Title I Part A- Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged
- What is Title I and how is it funded?
- What does it mean to be a Title I school?
- How does Title I support students and families?
- What is my role as a parent in supporting my child's success?
- What is a school-parent compact?
What is Title I and how is it funded?
Title I is the United States Federal Government’s largest education program to support public schools. Through Title I, money is given to school districts based on the number of low-income families in each district. Each district uses its Title I money for extra educational services for children most in need of educational help. The focus of the Title I program is to help every child receive a high quality education and to achieve the high academic standards set by the State of Tennessee.
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) gives a share of Title I funds to each state based on the percentage of poverty in the state. The Tennessee Department of Education (TN.gov) then gives the money to school districts based on district poverty.
What does it mean to be a Title I school?
- Being a Title I school means receiving federal funding (Title I dollars) to supplement the school’s existing programs. These dollars are used for:
- Identifying students experiencing academic difficulties and providing timely assistance to help these students meet challenging content standards.
- Hiring supplemental staff to provide academic support
- Purchasing supplemental programs, materials, and supplies
- Providing high-quality sustained professional development for faculty and staff
- Conducting parent and family engagement meetings, trainings and activities
Which schools qualify for Title I funding in Fayetteville City Schools?
- Ralph Askins Elementary School
- Fayetteville Middle School
How does Title I support students and families?
- How does Title I support students?
Title I Schools set annual goals for school improvement, measure student progress using Tennessee State Standards, and provide programs and services beyond what the district usually provides. Such as:-
- Providing supplemental academic programs and resources
- Providing additional supports during the school day
- Supporting teachers with professional development and job embedded coaching in the content areas to improve instruction
- Providing liaisons to support students and families
- Providing additional Preschool programs in Title I schools
- Providing tutoring before or after school or during the summer
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How does Title I support families?
Schools are required to plan how they will involve parents in the education of their children. Each school must write, with the help of parents, a school Family Engagement Plan. The school’s Family Engagement Plan describes how schools and families work together to help children succeed. Schools also work with parents to develop a School Compact that serves as a contract between caregivers and the school committing to support the student through a partnership where both parties prioritize student achievement. Schools must include parents in decisions about how to better meet the needs of their students, improve education in their schools, use Title I funds to build the capacity of parents and staff, and increase student achievement.
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- Some ways Title I funds may be used to support parents, build capacity, and include parents in decision making include:
- Host activities to help families with assisting their children with learning
- Build parent capacity to support their child’s learning
- Some ways Title I funds may be used to support parents, build capacity, and include parents in decision making include:
What is my role as a parent in supporting my child's success?
- Parents are an important part of the Title I team and are partners with the school in helping all students achieve. Title I parents have certain rights. As the parent of a child in a Title I school, you have the right to:
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- Be involved in the planning and implementation of the parent involvement program in your school
- Request progress reports on your child and school
- Request information about the professional qualifications of your child’s teacher(s) including the degrees and certifications held, and whether the teacher is certified in their respective area of instruction
- Know if your child has been assigned, or taught by a teacher that is not highly qualified for at least four consecutive weeks
- Help develop your school’s plan for how parents and schools can work together
- Help decide if Title I is meeting your child’s needs, and offer suggestions for improvement
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What is a school-parent compact?
- A School-Parent Compact is a shared agreement that describes how parents, children, and the school will work together to support the child’s learning. The School-Parent Compact should be shared at the beginning of the school year with parents and then reviewed during conferences. Title I parents have the right, by law, to be involved in the development and revision of the School-Parent Compact. The Compact has 3 sections - parent section, student section, and school section. The school section must include 6 required components:
- Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction
- Hold parent-teacher conferences
- Provide parents with reports on their child’s progress
- Provide parents reasonable access to staff
- Provide parents opportunities to volunteer
- Ensure regular two-way meaningful communication between family members and staff, to the extent practicable, in a language family members can understand