Reflection #3

Title I was originally a component of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was enacted in 1965. It was an effort by President Johnson against the War on Poverty. Recently, the No Child Left Behind, or NCLB, legislation reauthorized Title I. Some components of Title I include adequate yearly progress, or AYP, experimentally driven teaching practices, more adaptable control of spending, extended parental choice, and highly qualified teachers. Title I funding can be used for different programs, but these programs do have certain restrictions they must meet certain standards.

Title I supplies grants to economically and educationally disadvantaged students. Under Title I, schools with greater than 40% of socioeconomically disadvantaged students qualify for receiving these funds to support programs that all students can participate in. A school-wide program is one that is built on reform strategies, not simply services that are added on, and it allows for flexibility in spending Title I along with other national funds. A school-wide program must include the following components according to Title I legislation: comprehensive needs assessment, school-wide reform strategies, highly qualified staff, professional development, parental involvement, transition from early childhood programs, teacher decisions, and valuable additional assistance. An example of an effective school-wide program might be one that focuses on the application of academics to real world professions such as Arts, agriculture and industry, and business organizations. Under the ARRA legislation, more than 60% of Title I schools conduct school-wide programs.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or ARRA. The purpose for this $787 billion bill was to stimulate the economy to create and save jobs. Under this legislation, 28 different agencies, including the Department of Education, were given specific allocations of the funding in which they had to design specific plans for using their Recovery funds. According to the act’s website, Recovery.gov, the Department of Education has paid out in funding $63,649,010,574, falling second only to the Department of Health and Human Services. Under ARRA, the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, of SFSF, program is a one-time endowment of $53.6 billion. As of August 2010, almost three billion dollars have been given to the state of Texas. There are several different ways these funds are divided, including Work Study Funds, IDEA Grants, and Education Technology Grants. ARRA supplies $10 billion additionally to Title I funds to state and local education agencies. Approximately one billion dollars have been given to Texas as of August 2010. When I was researching the ARRA bill, I am always interested in how much the school district, Richardson ISD, receives. According to the website, for the fiscal year of 2010, it was planned that RISD would receive $6,581,115 Title I funds. Although I do not teach at a Title I school, as a district, we serve a very diverse population of students.

Title I primary purpose is to assist students who are both economically and educationally disadvantaged. Research has shown that in areas with high levels of poverty, all students’ performances can be negatively affected. In order to improve students’ academic success, there are many steps administrators can take to appropriately use Title I funding. First, schools must decipher the areas of need at a campus level. This can be done district-wide as well, however, schools must assess their needs individually and develop a plan to meet the needs of their specific students. Secondly, all of the legislation requires that Title I schools have “highly qualified teachers.” Teaching at a Title I school does require additional time and effort from the teachers. I have always wanted to teach at a Title I school since I have only taught at a school where most of my students are, in my opinion, entitled and unaware of hardships. As a new administrator, I think it would be difficult to hand-select a highly qualified staff. However, administrators can provide the encouragement and support that teachers need to become highly qualified by creating a positive environment, offering staff development and improvement options, and making personal connections with each staff member. Administrators and school personnel must be interested in students’ successes both in school as well as their extracurricular activities. Especially for students who live in poverty, building personal relationships with every student can make all the difference. Teachers and administrators must be involved in not only school, but community activities as well. Additionally, continuous monitoring and evaluation of programs is necessary. We are constantly looking for ways to improve. In order to this, we must be open and willing to new ideas and changes, if necessary.

Title I funding has successfully aided many school in providing resources, support, and programs that would otherwise not exist. In Texas, we must reach out to youth who are at-risk to create a life-long love of education. Teachers and administrators have the responsibility of providing an effective, engaging, and relevant curriculum for all students.