Title I

What is Title I?

In 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) introduced the federal support program for poor and special need students that would become known as Title I.

The initial goal of Title I was to provide funding to help alleviate the effects of poverty in those schools with high poverty rates that otherwise might not get the funding needed from state and local authorities.

Ten years later, the Federal Government introduced what would be known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandating access to education for all children with disabilities.

Changes to the program in the 1980's included budget cuts, the introduction of block grants, and a temporary name change from 'Title I' to 'Chapter 1'. The biggest change, though, was the introduction of accountability. States were required to set achievement standards for Title I (then Chapter 1) students and to take action if those standards were not met.

By 1994, concern over America's schools led to the passage of the 'Improving America's Schools Act' (IASA) which introduced for the first time federal requirements for state-based standards and assessments. IASA also renamed Chapter 1 back to Title I.

In 2002, Congress passed the latest version of Title I under a law called 'No Child Left Behind' (NCLB).

 Here is the link to the Enterprise City Schools Federal Programs website.