Student Contracts Seen as Successful

Seven of Simi Valley’s 20 elementary schools require students, parents, teachers and principals to sign contracts intended to improve pupil performance.

Such agreements have been viewed as key to the success of Simi Valley Unified School District’s two fundamental school magnet programs at Hollow Hills and Vista.

But changes in federal laws and more teacher interest have increased the number of Simi Valley schools utilizing such agreements to seven.

The four elementary schools in the district that receive low-income federal funding--Abraham Lincoln, Berylwood, Park View Center and Santa Susana--have been required for the last two years to have teachers, parents and students sign a partnership agreement, officials said. Though not binding, the agreements appear to make a difference, said Becky Wetzel, the district’s director of elementary education.

With such a document in hand, teachers can review contracts line by line and ask parents whether they are holding up their end of the agreement, such as providing a nutritious breakfast for their children or making sure their children are completing their assignments.

In turn, students can be held to their commitments, such as completing and returning assignments on time, attending school regularly and respecting and cooperating with adults in the school.

The contracts have stirred interest at other schools. Last year the staff at White Oak Elementary, seeking to increase parent involvement, became the seventh school to use contracts, Wetzel said.