Title I is a federal grant offered through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 that provides financial assistance to districts and schools that meet certain criteria. The purpose of Title I is to provide financial assistance for resources and instruction to schools where economically disadvantaged students attend. This is not to say that only the economically disadvantaged receive support. Any student, regardless of their socio-economic status, can qualify for Title I (see “How does a student qualify…?” below for more). Specifically, Title I money helps students access the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (the NJSLS, formerly the CCSS) and Kinnelon’s rigorous curricula. Research shows that this assistance has the potential to increase student achievement. Funds can be used for programs, materials and services that supplement the services that would be provided in the absence of these funds.
There are two kinds of Title I funding: Schoolwide and Targeted Assistance. Schoolwide means the entire school qualifies for Title I support. This is reserved with schools with very high rates of overall poverty (over 40% of the total population). Targeted Assistance means that while there are enrolled students who come from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, it does not reach the level of a schoolwide program. Targeted Assistance dictates that the schools must actively seek out and provide additional resources, materials and instruction only for qualified students.