaged/special needs children in New Jersey; to coordinate PIRC activities with existing Federal, State and local programs and services.

Parental Engagement Model

EPIC Creating Home/School Partnerships, Parent Advocacy Workshops and Parent Leadership Institute Training.

Early Childhood Model

Parents as Teachers and EPIC Parenting and Literacy Workshops.

Major Activities

Establishing 3 new EPIC sites each year and 8 new PAT sites over 5 years, holding parenting and literacy workshops and providing Creating Home/School Partnership in schools and regionally.

How the Work Plan Meets the Needs of Parents

Each partner district (8 each year) will form an action committee that will formulate the work/action plan for the district based upon the needs of the district, parents and community.

Alignment of Work to Statewide PIRC Efforts

The NJPIRC will provide training to the action committee as well as workshops on parent advocacy and parent leadership and train facilitators to provide ongoing workshops in parenting skills and literacy.

Unique Characteristics

A wide variety of services is offered to school districts throughout the State, as well as targeted services for partner school districts either identified as “Abbott” or Title 1 in need of improvement. The project provides parents with the skills to promote learning at home and to be involved with school as the special advisory committees and EPIC make parents the central partners in the development and provision of services. PCA-NJ is the State Affiliate for PAT and the NJ EPIC Associate Office and is the only agency in the State authorized to deliver these nationally recognized, proven program models to families and schools.