Title I

Title I is a federal program that was established to narrow the gap in academic achievement between low-income students and their peers by providing supplemental funding to school districts. This is an effort to ensure that all students have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education.

Title I is included as part of the larger Every Student Succeeds Act. The Talladega County School district uses Title I funding for a variety of purposes at 17 of the district's schools. Teachers providing supplemental instruction are employed for each of the district's Title I schools. Supplemental instructional materials and educational technology are purchased as well. Additional teachers are employed to reduce class sizes. In the coming months, changes will be implemented as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is instituted across the nation.

All seventeen schools in the district receive Title I assistance. These schools are classified as school-wide schools. In a school-wide school, all students enrolled at the school may receive benefits from Title I services. The Talladega County School district maintains a Consolidated Plan for the district.

As a requirement for receiving Title I funds, each school must develop a Continuous Improvement Plan. This is a detailed plan of how the faculty, administration, parents and students will utilize the Title I funds to improve the academic achievement of the school. The plan is based upon a comprehensive needs assessment at each school. This allows the school's Continuous Improvement Team to address the most critical needs at the school. The local school budget for Title I funds is developed by the team at the school to meet accountability standards and improve student achievement. This is known as school-wide authority. The CIP for each school can be found at the school or at the Talladega County Schools' central office. Parents are encouraged to participate in planning for the development of both the district and local school Title I plans. For additional information about the Title I program at your child's school, you may contact the principal.

The use of Title I (and all federal funds in the district) is evaluated annually. The most recent evaluation for Title I, II, IV and V can be found HERE. 

Title I schools are also required to take measures to improve parental involvement in the educational process. Studies have shown what all good teachers know- having a parent take an active part in a child's education yields improvement in the academic achievement of the student. A portion of the Title I funding awarded to the district is set aside for use in supporting activities to improve parental involvement.