Federal Programs

The Title I.A program was designed to provide all children the opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps(ESEA section 1001). The Title I program helps schools meet the educational needs of low-achieving students in schools with high concentrations of students from low-income families.

Currently, Title I funds are used to implement a school-wide Title I program in all three elementary schools. This means that Title I funds can be used to upgrade the entire educational program of the school to help all students reach high educational standards. A school-wide program can be implemented when at least 40% of the enrolled students at a building are free/reduced lunch eligible.

Each school using Title I funds must have a state-approved plan for implementing aTitle I.A program. This plan details how the school is using their Title I.A funds to assist low achieving students in meeting the Missouri Learning Standards (MLS). Each building level plan includes three parts: a Parent and Family Engagement Policy, a Comprehensive Needs Assessment, and a School-wide Program Plan. These plans, which are revised annually, detail how each building plans to promote parental involvement and form partnerships with parents to improve student academic achievement, identify prioritized needs related to student achievement based upon an examination of building level strengths and weaknesses, and implement strategies to address prioritized needs.

The purpose of the Title II.A. program is to increase student academic achievement consistent with the Missouri Learning Standards, improve the quality and effectiveness of educators (which includes teachers, principals, and other school leaders), increase the number of educators who are effective in improving student academic achievement in schools, and provide low-income and minority students greater access to effective educators.

Title II funds are used to develop, implement and evaluate comprehensive programs and activities that address the learning needs of all students. Some of the allowable uses of Title II funds include:

• Providing high-quality, evidence-based, personalized professional development for teachers, instructional leadership teams, principals, or other school leaders, focused on improving teaching and student learning and achievement
• Developing and implementing initiatives to assist in recruiting, hiring, and retaining effective teachers
• Developing programs and activities that increase the ability of teachers to effectively teach children with disabilities, including children with significant cognitive disabilities, and English learners
• Providing programs and activities to increase the knowledge base of teachers, principals, or other school leaders on instruction in the early grades and on strategies to measure whether young children are progressing
• Reducing class size to a level that is evidence based
• Providing training to assist teachers, principals, or other school leaders with selecting and implementing formative assessments, designing classroom-based assessments, and using data from such assessments to improve instruction and student academic achievement.

The purpose of Title IV.A is to improve students’ academic achievement by increasing the capacity of states, LEAs, schools and local communities to:

• Provide all students with access to a well-rounded education;
• Improve school conditions for student learning; and,
• Improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement
• and digital literacy of all students.

Title V, Part B of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) is intended to address the unique needs of rural school districts that frequently lack the personnel and resources needed to compete effectively for Federal competitive grants and receive formula grant allocations in amounts too small to be effective in meeting their intended purpose.

Title V, Part B funds for both RLIS and SRSA programs can be used flexibly and in various ways to support any activities authorized under ESEA, including:

• Recruitment and retention of teachers, including use of signing bonuses and other incentives.
• Professional development for teachers, including programs that train teachers to utilize technology to improve instruction or work with students with special needs.
• Parental Involvement activities.
• Activities authorized under:
• Student Support and Academic Achievement (Title IV, Part A)
• Title I, Part A:
• Improving basic programs operated by local educational agencies.
• Activities for schools identified with the highest needs.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces, among other statutes, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. Title IX states:

• No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

Title IX applies to schools, local and state educational agencies, and other institutions that receive federal financial assistance from the Department. A recipient institution that receives Department funds must operate its education program or activity in a nondiscriminatory manner free of discrimination based on sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity.