What is Title I?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, Title 1 is the nation’s oldest and largest federally funded program. Annually, it provides over $7 billion to school systems across the country for students at risk of failure and living at or near poverty.

Originally, the idea of Title 1 was enacted in 1965 under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This policy was committed to closing the achievement gap between low-income students and other student. The policy was rewritten in 1994 to improve fundamental goals of helping at-risk students. The purpose of Title 1 funding, “is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high quality education and reach, at minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.”

What is Title 1 Funding?

This program provides financial assistance through State educational agencies (SEAs) to local educational agencies (LEAs) and public schools with high numbers or percentages of poor children to help ensure that all children meet challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards.

LEAs target the Title I funds they receive to public schools with the highest percentages of children from low-income families. The school must focus Title I services on children who are failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet State academic standards.

In SY 2006-07 Title I served more than 17 million children. Of these students, approximately 60 percent were in kindergarten through fifth grade, 21 percent in grades 6-8, 16 percent in grades 9-12, three percent in preschool, and less than one percent ungraded.

Types of Projects

Title I schools with less than 40 percent low income students offer a "targeted assistance program" in which the school identifies students who are failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet the State's challenging academic achievement standards. Targeted assistance schools design, in consultation with parents, staff, and district staff, an instructional program to meet the needs of those students. These targeted assistance programs must use instructional strategies based on scientifically based research and implement parental involvement activities.

More than 50,000 public schools across the country use Title I funds to provide additional academic support and learning opportunities to help low-achieving children master challenging curricula and meet state standards in core academic subjects. For example, funds support extra instruction in reading and mathematics, as well as special preschool, after-school, and summer programs to extend and reinforce the regular school curriculum.

Sources:

 http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/11105.aspx#ixzz0uyw96U4c

 http://www2.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/index.html

Distributed August 19, 2010

Consultation and Collaboration Committee Meeting