Title Programs are major funding programs authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 and reauthorized as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. Each Title is a section of the law with a specific purpose and corresponding federal funding stream. These federal Title grants for school districts help improve the quality of elementary and secondary education by improving educational equity for students and providing federal funds to school districts serving students experiencing poverty. ESEA is the single largest source of federal spending on elementary and secondary education.

Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged, more commonly called “Title I,” is the largest federal K-12 education program. Title I is designed to ensure all children have access to a fair, equitable, and high-quality education. Its core mission is to close achievement gaps and promote educational opportunity.

There are five programs in Title I:

1. Grants to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) (Part A)

2. State Assessment Grants (Part B)

3. Education of Migratory Children (Part C)

4. Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth who are Neglected, Delinquent or At‑Risk (Part D)

5. Flexibility for Equitable Per-Pupil Funding (Part E)

Title I, Part A is the core and largest component of Title I, providing federal funds to schools and districts to help ensure all children—especially those from low-income families—meet state academic standards.

The purpose of Title II-A is to improve teacher and leader quality and focuses on supporting efforts to better prepare, develop, and retain talented and diverse educators in schools, with a particular emphasis on ensuring students of color and students experiencing poverty have equitable access to effective educators. While the goal of Title II-A is to improve outcomes for students, the focus is on supporting ongoing professional learning as well as recruitment, retention, and advancement of educators. Title II-A is a formula grant, and all districts are eligible to receive funds.

The purpose of Title III is to provide supplemental support for multilingual learners who are learning the English language and students who are immigrants. District that receive Title III funds are required to provide students identified as English learners with instruction in learning English and on-grade level core content. Eligibility to receive Title III funds is based on the number of English Learners, but districts must meet a minimum threshold of $10,000 (as determined by a per pupil amount) in order to receive a grant at the district level. However, districts that do not meet the $10,000 threshold can become part of a consortium in order to receive funds.

Title IV-A supports a wide range of activities to promote well-rounded educational opportunities, safe and healthy students, and effective use of technology. In order to be eligible for Title IV-A funds, a district must have received Title I-A funds in the previous year. No eligible district may receive less than $10,000 in IV-A funds. Any district receiving $30,000 or more in IV-A funds must complete a comprehensive needs assessment and spend at least 20% in well-rounded education, 20% in safe and healthy students, and at least some portion of funds on technology, with no more than 15% on technology infrastructure.

Rural schools may have access to the Rural and Low-Income Schools (RLIS) program or the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program. These programs are designed to assist rural school districts in using federal resources more effectively to improve the quality of instruction and student academic achievement. SRSA is administered by the U.S. Department of Education and RLIS is administered by the ODE.

These programs provide eligible districts with greater flexibility in using formula grant funds that they receive under certain state-administered federal programs.

• Allowable expenditures under SRSA include activities authorized under Titles I-A, II-A, III, IV-A, and IV-B

  
  

• Allowable expenditures under RLIS include activities authorized under Titles I-A, II-A, III, IV-A, as well as family involvement activities

Eligibility for RLIS and SRSA are different and is based on meeting definitions of “rural,” “small,” and “low income.”

The McKinney-Vento Act’s Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program (EHCY), ensures that PreK, school-aged students, and unaccompanied youth experiencing housing instability are provided a free, appropriate public education, despite the lack of a fixed, regular, adequate, night time place of residence. The purpose of McKinney-Vento (MV) funds is to identify and address barriers encountered by PreK, school-aged students, and unaccompanied youth experiencing houselessness, and requires each district to have a McKinney-Vento point of contact. Services provided under this grant program must supplement and/or enhance activities provided by the district. This is a competitive grant, and all districts are eligible to apply for McKinney-Vento grant funds. Grants are awarded for a period of three years. Regardless of whether a district receives a competitive McKinney-Vento grant, all districts that receive Title I-A funds are required to set aside a portion of Title I-A funds to serve the needs of McKinney-Vento eligible students in grades PK–12.

McKinney-Vento Homeless and Foster Care Liaison

Colette Ullrich, 541-937-2105

45 S. Moss St. Lowell, OR 97452

Title Programs Coordinator

Erin Claflin, 541-937-2105

45 S. Moss St. Lowell, OR 97452