Project INSPIRE is the California State PIRC-1 (Parent Information Resource Center) funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement. (Grant # U310A0600096)

Project INSPIRE is brought to you by the California Association for Bilingual Education in partnership with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and the Alameda County Office of Education.

INSPIRE: Innovation that Nurtures Student Success and Parent Involvement to Reach Excellence

Goals

• Identify the needs of underserved families and help them understand their rights and responsibilities in the education system.
• Develop parent leadership skills to support their children’s education.
• Build partnerships between community organizations, schools, and families.
• Train parent leaders to work with other parents to effectively participate in local school reform efforts.
• Inform parents about the provisions in No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation for parent participation—their rights and responsibilities.

Objectives

• Assist parents to communicate effectively with teachers, principals, counselors, administrators, and other school personnel.
• Assist parents to become active participants in the development of school policies, planning, and improvement.
• Assist parents to support their children’s education at home and in the community.
• Train parents to participate in state and local decision making.

Mission

• Project INSPIRE provides training and resources to assist parents, educators, and service providers as they build partnership to help children prepare for and succeed in school.
• Community partnership fosters greater accountability to parents by helping them become active participants in their children’s education. Involved and informed parents have a profound impact on the education and life-long success of their children.

Benefits of Parent Involvement

When parents are involved in their children’s education, those students are more likely to:

• Attend school regularly
• Pass their classes and move on to the next grade level
• Earn higher grades and test scores
• Have better social skills
• Graduate from high school and go on to postsecondary education

Training

• Training is provided at convenient locations throughout Northern and Southern California.
• FREE childcare and food are provided at all workshops.

Levels of Training

1. Training to increase parent awareness and knowledge as an essential partner in their child’s learning
2. Training, coaching, and mentoring of parents, teachers, and administrators to develop leadership and individual action plans at designated Project INSPIRE Satellite Schools
3. Training graduates of Level 2 to facilitate workshops for parents new to Project INSPIRE

Workshop Topics Include

• Parent Involvement: Helping Your Child Achieve Academic Achievement
• Building Bridges: Family and School Connections
• Using Technology and Online Resources
• Understanding the U.S. System of Education
• Basic Components of No Child Left Behind
• California Academic Content and Performance Standards
• System of School Accountability
• Academic Programs
• Role of Parent Committees
• Beyond High School
• Virtual Pre-K
• Goal Setting

Project INSPIRE Brochures

• English Flashpaper Version
• English PDF Version
• Spanish Flashpaper Version
• Spanish PDF Version