What Is title 1?

Title I, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides financial assistance to states and school districts to meet the educational needs of students at-risk of failing the state’s challenging performance standards in mathematics, reading and writing. Title I, Part provides additional instructional services and activities which support students identified as failing or most at-risk of failing. Title I also provides support to homeless students and programs.

Additional instructional assistance can be:

·         Teaching materials which supplement a student’s regular education

·         Teachers and instructional aides

·         One-to-one or small group instruction

Title I schools with 40% or more of children with low-income families can develop Schoolwide Title I programs to upgrade the school’s entire education program, rather than to target services only to identified students. Schoolwide programs enrich the academic program for the whole child and for the whole school while removing the stigma of being labeled “disadvantaged.”

Wrangell School District has two buildings identified as Title I schools, Evergreen Elementary and Stikine Middle School. Both of these schools operate as Title I Schoolwide programs.

Schoolwide Programs

Each school must complete at least one year of intensive planning to develop a plan that then must be approved by the district for implementation. The plan process includes:

·         A Comprehensive Needs Assessment

·         An Inquiry Process

·         Schoolwide Program Design

·         Evaluation

The schoolwide planning process is an important component to the Title I program. Schoolwide programs can act as a catalyst for school reform by:

·         Encouraging innovation and new ideas.

·         Promoting collaboration and planning among all staff.

·         Establishing a supportive learning environment and high expectations for all students.

·         Involving parents in planning, instructional support, and decision making.

·         Tailoring professional development to meet the school’s needs.

Schoolwide Advantages:

·         The planning process provides an opportunity for staff to come together, eliminating the isolation that characterizes working conditions for many educators.

·         No time and effort required.

·         Funds from a variety of federal programs can be combined to provide a quality educational program.

·         Educators are released from restrictive mandates covering student grouping, minutes of instruction, etc.

·         Schoolwide programs can help to eliminate the stigma of the “disadvantaged” label.

Please contact your School Principal if you have any questions and we will be happy to speak with you.

More information can be found at: https://www.wpsd.us/Page/4222