Title I vs. Title II Funding

By Dupé Aleru|April 5, 2011|8:36 a.m.

Some of you might be wondering, “What’s the difference between Title I funding and Title II? Well that’s a good question for those who work in the suburbs somewhere off in “Pleasantville”…rightfully so one might not know the difference unless they work in a school district and/or school in which the student population comes from low-income families.

This is where Title I comes into play. Title I refers to a program Act that was initiated by the United States Department of Education in order to distribute funding to schools and districts that have a high percentage of students who come from low-income families.

In order for a school to qualify for Title I, one must have about 40% or more of its students that come from low-income. Note that this “low-income” definition MUST meet the U.S. Census definition of “low-income”.

All in all, Title I funds are usually distributed to students in grades pre-k through high school, but most funds being distributed in grades first through sixth.

Keep in mind both acts (Title I & Title II) fall under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which brings me to Title II funding. Title II funding is a bit different in the sense that the focus is not directly geared towards the students, but rather the teachers and staff. The funding contains funds to train and recruit teachers and principals in the local and/or state level. This funding is geared towards “high needs” school districts that have been identified as “a need improvement” district. This “need improvement” points to the “teachers” lack of ability to teach with high standards and ability; therefore, teachers get labeled and districts are seen to have the lowest proportion of highly qualified teachers, with the highest class size under the Title I.

All in all, Title II funds provide school districts with money to improve the quality of teaching and leadership through the use of recruitment, teacher training and professional development.

Tomorrow I will discuss school nutrition.