Title I


Many Highest Poverty Districts Would Be Better Off If Congress Had Not Tried to Help Them

Number-weighting in the Title I formulas is so detrimental to most high-poverty districts that many would be better off if the formulas made no attempt to target more money to districts with high rates of poverty. This post from the Formula Fairness Campaign explains why.
Date: May 29, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Education Policy, Income Related Issues, Title I


Rural North Carolinians Address Important Education Policies

Punitive and unequal disciplinary policies and funding inequities are just two of the public policies that the North Carolina Rural Education Working Group addresses. This month the group held a conference to draw attention to the issues and to their work.


Save the Children Joins Funding Formula Campaign

The national non-profit Save the Children is the newest sponsor to join the Formula Fairness Campaign.


Number Weighting in a One-Page Handout

Ever wish you had a simple tool to help you explain how the Title I formulas work and why they provide a lot less money to low-income children in some school districts than others? Now you have it.


Rural Trust Signs Letter On Highly Qualified Teachers

The Rural Trust has joined a number of other organizations in expressing concern that a recent change in the law defining “highly qualified teachers” under No Child Left Behind will make it harder to ensure that students facing the most educational challenges get the best prepared and experienced teachers.
Date: February 24, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Income Related Issues, Teacher Issues, Title I


RSFN Special Series
Financing Rural Schools: Characteristics of Strong Rural School Finance Systems

Characteristic Eight: An Accurate Match of Resources to Needs. Making sure that students who have out-of-the-ordinary educational needs or characteristics get the support they need is a critical part of a strong school finance system.
Date: February 24, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Income Related Issues, School Finance/Funding, Title I


Formula Fairness Campaign Continues to Grow

The number of organizations that are co-sponsoring a national effort to bring fairness to the federal Title I program continues to increase.
Date: January 25, 2011
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Policy, Formula Fairness Campaign, Title I


Formula Fairness Campaign Gains Three New Sponsors

This month, three new organizations became co-sponsors of the Formula Fairness Campaign. Find out how your organization can join the effort.
Date: December 22, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Education Policy, Federal Policy, Formula Fairness Campaign, Title I


It Is Time for Something More Meaningful Than No "Excuses"

It’s time to address the real challenges that undermine the educational opportunities of many of our nation’s children

Date: December 21, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Federal Education Policy, Federal Policy, Income Related Issues, Title I


Title I: Contact Your Representative — And Your Candidates

The mid-term elections are an important time to tell both incumbents and challengers that Title I funding needs to be fixed....


Districts Headed by African-American Superintendents Lose Funding to Number-Weighting

An analysis of the effects of the “number weighting” provisions of the federal Title I program shows that high-poverty rural districts that are headed by African-American superintendents collectively lost more than $8 million in Title I funding in 2009. These superintendents make up more than a quarter of all African-American superintendents in the U.S. Their districts are losing federal funding to larger, lower-poverty suburban districts...
Date: August 26, 2010
Related Categories: Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: African-American students, Formula Fairness Campaign, Title I


Take Advantage of Congressional Break to Contact Representatives

The federal Title I formulas send more funding for poor students to large low-poverty suburban districts than to smaller, higher-poverty rural districts. That’s not right and Congress needs to hear that the formulas should be fixed.


Rural District's Successful Literacy Program Making a Big Difference

In Mena, Arkansas, students are reading. A lot. Test scores are up significantly. Title I funding makes the district’s comprehensive literacy program possible. But programs like this one could be in jeopardy.
Date: August 25, 2010
Related Categories: In Local News, Rural Policy Matters
Related Tags: Income Related Issues, School Finance/Funding, Teacher Issues, Title I


Arkansas Groups Gear Up for Action on Formula Fairness Campaign

Two rural education advocacy groups held leadership gatherings in Arkansas this month. Both included a focus on bringing fairness to the Title I funding formulas.


Rural Trust to Examine Effectiveness of Competitive Grants for Rural Schools

Competitive grants are an increasingly important part of federal funding for schools. But will they reach the highest-poverty rural schools or enhance equal educational opportunity.