Welcome to Pennsylvania’s State Parent Advisory Council website!

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) created the Title I State Parent Advisory Council (SPAC) in 1990. SPAC includes parents of children participating in Title I. The purpose of this council is to share ideas with the Division of Federal Programs about involving Title I parents to increase student achievement. SPAC parents advise PDE on many aspects of parent involvement-from working with children at home to developing partnerships among parents, teachers, administrators, and community leaders to create effective and engaging parent involvement programs. SPAC has three main goals:

• To distribute information and share ideas that will increase parent participation in Title I programs.
• To identify successful parent involvement programs that can become models for schools with limited parent involvement.
• To give parents the skills and knowledge to become advocates for Title I children.

SPAC accomplishes these goals through three major activities:

• An annual Title I parent training conference;
• A statewide parent resource center;
• Visits to Title I schools that request assistance in increasing parent involvement

The Title I State Parent Advisory Council is funded with Title I State Administration Funds by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Division of Federal Programs through contract with Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV.

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Anne T. Henderson is a Senior Fellow in the Community Involvement Program at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform and author of the parent involvement book Beyond the Bake Sale. On March 28, 2007, she spoke to the U. S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions about Effective Strategies for Engaging Parents and Communities in Schools. Download testimony.

On pages 8 and 9, she shares ideas that you can use as you review your compact with your parents. Her suggestions might spark some great conversation among your teachers and parents!