What is a Title I school and what does it have to do with No Child Left Behind?
A Title I school is a school that receives federal funds from the Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged Program. Title I is the short name for this long-standing federal program that is now the first section of NCLB. Title I is the largest single allocation of federal funding for education. Schools qualify based on the percent of students living in poverty, which is based on the number of students who receive free lunch or lunch for a reduced fee. About 60 percent of South Carolina’s elementary and middle schools are Title I schools, and all of our school districts receive Title I money. Recognizing that children from low-income families face greater academic challenges at school, federal funding is provided to schools with higher percentages of students from low-income families. The administration and staff at Title I schools use this extra federal funding to develop instructional programs that support student achievement.
