Title I has long been the cornerstone of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The program provides critical resources to reduce achievement gaps and help disadvantaged students meet the same high standards as all students. For FY 01, $8.6 billion in Title I grants fund ninety-three percent of school districts and more than 46,000 schools. Almost 13 million children benefit from Title I services.
Title I funds instructional activities in core academic subjects, such as reading and math. The program provides schools flexibility to design activities that best meet the needs of their students. Funds may be used for a variety of purposes, including:
Amendments in 1994 shifted program emphasis from remedial skills to standards-based curriculum and assessments. These reforms have begun to show positive results:
Title I plays a critical role in helping low-performing schools succeed. Last year, Congress targeted a portion of Title I funds directly to low-performing schools. This year, both the House and Senate ESEA reauthorization bills provide additional targeted Title I monies for low-performing schools.
Despite its success, Title I remains significantly underfunded. Currently, Title I only provides $841 per eligible child. At current levels, Title I can fully serve only one-third of eligible students. The Congressional Research Service estimates that providing comprehensive Title I services to all eligible children would require $27 billion, more than three times current funding.
Turning around low-performing schools and ensuring every student the highest quality education must be a top priority. Conferees should:
Allocate all increased funds to the Targeted Grant program in order to concentrate funds on the highest poverty schools.
Prepared by the National Education Association, Government Relations Department, July 2001