Federal Programs
What is Title I?
Title I is the United States Federal Government’s largest education program to support public schools. Through Title I, money is given to school districts based on the number of low-income families in each district. Each district uses its Title I money for extra educational services for children most in need of educational help. The focus of the Title I program is to help every child receive a high-quality education and to achieve the high academic standards set by the State of Alabama.
How is Title I funded?
The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) gives a share of Title I funds to each state based on the percentage of poverty in the state. The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) then gives the money to school districts based on district poverty.
What does it mean to be a Title I school?
Being a Title I school means receiving federal funding (Title I dollars) to supplement the school’s existing programs. These dollars are used for:
Identifying students experiencing academic difficulties and providing timely assistance to help these students meet the State’s challenging content standards.
Purchasing supplemental staff/programs/materials/supplies
Conducting parent and family engagement meetings/training/activities
Being a Title I school also means parent and family involvement and knowing their rights under ESSA.
Who decides how Title I funds are used in the schools?
Each school decides how Title I funds will be used in their school to improve education for all children. Site-based leadership teams in collaboration with parents and leadership teams determine how Title I funds will be used to help support the school’s identified needs. Data are reviewed to determine the greatest needs in a school and devise strategies to improve student achievement in the school through a school-wide or school improvement plan
How does Title I support students?
Title I Schools set annual goals for school improvement, measure student progress using Alabama State Standards, and provide programs and services beyond what the district usually provides.
Such as:
Providing tutoring.
Providing additional academic supports during the school day.
Supporting teachers with professional development and job-embedded coaching in the content areas to improve instruction.
Provide liaisons to support students and families.
How does Title I support families?
Schools are required to plan how they will involve parents in the education of their children. Each school must write, with the help of parents, a school Family Engagement Plan. The school’s Family Engagement Plan describes how schools and families work together to help children succeed.
Schools also work with parents to develop a Compact.
Schools must include parents in decisions about how to better meet the needs of their students, improve education in their schools, and use Title I funds to build the capacity of parents and staff to be involved in their children's education.
Some ways Title I funds may be used to support parents, build capacity, include parents in decision making include:
Translate school information into families’ first language, as needed
Provide interpreters, as needed
Host activities to help families with assisting their children with learning
Build parent capacity to support their child’s learning
Provide childcare meetings and school activities
Offer parenting classes (e.g., literacy classes)
What is a School-Parent Compact?
A School-Parent Compact is a shared agreement that describes how parents, children, and the school will work together to support the child’s learning. The School-Parent Compact should be shared at the beginning of the school year with parents and then reviewed during conferences. Title I parents have the right, by law, to be involved in the development/revision of the School-Parent Compact. Compact has 3 sections - parent section, student section, and school section.
The School section must include 6 required components:
Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction.
Hold parent-teacher conferences.
Provide parents with reports on their child’s progress.
Provide parents reasonable access to staff.
Provide parents opportunities to volunteer.
Ensure regular two-way meaningful communication between family members and staff, to the extent practicable, in a language family members can understand.
What is my role as a parent in supporting my child’s success?
Parents are an important part of the Title I team and are partners with the school in helping all students achieve. Title I parents have certain rights. As the parent of a child in a Title I school, you have the right to:
Be involved in the planning and implementation of the parent involvement program in your school
Request the progress reports on your child and school
Request information about the professional qualifications of your child’s teacher(s) including the degrees and certifications held, and whether the teacher is certified in their respective area of instruction
Help to decide if Title I is meeting your child’s needs, and offer suggestions for improvement
Know if your child has been assigned, or taught by a teacher that is not highly qualified for at least four consecutive weeks
Help develop your school’s plan for how parents and schools can work together
What is the 1% set-aside and how are parents involved?
Any school district with a Title I Allocation exceeding $500,000 is required by law to set aside 1% of its Title I allocation for parent and family engagement. From that 1%, 10% may be reserved at the LEA for system-wide initiatives related to parent and family engagement. The remaining 90% must be allocated to all Title I schools in the LEA. Therefore, each Title I school receives its portion of the 90% to implement school-level parent and family engagement with clear expectations and objectives for meaningful involvement.
Title I parents have the right to be involved in how this money is spent.
What is CIP?
CIP is your school’s Continuous Improvement Plan and includes:
A Needs Assessment and Summary of Data
Goals and Strategies to Address Academic Needs of Students
Professional Development Needs
Coordination of Resources/Comprehensive Budget
The school’s parent and family engagement policy
Title I parents have the right to be involved in the development of this plan.
Title I also provides funding to support:
Homeless / Foster Care Education Programs
Parent Involvement
Migrant Education Programs
Equal Education Opportunity Statement
The Piedmont City School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities or employment and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following people have been designated to address inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and the application of Title IX and its regulations to the Board:
Mrs. Debra Ledbetter, 504 Coordinator 504 Hood Street Piedmont, AL 36272 256-447-7483 dledbetter@pcsboe.us | Mrs. Jessica Bass, Title II Coordinator 504 Hood Street Piedmont, AL 36272 256-447-7483 jbass@pcsboe.us |
Mrs. Rachel Smith, Title IX Coordinator 502 Hood Street West Piedmont, AL 36272 256-447-8831 |
For further information on notice of non-discrimination, visit https://ocrcas.ed.gov/contact-ocr for the address and phone number of the office that serves your area, or call 1-800-421-3481.