Title I was originally enacted in 1965 as a cornerstone of President Johnson's "War on Poverty ".  In January, 2002, President Bush signed the "No Child Left Behind" Act.  This law establishes minimum qualifications for teachers and paraprofessionals and sets a goal of all children achieving a state-defined "proficient" level by the end of school year 2013 - 2014.

Title I is the largest federally funded supplemental education program.  It does not replace what the school does; instead it gives students additional instruction.

Title I teachers and staff work in the following Cambridge elementary schools: Amigos, Fletcher-Maynard Academy, Kennedy/Longfellow, King, King Open, Morse, Peabody and Tobin.

Within these schools, Title I offers two types of programs: Schoolwide Projects or Targeted Assistance:

• Schoolwide Projects: All children are eligible for services with the goal of upgrading the entire educational program.  Schools must have a poverty threshold of 40%. 
  
• Targeted Assistance: The focus is on individual children who are identified as failing or at risk of failing to meet the state standards.

In the above mentioned projects, both school and Title I administrators, teachers and staff decide the grades that Title I teachers will work with and the types of programs that Title I teachers and staff will provide.  Among these programs are:

• Reading Recovery: an intensive intervention program for grade 1 students who are experiencing difficulty in learning to read and write.  Students are seen individually every day of the week for 30 minutes. In approximately 16 weeks, the goal is to have students reach the average reading level of their class.
  
• Literacy Groups: Title I teachers go into kindergarten to grade 2 classrooms where they take responsibility for a small group of students during reading time.  This allows students to receive more individual attention as there are fewer students with each teacher.
  
• Development in Reading Efficiency (DIRE): this program teaches students in grades 3 to 8 basic reading and writing strategies to improve overall school performance. 

Title I students receive instruction during the school day either individually or in small groups of 4 to 6 students.  Most lessons take place in the child's classroom, however, some lessons do take place in the Title I teacher's room.

For more information about this program, speak to your school's Family Liaison or call the Title I Program  at Tel: 349-6490.