Title I: Funding the Future of Education

Rj Mendoza

Pre-assessment

Are you smarter than a college student who had prior research for his lesson?

Learning Targets

Define what a Title I school is.

Analyze how Title I funding impacts student achievement and educational resources.

Evaluate the challenges and limitations of Title I funding in addressing educational inequities.

Making Cents of Education

"At my school, we get free breakfast and lunch, extra tutoring, and even new Chromebooks for class. My teacher says it’s because we’re a Title I school." This is something a student from a Title I school may say. Title I schools are schools that receive federal funding to support students who are a part of a low-income family, ensuring they too have equal access to the same quality education as students within wealthier districts. The funding provides resources such as extra teachers, technologies, lunches, and academic support programs (Farkas & Hall, 2000).

Examples of Title I schools

Little Rock Highschool

Famously known for the early integration of students with the Little Rock Nine

Sherman Elementary School

One of the first few schools to adopt Title I, found in Omaha, Nebraska

How does it work?

Title I programs provide additional funding, resources, and instructional support to schools serving high percentages of low-income students, aiming to improve educational outcomes and close achievement gaps. Schools use these funds for targeted assistance programs—such as small-group tutoring, literacy interventions, and extended learning opportunities—or for schoolwide programs that benefit all students in high-poverty schools (Croft & Buckman, 2021). By enhancing teacher quality, implementing evidence-based instructional strategies, and providing early interventions, Title I schools work to ensure that economically disadvantaged students have equitable access to academic success (Cromer et al., 2024).

The Gap

National Average

Theoretically, in 2021-2022 there were 13,318 public school districts with a total of 49.4 million students, the total expenditure of the nation was $857.3 billion, so each district should be averaging $64.4 million. Nothing more and nothing less right?

U.S. Census Bureau. (2024, April). Public school spending per pupil reaches $15,633 in FY 2022. Census.gov. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/public-school-spending-per-pupil.html

Reading School District, Pennsylvania

Approximately 18,000 students attend this school district, but it's been reported that this district receives less than 80% of the average state and local revenue per student, even though they have been reported to have 2.5 times the area poverty rate. This might be fair because other schools are facing other hardships or maybe bigger school districts with a larger student population have the extra cash right?

Scarsdale Union Free School District

Westchester County, New York, 4,642 students, $166.8 million budget, roughly $36,000 to spend on each student

Scarsdale Public Schools. Wikipedia, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarsdale_Public_Schools. Accessed 25 Feb. 2025.

Lower Merion School District

Lower Merion Township and Narberth, Pennsylvania, $320.6 budget, around 8,600 students, around $38,000 per student

Lower Merion School District. Wikipedia, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Merion_School_District. Accessed 25 Feb. 2025.
Lower Merion School District. Enrollment Planning Overview. LMSD, 2024, https://www.lmsd.org/enrollment-planning. Accessed 25 Feb. 2025.
Lower Merion School District. Final Budget Presentation 2023–2024. LMSD, 20 June 2023, https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1687443948/lmsdorg/pbqkh9jk3zlnpm9coflp/230620_FinalBudgetPresentation.pdf. Accessed 25 Feb. 2025.

New Canaan Public Schools

Fairfield County, Connecticut, $109.1 million budget, no current enrollment figures

New Canaan Public Schools. Wikipedia, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Canaan,_Connecticut. Accessed 25 Feb. 2025.
Voket, John. "New Canaan Public Schools Board of Ed Approves $114.2M Budget Proposal." Stamford Advocate, 25 Jan. 2025, https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/new-canaan-public-schools-budget-luizzi-20019861.php. Accessed 25 Feb. 2025.

Does it work?

Student Achievement

Title I funding provides academic interventions but has not significantly closed the achievement gap. A major review found that "Title I services have failed to close the performance gap between low- and middle-income students" (Puma et al., 1997). The shift to schoolwide programs further diluted its impact by spreading funds too broadly rather than focusing on the most at-risk students (Croft & Buckman, 2021). While some individual benefits exist, research suggests limited long-term academic improvements (Cromer et al., 2024).

Educational resources

Title I has helped increase school resources, mainly by hiring staff and expanding instructional programs (Kaiser & Hamlin, 2022). However, misallocation of funds weakens its impact, as schools often replace rather than supplement local funding (Farkas & Hall, 2000). The effectiveness of Title I spending depends on implementation, with proper teacher training and targeted resource use being key to success (Cromer et al., 2024).

How to Support Title I schools

Farkas and Hall (2000) analyzed Title I’s effectiveness, finding that its broad distribution of funds often dilutes its impact (Brookings Papers on Education Policy). Croft and Buckman (2021) examined historical educational disparities in Title I schools, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions (Voices of Reform). Cromer et al. (2024) explored how executive functioning programs can improve student outcomes in Title I kindergarten classrooms (Journal of Child and Family Studies). Kaiser and Hamlin (2022) assessed the role of Title I funding in school nutrition and its broader educational implications (Education and Urban Society). Lastly, Puma et al. (1997) found that Title I funding has largely failed to close the achievement gap between low- and middle-income students in their federally mandated study (U.S. Department of Education). These sources provide a well-rounded analysis of Title I's strengths, limitations, and potential improvements.

Conclusion

While Title I funding was created to bridge the educational gap for low-income students, research shows that its broad allocation has often diluted its impact. Studies indicate that while it provides resources and staffing, it has not significantly improved long-term student achievement due to misallocation and lack of targeted interventions (Puma et al., 1997; Farkas & Hall, 2000). However, solutions such as reallocating funds to the lowest-performing students, improving teacher training, increasing accountability, and expanding early intervention programs could enhance its effectiveness (Croft & Buckman, 2021; Cromer et al., 2024). By implementing data-driven strategies and ensuring that funds directly support student learning, Title I schools can better fulfill their mission of providing equitable education opportunities.

Review Quiz

Why do Title I schools receive federal funding, and how does this funding aim to create educational equity for low-income students? Considering the evidence from research, to what extent has Title I funding successfully improved educational outcomes?

A. Title I funding ensures that all students in low-income schools receive the same level of education as students in wealthier districts, fully closing the achievement gap.

B. Title I funding provides additional resources to schools with high percentages of low-income students, offering extra support but not significantly closing the achievement gap.

C. Title I funding only covers food programs and technology purchases, with little focus on academic improvement in struggling schools

D. Title I funding is distributed equally among all public schools in the U.S. to ensure all students have access to the same resources

How has the shift from targeted assistance programs to schoolwide programs affected the effectiveness of Title I funding? Given the research on its impact, should schools prioritize targeted interventions over broad resource distribution? Why or why not?

A. The shift to schoolwide programs has increased the effectiveness of Title I funding by allowing all students to receive equal benefits, significantly reducing achievement gaps.

B. The shift to schoolwide programs has diluted the impact of Title I by spreading funds too broadly instead of focusing on the most at-risk students, reducing its effectiveness.

C. Schoolwide programs have been more successful than targeted interventions because they allow funding to be used on general school improvements instead of individual student support.

D. Targeted assistance programs were ineffective because they only helped a small number of students, whereas schoolwide programs ensure that every student benefits equally.

Answers

B, B

References

Farkas, G., & Hall, L. S. (2000). Can Title I attain its goal? Brookings Papers on Education Policy, 2000, 59-103. Brookings Institution Press. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/26430.

Croft, S., & Buckman, D. (2021). Connecting Title I schools and the pre-Brown era: Do contemporary school principals espouse pre- Brown educational beliefs? Voices of Reform, 4(1), 24-42. https://www.voicesofreform.com/article/34736.

Cromer, L. D., Louie, A. D., & Rischard, M. E. (2024). Pilot study of Smart Moves: An executive functioning training program with kindergarteners at a Title I school. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 33, 3144–3153.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-024-02843-w.

Kaiser, R., & Hamlin, D. (2022). The National School Lunch Program and healthy eating: An analysis of food selection and consumption in an urban Title I middle school. Education and Urban Society, 56(2), 143–163.

https://doi.org/10.1177/00131245221110552.

Puma, M. J., Jones, C. C., Rock, D., & Fernandez, R. (1997). Prospects: The Congressionally mandated study of educational growth and opportunity—Final report. U.S. Department of Education. https://rsfjournal.org/content/1/3/50.

How I used Ai

AI was a useful tool in helping me create this lesson. It helped me write better learning targets. I first created my learning targets, but then I realized they were too narrow, so I asked ChatGPT to help me widen the spectrum. Additionally, it enabled me to summarize sources, letting me know if the article was worth my time and would be useful. On top of that, I used it to double-check my formatting for the reference section.

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