Title I

Funding Amount

$6,483,038

Authority

The finance mechanism commonly referred to as “Title I” is the first title, “Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged,” in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The passage of ESEA elevated the federal government’s involvement in public education by authorizing federal spending on public K–12 programs, primarily funding initiatives to support low-income and special needs students through Title I. In 2015 ESEA was amended and reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA is the sixth reauthorization of ESEA.

Establishing the Funding Estimates

Title I funds flow from the Office of Student Services at the U.S. Department of Education to the ESEA/ESSA office at the Nebraska Department of Education.xii A portion of the funds received are attributed to children 0–5, referred to as the preschool set-aside. This portion attributable to children 0–5 was provided by the Administrator of the Office of ESEA Federal Programs at NDE.xiii

$6,483,038

Administration of Funds

Administered by the Office of Student Services at the U.S. Department of Education, Title I funds are allocated to schools through four statutory formulas that are based primarily on census poverty estimates and the cost of education in each state. At the state level, this process is carried out in the ESEA/ESSA office.xiv Figure 6 illustrates the path Title I funds take from the administrative source to the entities ultimately receiving funds. No funds are ever paid to families whose children qualify for Title I services.