Improving the Academic Achievement of Disadvantaged Students

What is Title I?

Title I, part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, is the largest federal funding source for K-12 education. It provides financial support to school districts and schools to enhance local educational programs, ensuring that economically disadvantaged students have the same opportunities to meet state academic standards as their peers.

In exchange for this financial support, schools, districts, and states are held accountable for improving the academic performance of all students, closing the achievement gap between underperforming groups and their more advantaged peers, and helping at-risk students reach state academic standards.

The primary goal of Title I is to provide a high-quality education for every child, focusing additional support on students who are furthest from meeting state standards. Title I resources are allocated to schools with a high percentage of at-risk students.

How Title I Works:

Each year, the federal government provides Title I funding to states. To receive these funds, each state must submit a plan that outlines:

• What all students are expected to know
• The high-quality performance standards they are expected to meet
• Methods for measuring progress

State educational agencies (SEAs) distribute these funds to school districts based on the number of low-income families. Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) then allocate Title I resources to schools with the highest percentages of low-income students.

At Title I schools, parents, teachers, administrators, and staff collaborate to:

• Identify students who need the most educational support
• Set goals for academic improvement
• Measure student progress
• Develop programs to enhance regular classroom instruction
• Actively involve parents in all aspects of the program

This collaborative effort aims to ensure that every child has access to a quality education, regardless of their socioeconomic background.