What is a Title I school and what does it have to do with ‘No Child Left Behind’?

A Title I school is a school that receives Title I money, the largest single federal funding source for education. It is intended to help ensure that all children have the opportunity to obtain a high quality education and reach grade level proficiency. Title I funds help students who are behind academically or at risk of failing behind. Services can include: hiring teachers to reduce class size, tutoring, computer labs, parental involvement activities, professional development, purchase of materials and supplies, and hiring teacher assistants and others.

How is Title I school funding determined?

Title I is a federal entitlement program allocated on the basis of student enrollment and census poverty and other data. The U.S. Department of Education distributes these funds to State Education Agencies (SEAs) that in turn, distribute the funds to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) or school districts. Local school districts must allocate the funds to qualifying school campuses based on the number of low-income children in a school. Funding supports Title I Schoolwide Programs and Targeted Assisance Schools, depending on the level of poverty in the school and how the school wants to function. Schoolwide Program schools have 40 percent or more of the children on free or reduced price lunch and go through a one-year planning process. Schoolwide Programs have flexibility in using their Title I funds, in conjunction with other funds in the school, to upgrade the operation of the operation of the entire school. Targeted Assistance Schools use Title I funds to focus on helping the students most at risk of academic failure on state assessments.

What are the state and federal standards for low-income students and school in poverty?

Low income students are defined as those meeting free or reduced price lunch criteria. Schools in poverty are defined by the number of low income students. A Title I school must have: 1.) a percentage of low income students that is at least as high as the district’s overall percentage; or 2.) have at least 35 percent low income students (whichever is the lower of the two figures). Only about one-third of the schools eligible for Title I are funded nationwide. Districts rank schools by poverty and serve them in rank order until funds run out. Schools with 75 percent or more of the students on free or reduced price lunch must be served. Districts must provide sufficient funding in each school to ensure that there is a reasonable chance of the program being successful.

What about schools that don’t get Title I funding, but have students on free and reduced price lunch? Do those students get services provided by Title I funding?

The law looks at poverty by whole school, so there are poor students in some schools that don’t receive Title I services. Also, funds go into a school based on poverty, but they are used to serve the students at-risk academically. The number of schools a district serves is based on the level of poverty in schools and the amount of funds available.

What happens to Title I schools that do not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)?

Title I schools not making AYP in the same subject (reading or mathematics) for two years in a row are identified for Title I School Improvement. In the first and subsequent years of Title I School Improvement, schools must provide students with public school choice. In the second and subsequent years of Title I School Improvement, schools must offer tutoring services to economically disadvantaged students who choose not to transfer. In the third year of Title I School Improvement, schools must take corrective actions, such as replacing school staff, implementing a new curriculum, or changing the school’s internal organization structure. In the fourth year of Title I School Improvement, schools must plan for restructuring. Schools in the fifth year of Title I School Improvement must implement the restructuring plan.