Tennessee Parent Information and Resource Center (TPIRC)
Mission
Provide training and designed to enable parents of preschool and school aged children, particularly those who are economically and/ or educationally disadvantaged, to effectively help their children achieve developmental goals and meet the educational standards that have been established for children and to enable schools, particularly Title I schools, to effectively involve parents in their programs and activities that lead to improvements in student academic achievement.
Statewide Component
- Sponsor regional conferences for parents, educators, and community members
- Provide and develop information for parents, parent advocates, community members, and educators on issues related to parenting, learning at home, communicating with schools, and identifying community resources
- Build networks between parents, parent advocates, community members, and educators
- Facilitate training and technical assistance on parenting and achievement related issues for parents
- Provide website and toll free hotline for informational purposes
Parent-Focused Component
- Create opportunities for families to connect with each other and to their schools
- Develop leadership skills
- Identify and prioritize concerns of family around educational issues
- Take action to increase, evaluate and sustain family engagement
- Collaborate with all members of the school to ensure a safe, healthy learning environment for children
School-Focused Component
- TPIRC staff are trained in the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) model in collaboration with John Hopkins University to work directly with educators to:
- Develop and sustain partnerships that fulfill NCLB requirements for parental involvement
- Assist schools in using an action team approach, writing goal-oriented plans, selecting practices and involving families and communities to increase student success in school
- To assist schools in communicating to parents and the community on NCLB, state and district report cards, SES and school choice when appropriate
Early Childhood Component
- Increase effective parenting at home
- Increase parent’s awareness and effectiveness in preparing their child for pre-school and school
- Build leadership skills of parents to work more effectively as their child’s advocate at home, in pre-school, and with school and community organizations
- Build networks of parents, educators, and community members around early childhood programs and initiatives throughout the state
