Title 1 is the largest federally funded program for public schools. It is part of Every Student Succeeds Act but originated in 1965 by Lyndon B. Johnson. It was part of a larger set of bills that changed funding of school districts from solely the local level to partial funding from the national level. Title 1 funding provides educational funds to schools that demonstrate a high percentage of students from low-income families. The Title 1 federal funds enable schools to provide additional educational services to help students who are struggling academically. Funds are intended to supplement general education curriculum

 

Title 1 federal funds provide funding to schools based on the number of students enrolled who demonstrate need. Need is determined by the free and reduced lunch percentage of each school building within the district and other informative data. Districts can receive these funds through either targeted assistance programs or school-wide programs where 40% or more of the students are from families with low-income.

 

Vermilion Elementary School and Sailorway Middle School receive Title funds for school-wide Title 1 programs. As school-wide programs the district may use Title 1 funds to improve student achievement throughout the entire school regardless of a student/families’ individual economic need. This enables all students to benefit from Title 1 support and services. It also ensures that all staff focus on improving educational programming for students in each building while paying careful attention to those from families with low income. School-wide funds are used to expand high-quality instruction, implement research-based interventions to improve academic performance and close achievement gaps, improve teacher quality and provide professional development to staff, and provide parent engagement activities. Should you have questions regarding teacher qualifications please click the link below.

 

All students can succeed with the right type of research-based intervention and additional instruction. Vermilion Elementary School and Sailorway Middle School utilize an assessment- based process to identify students needing additional help in reading. Scores from screening and benchmark assessments, as well as, teacher input ensure that students in need of additional assistance receive the support they need. Students showing the greatest educational need are prioritized to receive services first. For more information concerning the district’s student assessment and academic intervention policy please click the link below.

 

The district and each building receiving Title 1 funds must develop a Parent and Family Engagement Plan. This plan, developed jointly with parents, sets the expectation of and the framework for parent engagement in each building. Parent engagement is of crucial importance in Title 1. Schools receiving Title 1 funds must implement programs and activities to promote parent involvement in academic learning. These programs or activities should increase parents’ knowledge and skills to help support their child’s learning and help parents understand the importance of their involvement in their child’s education. Vermilion Elementary and Sailorway Middle School plans detail how each building will encourage parent engagement and provide opportunities for parents to increase their knowledge and skills while working as equal partners to improve their child’s educational performance.  The district and individual school building plans are available by clicking on the links below and are distributed to all parents annually. School building plans are reviewed periodically, and the district plan is reviewed annually.

 

The Title 1 compact is an agreement made between the parent, school, and student. It details the goals and responsibilities for each group and is necessary to ensure that each party adequately participates in the education of the child. The School – Student – Parent Compact can be accessed by clicking on the link below and is also delivered as part of the annual PowerSchool update for your child.