TITLE I and SCHOOLWIDE PLANNING Staff and Parent Vote

1. TITLE I and SCHOOLWIDE PLANNING Staff and Parent Vote April 2009

2. What is Title I? Title I is… • The largest federal aid program for improving the academic achievement of disadvantaged students. • Title I was originally enacted under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. • ESEA was reauthorized under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and signed into law in January 2002.

3. What is the Goal of NCLB and the Purpose of Title I? The goal of NCLB and purpose of Title I is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments. Source: www.ed.gov

4. How is the Goal of NCLB and the Purpose of Title I Accomplished? It is accomplished by: • Ensuring that high-quality academic assessments, accountability systems, teacher preparation and training, curriculum, and instructional materials are aligned with challenging state academic standards. • Meeting the educational needs of low-achieving children in high poverty schools. • Closing the achievement gap between high- and low-performing students. • Holding schools, districts, and states accountable for improving the academic achievement of all students. • Distributing and targeting resources sufficiently to make a difference to districts and schools where needs are greatest. • Improving and strengthening teaching, and learning.

5. How is the Goal of NCLB and the Purpose of Title I Accomplished? (Continued) • Providing greater decision making authority and flexibility to schools. • Providing students an enriched and accelerated educational program • Promoting schoolwide reform and ensuring the access of children to effective, scientifically based instructional strategies and challenging academic content. • Significantly elevating the quality of instruction by providing staff in participating schools with substantial opportunities for professional development. • Affording parents substantial and meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children. Source: www.ed.gov

6. How Does Title I Work? • Title I funding is allocated by the federal government to states for distribution to eligible districts and schools. • In NYC, school eligibility is determined by the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced lunch (poverty percentage). • For the 2009-10 school year, the poverty percentage required for Title I eligibility is 40% in Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens, and 35% for Staten Island. • The current poverty percentage cut offs for Title I eligibility were reduced from the previous year’s cut points of 60% for Brooklyn, Bronx, and Manhattan, 55.7% for Queens, and 37.8% for Staten Island.

7. What are the Two Types of Title I Programs? • Title I Targeted Assistance Program (TA) • Title I Schoolwide Program (SWP)

8. Title I Targeted Assistance (TA) • Title I funds must supplement the state and local resources that are otherwise allocated to the school. • In a Title I Targeted Assistance program only eligible students can be served. Eligible students are the students who perform the lowest on (level 1 and 2) on State Assessments or who fail or are at risk of failing Regents exams. • Title I parents are the parents of these eligible students (i.e. the parents of students who are receiving Title I services.) • TA schools must maintain detailed records to document that Title I funding is spent only on activities and services delivered to eligible students and parents. • Title I Schoolwide Program (SWP) • Title I funds must supplement the state and local resources that are otherwise allocated to the school. • Operationalizes a comprehensive plan that improves the overall educational program for all children in the school. • Stimulates comprehensive reform of the entire instructional program, rather than operating separate and fragmented add-on programs. • All parents are Title I parents because all students are Title I students

9. Why Are We Here Today? • Due the Federal government a large amount of Title I funding to the economic stimulus package that is coming from will be available to our schools for 2009-10 Fiscal year. • After consultation with the USDOE and the SED the Title I cutoffs for all boroughs were lowered for the upcoming school year making an additional 168 schools citywide eligible to receive Title I funds. • The USDOE and SED in consultation with the NYCDOE is making it possible for eligible Title I schools (i.e. Schools that will receive Title I funding for the first time in 2009-10) to become a Schoolwide Program. (A school must have a minimum poverty percentage of 40% to be eligible for SWP.)

10. What are the two crucial requirements for my SWP application? • The Staff Vote • The Parent Vote

11. What is the process for getting these two important votes? The first step is a consultation with the core SLT members. The Principal, The UFT chapter chairperson and the PA/PTA president/chairperson agree to apply for SWP.

12. The school undertakes a formal school vote for staff and for parents. • Staff Vote: A vote of approval of 60% of the non-supervisory staff (teachers, paraprofessionals, DC37).The UFT Chapter Leader facilitates the staff voting process. • Parent Vote: A majority parent vote by parents who vote at a well-advertised meeting. The PA/PTA President facilitates the parent voting process.

13. So how do we conduct the staff vote? • The UFT Chapter Chair organizes and conducts the staff vote • The vote must be well advertised • All UFT and DC 37 union members who are paid on the school’s Galaxy T of O may vote • All rules for UFT voting apply • The UFT chapter chair submits a written attestation verifying the results of the vote

14. What constitutes an approval of the staff vote? The staff vote passes if 60% of those voting approve.

15. How do we organize the parent vote? • The PA/PTA president/chairperson organizes and conducts the vote • The vote must be conducted at a well advertised meeting • Information should be provided in languages that are appropriate for parents • ALL parents must have an opportunity to vote and the voting must be conducted in format that is comfortable for parents. This does not have to be a paper ballot. • The PA/PTA president/chairperson submits a written attestation verifying the results of the vote

16. What constitutes approval of the parent vote? The parent vote passes if a majority of parents (who are present for the vote) vote in favor of SWP.

17. Determination of Voluntary Participation – Question 6 • Describe processes and procedures conducted to facilitate staff and parent and principal/administrator agreement. • You must provide documentation for everything you have done! Include copies of the following with your application: • Certified tally of staff vote (signed by the UFT Chapter Leader) • Certified tally of parent vote (signed by PA/PTA President) • Attendance sheets • Meeting agendas • Meeting minutes

18. Submission of Documentation • Submission of supporting documentation is vitally important. • Without supporting documentation that proves you advertised the staff and parent votes and/or held the meetings, as well as the certification of the votes your application is not complete and can not be processed. • Do not forget this step.

19. The Most Complicated Part of the Application Process • The most difficult part of the SWP application process is organizing, advertising and conducting the parent and staff votes. • These are also the two most crucial parts of the application process. • If you don’t do this you can’t become SWP. • If you don’t get an affirmative vote from both constituents you can not go forward with the process.

20. INFORMATION IS THE KEY • A knowledgeable staff and parent body will be able to make an informed decision about Schoolwide programs • Provide your constituents with clear easy to read (and easy to distribute) information about the benefits of Schoolwide programs • What kind of information can I provide to my constituents?

21. SWP Handout • Chart – Comparison of Targeted Assistance and Schoolwide Programs • This chart (Attachment A) is included in your SWP Planning Initiative Circular on page 10 • The chart elegantly summarizes the differences between SWP and TA. You can use it to highlight the advantages of a schoolwide program

26. Next Steps • Develop and submit your SWP Planning Proposal by April 30 to: Gwendolyn Hopkins Director, NCLB/SED Program Support and Compliance Office of School Improvement, Division of Teaching and Learning New York City Department of Education 52 Chambers Street, Room 213 New York, NY 10007 • Office of School Improvement will notify schools of SWP planning proposal approval by May 15, 2009. • Approved SWP Planning Schools develop a CEP for 2009-10 that is reflective of all schoolwide planning requirements and inclusive of all required components of Title I Schoolwide program. The CEP serves as the Schoolwide Program Plan.

28. Questions and Comments For more information, please contact: • Senior School/District Improvement Liaison (SDIL) • Senior Grants Officer (SGO) in the Integrated Service Center (ISC) • Regional School Support Center (RSSC) Facilitator • CFN/Network Leaders • Office of School Improvement at 212-374-5757