The meaning of Title 1
Check this out: I am in a Title I school district, but the parents I have spoken to have no idea what Title I means, let alone whether or not they are part of that.
Title I means that my district — the Darlington, WI district – is estimated to be performing in the lowest 20% of the country. Why is there no serious discussion of this in the community? Why aren’t parents scared? How can we send kids into the world to compete with the other 80% for jobs?
There is no way that people in my community are going to accept me because I am not going to be able to shut up about this. The best way to make a community better is to talk about what needs improving. What are people talking about improving in Darlington? I’m not really sure.
You are wrong about how a district qualifies for Title 1. Title 1 is Federal funding for districts that are economically disadvantaged. It may go hand in hand that economically disadvantaged students perform lower than their more affluent counterparts, but that does not make them Title 1. It is based on income levels only.
Title 1 means that the majority of children of your school come from impoverished homes – not that they are low performing or unable to learn. I taught at a Title 1 school for 6 years & we were one of the top schools in our school district & in the state. Title 1 means that your school gets federal funds to buy the necessary materials to help every child in your school reach their potentials! Be grateful for the extra funding & don’t get hung up on a label. Title 1 does not mean the teachers won’t do an amazing job. Unless they too think that poverty equals lack of ability.
Hey Penelope, if the above commenters are correct, then I think you should post an update to your post.
Title I — Improving The Academic Achievement Of The Disadvantaged
It looks like you have an image of public schools through which you filter everything… and don’t come to accurate conclusions. Consider, are you being helpful? Or merely perpetuating misunderstanding?