Findings, declaration of necessity, and purpose

A. It is hereby found and declared that: (1) It has been clearly demonstrated that parental involvement in the schools is directly related to better student achievement, attitudes, and performance in school. (2) Demographics of the American family are changing to the degree that significant numbers of children attending school come from families with single parents, families in which both parents are employed outside the home, families in which one or more of the parents lack the education and skill to assist their children in learning, and from environments in which the primary caregiver is not the biological parent. (3) These demographics mean that current approaches to developing and maintaining partnerships between families and educators require review and modification to make them more responsive to the needs of both families and schools. (4) The division of state agencies and functions often inhibits the development of coordinated policies to improve family involvement in the learning achievement of children and in the management of the schools. (5) Effective approaches to involving families more fully as partners in the process of their children's learning require the participation and coordination of numerous state and local, public and private agencies and should be encouraged as a matter of state policy. B. The purpose of this Part is to encourage state and local agencies to increase the involvement of parents and families in the improvement of the learning achievement of children and in the life of the schools.