Title 1 ?

“Title” Refers to a US law regarding education and education funding.

I do not have the papers in front of me so I’m just giving a rough outline from memory here — check out Wrightslaw or other legal-based sites for exact details.

Title 1 is intended to provide funding for extra help for kids in low-income areas/schools.
The amount of funding is determined by the number of kids registered for free and reduced-price lunches — this lunch aid depending on family income per person. This has had a secondary positive effect; since the schools want money they really press parents to register for lunch programs, and that is helping poorer kids get food. (Quality of that food is another issue)
The funding for extra help is school-wide; it is NOT restricted to kids by family income — that would be a nightmare.
Tutors/teachers are hired to provide small-group assistance in reading and sometimes math skills for kids who are performing below grade level.
Even private schools/Catholic schools can get this help; in the case of religious schools, the Title 1 teacher is often placed in a trailer separate from the school building to keep a strict church - state division.
Unfortunately there is no control on what kind of help is given, so far too many schools have a “more of the same” program, ie if word-memorization didn’t work in class, have the tutor do more word memorization. The program “Reading Recovery” which is reported to have a very very poor track record in actually teaching reading came along at just the right time to get into a lot of Title 1 programs.

I was a title one reading intervention teacher…probably the most overqualifed one there ever was…with all my LMB training. Most Title one teachers have been trained in Reading Recovery. It can be a good program for children…the money for Title one funds is based on the low income students, basically the ones that get free lunches and breakfasts…however, a child receiving Title one reading intervention doesn’t have to come from a low socio economic background and since it is an Intervention program, kids that are special education usually don’t get Title one Intervention services..only those in regular education who need intervention not remediation.
hope this helps!

Auditory Mom,
Title I is a federal grant that school districts apply for. These funds can only be used in a school designated as a Title I school. Check with your distict to see if you have any schools labeled as Title I Schools or Targeted Assisted Schools.

Funding is based on poverty percentages. Free and reduced lunch critera is only one way to get this data.

I suggest you go to the US Department of Education website to read information regarding Title I funding and the new No Child Left Behind legislation that directly affects the use of these funds. I have posted the web address below. Good Luck
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg1.html

>I was a title one reading intervention teacher…probably the most overqualifed one there ever was…with all my LMB training. Most Title

hahah!

>is an Intervention program, kids that are special education usually don’t get Title one Intervention services..only those in regular education who need intervention not remediation.
hope this helps![/quote]

The trouble is that most dyslexic kids are NOT in special ed. Perhaps severely dyslexic are, but those kids that struggle along or are in grades 1-3 are not all identified. Reading Recovery won’t work for these kids. Also I worked in a Charter school. The kids were labeled special ed (though some were b.d.) Some of those kids responded fine to something like a very early version of Open Court. (they were phonics cards in a dubious order— with long vowels first. Still some kids did well with them.)
Anyway, even though this was special ed. This year they got a title one person. So a lot of those kids won’t get worked with appropriately. Although some will.

So if you are not a dylexic kid, and just need the extra attention, the RR works ok. If you are, it won’t help.

—des