How to Support Title I in Your Child’s School
- Understand Title I Programming
- Develop a Plan for Parent and School Partnerships
- Establish Consistent Communication with Teachers
- Participate in Academic Endeavors
- Stay Informed
Title I is part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, a part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. Title I is a federal program that provides funding to assist at-risk students to obtain a minimum proficiency on state academic standards and associated assessments. The ultimate objective is to ensure these children have a reasonable opportunity to obtain a quality education. Parents can support Title I in their children’s schools in a number of ways.
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1. Understand Title I Programming
A fundamental way in which parents can support the Title I program at their children’s school is to understand what Title I is in the first instance, according to the U.S. Department of Education. As part of this effort, parents need to not only understand the basic elements and mandates of Title I. They also need to educate themselves on the curriculum that will be utilized as well as special programming that will be utilized to support students. In addition, parents need to educate themselves on their rights and responsibilities associated with Title I.
2. Develop a Plan for Parent and School Partnerships
After self-education, another key way in which parents can support Title I in their children’s school is to develop a specific, formal plan for a parent-school partnership. In the absence of such a definitive, written plan, there exists a lack of strategy and delineation of responsibilities. A written action plan creates a structure for this vital partnership which works to ensure parental support is optimized in regard to Title I programming in a school.
3. Establish Consistent Communication with Teachers
Teachers are at the heart of Title I programming in any school. Consequently, parents need to have a clear understanding of what teachers are doing in the classroom. In addition, teachers need the support of parents. These two objectives are best met through consistent communication between parents and teachers. Consistent communication should include regular face-to-face meetings between parents and teachers throughout the course of a school year. It should also include the use of digital technology to maintain a communication n connection between parents and teachers.
4. Participate in Academic Endeavors
In addition to connecting directly with teachers, parents need to participate in the academic endeavors of their children. This includes supplementing what children are learning through Title I supported programs at school at home. For example, parents should be supportive of their children’s homework efforts. Parents should seriously consider activities involving their children that supplement what is being learned in the classroom. This can be something as simple as taking children to a museum or some other venue at which their classroom learning can be supplemented and advanced.
5. Stay Informed
Finally, a tactic that parents can utilized to support the Title I program at their children’s school is to stay informed. Staying informed is more than just being up to speed on what children are doing in school. It also means staying abreast of what might be happening in Washington, D.C., that might possibly impact existing Title I programs.
Title I is considered the most far-reaching program impacting elementary and secondary school children, according to the Department of Education. The program was reauthorized by Congress in 2015.
