New Mexico Parent Information and Resource Center (NMPIRC)
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Parent Information Resource Centers, or PIRCS, are federally funded programs under Title V of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) through the US Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement. In all, there are 60 PIRCS across the United States, including Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands and others. Parents Reaching Out is the PIRC for New Mexico.
PIRCS are required to be statewide, serving all families in all rural and urban areas, with a focus, however, on low income, minority and limited English proficient (LEP) children. At least half of a PIRCS funds must go towards serving these at-risk, low-income families and children.
PIRCS were funded in order to help implement successful school-based and/or school-linked parental involvement programs, effective parental involvement policies, and activities that address the education needs of all children and lead to improvements in student academic achievement. The NM PIRC helps schools implement The Epstein Model for School-Family-Community Partnerships or Action Teams for Partnerships (ATPs) to meet these goals.
PIRCS provide technical assistance to families and educational agencies in understanding the No Child Left Behind Act, including Accountability, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and the opportunities available to their children through Public School Choice and Supplemental Education Services (SES). The NM PIRC assist schools with the implementation of the No Child Left Behind parent involvement requirements, the requirements of New Mexico HB 212 and the implementation of the New Mexico Toolkit through the Epstein Model and Action Teams for Partnerships. The NM PIRC assists families in becoming true partners with schools.
As the NM PIRC, Parents Reaching Out, is a member of the National Network of Partnerships Schools (NNPS) at Johns Hopkins University. The NNPS works with schools, districts, states and organizations to “use research-based approaches to organize and sustain excellent programs of family and community involvement that will increase student success in school.”
The New Mexico PIRC is a founding member and proud partner of the New Mexico Family/Parent Involvement Advisory Council (FPIAC), a council that serves in an advisory role to the New Mexico Public Education Department (NM PED). The FPIAC explores and advises the future direction of parental involvement in the state of New Mexico schools.
Currently, with the support of the New Mexico Public Education Department, the New Mexico PIRC is collaborating with New Mexico School Districts and individual schools sites to implement Action Teams for Partnerships, for a total of 23 Action Teams. Our partnerships also include 13 early childhood agencies. Find out more about PIRC Partnerships.
