Title I
Title I is a federal program that provides financial assistance through State educational agencies (SEAs) to local educational agencies (LEAs) and public schools with high numbers or percentages of low-income children to help ensure that all children meet challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards.
LEAs distribute Title I funds to schools based on the percentage of children from low-income families. Unless a participating school is operating a schoolwide program, the school must focus Title I services on children who are failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet State academic standards. Schools enrolling at least 40 percent of students from low-income families are eligible to use Title I funds for schoolwide programs that serve all children in the school. All ten elementary schools in Rutherford County Schools receive Title I funds and have schoolwide programs, which means that all students within the schools are served.
Both schoolwide and targeted assistance programs must be based on effective means of improving student achievement and include strategies to support parental involvement.
- additional teachers to reduce class size
- additional teacher assistants
- tutors to work with at-risk students
- district wide instructional coaches
- software programs such as Freckle Education and Reading Renaissance
- online programs such as Scholastic
- professional development in literacy instruction for all K-5 teachers