This study examined the performance of Title I elementary schools in South Carolina from the 2017-2018 school year to the 2021-2022 school year. The academic performance of each Title I school in the study was evaluated by examining data from the South Carolina College and Career Ready Assessment (SC READY). It also investigated the effect of the…

The Title I and Title II-A programs of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provide funds meant to help schools and districts better serve low-income students and improve teacher and principal quality. The law's latest update, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), was passed in 2015 and provides more flexibility to states on some…

Despite constraints on federal resources and authority in education policy, the federal government has a pivotal role to play in identifying a compelling, high-impact focal point that aligns policy priorities at the federal, state, and local levels. The federal government could play a critical role in expanding students' access to excellent…

As a nation we need to identify a set of practical tools to help schools meet the needs of diverse learners. Schools must improve learning for all students, including children living in poverty, students learning English for the first time, students with special needs, students that are mobile, and students with diverse backgrounds. It is critical…

Over the past two decades, community organizing has emerged as an effective force for school improvement. In the context of shrinking education funding, stubborn opportunity and achievement gaps between low-income and wealthy children and between children of color and White children, and polarizing debate on school reform, community organizing…

Congress's role in defining and promoting equality of educational opportunity has evolved over the past 55 years since "Brown v. Board of Education." Most recently, all three branches of the federal government have focused more on equality of educational opportunity for "individual" students rather than for protected classes.…

The educational achievement and attainment of young people in the United States has been a long-standing issue of concern. While analyses of long-term trend data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that students in the United States have made gains in reading and mathematics over the past few decades, a sizeable…

A study conducted of Title I evaluation practices in urban districts which comprised the membership of the Council of the Great City Schools and to identify special problems related to Title I evaluation, as well as make recommendations for improving evaluation practices, is presented. The report contains the following sections: I. Evaluation of…

As part of a larger project to rethink the federal role in elementary and secondary education, the Center on Education Policy prepared this compendium, which summarizes the findings of major studies of the implementation and effects of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) conducted by various organizations and agencies. The brief summaries are…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the issues concerning school-by-school resource allocation processes today and their relation to concerns about equity, educational needs, and the development of more effective educational strategies for all pupils. A description of the special case of the District of Columbia follows a brief summary of…

Rigorous research provides information that will allow other schools and districts to select interventions that have a scientifically based track record of effectiveness. All Striving Reader grants include the mandate to evaluate literacy intervention(s) targeted to adolescents who are reading significantly below grade level. Although all studies…

The present paper employs a behavioral simulation model and data on 4,693 school districts to provide new information about the expenditure effects of the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I program and three major alternatives. The model examines the likely effect of the four options, differing in the choice of targets…

The purpose of the present paper is to measure the effectiveness of a differential add-on grant program, Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The evidence presented shows that this kind of grant program does increase local spending by much more than would be expected of a traditional block grant. The point estimate of the…

This report describes a 1-week institute designed to upgrade research and evaluation skills of persons associated with PL 89-10 Title I and Title III projects. The institute's objectives were to illustrate and provide experience in: (1) operationalizing objectives of instructional programs; (2) designing projects with appropriate controls to allow…