Port Chester Public Schools District | District Plans & Title I

Information About Title I Grants

Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended provides financial assistance to Local Educational Agencies and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. Federal funds are currently allocated through four statutory formulas that are based primarily on census poverty estimates and the cost of education in each state.

Local educational agencies target the Title I funds they receive to schools with the highest percentages of children from low-income families. The school must focus Title I services on children who are failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet state academic standards. Local Educational Agencies also must use Title I funds to provide academic enrichment services to eligible children enrolled in private schools. For example, funds support extra instruction in reading and mathematics, as well as after-school and summer programs to extend and reinforce the regular school curriculum.

Parental involvement is a crucial factor of Title I legislation. Schools receiving Title I funding must implement programs, activities, and procedures that include and promote parent involvement in school-related activities. Schools must also provide opportunities that encourage parents to increase their knowledge and skills as they relate to their child’s education. One of the objectives of these programs and activities is to help parents understand and show them how important their involvement is in shaping the lives of their children in becoming successful and productive contributors to our society. Other goals are to discuss ways to address barriers to greater participation by parents in activities authorized by Title I, the needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children (including engaging with school personnel and teachers), and strategies to support successful school and family interactions.

In a Title I school, teachers, administrators, and all other school staff work together to:

Identify students most in need of educational help (regardless of family income),

Measure student progress using state educational standards,

Set goals for student improvement,

Implement research-based instructional programs that support and supplement regular classroom instruction,

Improve professional knowledge and skills through continuing education and intense professional development,

Hire additional teachers and support staff, and

Involve parents in every aspect of the school’s Title I program.

Under Title I, Local Educational Agencies are required to provide services for eligible private school students, as well as eligible public school students. In particular, section 1120 of Title I, Part A of the the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, requires a participating Local Educational Agency to provide eligible children attending private elementary and secondary schools, their teachers, and their families with Title I services or other benefits that are equitable to those provided to eligible public school children, their teachers, and their families. These services must be developed in consultation with officials of the private schools. The Title I services provided by the Local Educational Agency for private school participants are designed to meet their educational needs and supplement the educational services provided by the private school.