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What Parents Should Know About NCLB & Title 1 Schools

"NCLB" refers to the "No Child Left Behind" Act of 2001 and its subsequent updates. The law was one of President George W. Bush's first initiatives as president, requiring all the states to test their students in different subject areas at certain grade levels as a condition for receiving federal education funding. "Title I schools" qualify for supplemental funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, because at least 40% of their students come from low-income families, as defined by the U.S. Census. The government can revoke this funding, however, when schools do not meet NCLB standards.
  1. Supplemental Educational Services

    • If your child attends a Title I school that has failed to achieve its state's minimum ratings for an acceptable performance for more than one year, NCLB provides funding for what are called supplemental educational services. These include a wide variety of remedial assistance programs in math, language arts and reading, that can take place during the summer, the weekends, or before or after school. School districts are required to compile a list of providers of these services in the area --- providers can include the schools themselves, charter schools, or private organizations that have passed an application process.

    School Choice

    • If your child's school has not met the NCLB standards for Adequate Yearly Progress (these vary by state definition) for two or more consecutive school years, your child may transfer to another school in the district that has met the standards. States are also required to define "persistently dangerous" schools and to give students who attend those schools the choice to attend another school in the district. School districts must let parents know if their children qualify for school choice --- this is a requirement for receiving Title I funding.

    Faith-Based Organizations

    • The interaction of NCLB and Title I funding has resulted in one of the few instances when federal funding can go to faith-based organizations, if they have qualified, to provide supplemental educational services in their state.

    Making a Difference for Students

    • NCLB has changed the lives of students all over the United States. Results vary by state, but in Texas, between 2003 and 2005, the following changes took place: the number of Hispanic students passing the state reading assessment increased by 33%; a Title I-funded preschool program at Julia Frazier Elementary School, in Dallas, was instrumental in bringing the school a series of "Exemplary" ratings based on state standards; and minority gaps in achievement in fourth-grade state assessments narrowed by four to seven points, depending on the grade level and test.

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