How It Works: 

Title I, Part A provides formula grants to school districts, which then allocates funds to individual Title I schools, based on their number of low-income children. 

Schoolwide Programs: 

High-poverty schools (those with 40% or more students from low-income families) are eligible to adopt schoolwide programs to raise the achievement of low-achieving students by improving instruction throughout the entire school, thus using Title I, Part A, funds to serve all children.

Components of the Schoolwide Program: 

Section 1114 of the statute enumerates the 10 components of a Schoolwide program:

• A comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school based on information that includes the performance of children in relation to the state academic content and academic standards.

• Schoolwide reform strategies that:
  • Provide an opportunity for all students to meet the state's proficient and advanced levels of student achievement.
  • Use effective methods and instructional strategies from scientifically based research that -- 
    • strengthen the core academic program of the school,
    • increase the amount and quality of learning time, such as providing an extended school year and before- and after-school and summer school programs and opportunities, and help provide an enriched and accelerated curriculum;
    • increase strategies for meeting the educational needs of historically underserved populations.
  • Address the needs of all children in the school, particularly the needs of low-achieving children and those at risk of not meeting the state student academic achievement standards who are members of the target population of any program that is included in the Schoolwide population.
    • Address how the school will determine if such needs have been met;
    • Are consistent with, and are designed to implement, the state and local improvement plans.

• Instruction by highly-qualified teachers.

• High Quality and ongoing professional development for teachers, principals, and paraprofessionals and, if appropriate, pupil service personnel, parents, and other staff to enable children in the school to meet the state student academic achievement standards.

• Strategies to attract high-quality, highly qualified teachers to high-need schools.

• Strategies to increase parental involvement, such as literacy services.

• Plans for assisting transition from early childhood programs to local elementary school programs.

• Measures to include teachers in the decisions regarding the use of academic assessments to provide information on, and to improve, the achievement of individual students and the overall instructional program.

• Activities to ensure that students who experience difficulty mastering the proficient or advanced levels of academic achievement standards are provided with effective, timely, additional assistance.

• Coordination and integration of federal, state, and local services and programs including programs related to Title I, violence prevention, nutrition, housing, Head Start, adult education, vocational and technical education, and job training.

For further information, please contact:

Caroline Neel
Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Programs 
479.784.8182, Ext. 73542
cneel@fortsmithschools.org