Title I of No Child Left Behind

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act in January 2002, is the federal government’s primary aid program for disadvantaged students.

Title I addresses the education challenges facing high-poverty communities by targeting extra resources to schools and school districts with the highest concentrations of poverty. These are areas in which academic performance tends to be low and the obstacles to raising performance are the greatest. Title I, which was first enacted as part of the War on Poverty, today provides in excess of $14.8 billion each year to more than 90 percent of school districts nationwide for improving the education of millions of children at risk of education failure. Nearly 13 million children are served in Title I school-wide programs, and 2.5 million children are served in targeted assistance schools. Nevertheless, Title I fully serves only about one-third of all eligible children.

The reauthorization of ESEA as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2002 built on the framework of standards-driven reform established in the 1994 reauthorization. States are required to implement standards and assessments aligned to those standards, and annually assess every student in grades 3–8 in reading and math. States must establish proficiency goals and then make “adequate yearly progress” toward meeting those goals. Failure to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) will result in progressive interventions, including technical assistance and public school choice, curriculum and staff changes, restructuring, and state takeover. Districts failing to make AYP will also be required to set aside a portion of their Title I funds to pay for supplemental education services for disadvantaged students from an approved provider of the parent’s choice. Title I funds may also be used to pay transportation costs associated with public school choice.

National PTA successfully advocated for measures to strengthen the parent involvement provisions of Title I. The law requires that schools and school districts provide funding and other resources to increase parent involvement in education. School plans must be developed in consultation with parents of children receiving Title I services and must include a written parent involvement policy.

Title I, Part A, the largest program in NCLB, authorizes federal aid to state and local education agencies to help disadvantaged children achieve high academic standards. It provides funds according to three different formulas. School districts receive Basic Grant allocations to reinforce and improve the regular curriculum through more individualized instruction, smaller classes, and special preschool, after-school, and summer programs. Concentration Grants provide additional funds to counties and school districts where the number of poor children exceeds 6,500 or 15 percent of the total school-age population. Schools in communities where 40 percent or more of the population lives below the poverty level receive Targeted Grants for schoolwide programs to strengthen the entire school. Schoolwide approaches are most likely to use a strategic plan and models of service delivery that can integrate Title I into a larger education program.

The other Title I programs are

• Reading First
• Early Reading First
• Even Start Family Literacy Programs
• Improving Literacy Through School Libraries
• Education of Migratory Children
• Prevention and Intervention Programs for Neglected and Delinquent Youth
• Comprehensive School Reform
• School Dropout Prevention
• Advanced Placement

Title I is one of the most flexible and efficiently administered federal programs. Fully 99 percent of Title I dollars go to the local level.

National PTA supports federal assistance for educating economically and educationally disadvantaged children, and advocates increased funding to provide services to all eligible children. National PTA supports a high-quality basic education as essential to student competency. Schools should be held accountable for ensuring that all children succeed. National PTA supports the targeting and focused purpose of Title I, as well as its strong parent involvement provisions.

Talking Points

• Title I is one of the most flexible and efficiently administered federal programs: 99 percent of Title I dollars go to the local level.
• States are making significant progress in revising their assessment systems and developing and implementing other reforms required under NCLB. Concerns remain, however, about the cost and unanticipated consequences—such as a large number of schools being identified as needing improvement—of implementing the required reforms.