What is Title I, Part A?

The federal “Elementary and Secondary Act” (ESEA) - enacted in 1965 - is the nation’s national education law. ESEA authorizes several state-run programs for eligible schools and districts. The “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA) - passed by Congress in 2015 - provides for reauthorization of ESEA. The law works to address the performance gaps between student groups in our schools.

Title I, Part A, is an ESEA program that offers services and interventions to support struggling learners. It is aimed at helping students obtain a fair, equitable, high-quality education and close educational achievement gaps. Title I programs and services provide supplemental education assistance that helps students meet our state’s challenging academic standards and assessments, while also taking an active, engaged interest in what they learn and can do.

This information is intended to provide you with important information about this law and how it applies to you student.

You have the right to request regular infomation or meetings about Title I programs. Please contact your school’s principal or the Teaching and Learning Department any time!

How Title Funds Support Our Schools

• Title Services focus on literacy through a combination of inclusionary practices and small group instruciton.
• Supplemental curriculum and instruction are used to provide targeted instruction and additional practice for striving readers.
• Title services are supplemental - students receive instructional support in addition to core classroom instruciton
• Services are supervised by certificated staff with a focus on multisensory, systematic science of reading approaches that help students decode and comprehend text.
• In Oak Harbor, our focus is on early intervention. Elementary schools must have 40% or more of their students receiving free/reduced lunches to be eligible for Title I funding.

Please Share Your Questions and Ideas

We appreciate your feedback and participation in our programs! Each school site has already or will be contacting and meeting with families to share the required Title I notification, including Parent Engagement Plan and Policy, School/Parent/Student Compact, and Annual Meeting notice. Attending a school’s annual meeting and/or Title I events is a terrific way to obtain information, get questions answered, and provide input and feedback that increases the success of our programs!

Together, We’re Better

Title I, Part A has one of the strongest Parent and Family Engagement (PFE) components of all Title Federal programs. A family’s engagement in their student’s education is a greater predictor of academic success than family income. That’s why Title I, Part A, programs insist on robust parent and family engagement activities at every school where federal funds support effective teaching and engaged learning.

Parent & Family Engagement

Students with engaged families are more likely to:

• Learn to read faster
• Have higher grades and test scores
• Are promoted and take more challenging classes
• Adapt better to school and have better attendance
• Have more developed social emotional and behavior skills
• Graduate high school on time

To become an active participant in your student’s education:

• Communicate: Stay informed and respond promptly to all communications from the school district.
• Be an example: Show your student that education is important by reading, attending parent/teacher conferences, and attending “open houses.”
• Volunteer: Volunteer at your student’s school and help with extra-curricular activities. Participate in and support parent and family engagement activities at school.
• Learn: Learn how to help your student with classwork, homework, and future education plans.
• Get involved: Join school/parent organizations; school improvement teams; Title I, Part A,, parent advisory councils; and other parent committees.
• Collaborate with the community: Participate in parent activities with other families. Know and use local community resources (libraries, universities, community centers, etc) to increase your own skills and talents in order to help you obtain needed services for your student.

Right to Request Staff Qualifications

Since your student’s school receives Title I funds, you have the right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of the instructional staff who work with your students. To request this information, please contact your child’s school principal.