Title I
Title 1 is a Federal program that provides funds for eligible schools to help students meet the state's challenging content and performance standards in reading and math.
The Harrison School District Title 1 program serves over 5,100 students in fourteen elementary schools, one K-8 community school and Cedar Springs Southgate School. Title 1 also supports the Harrison Adult and Family Education (HAFE) program. The Title 1 staff includes classroom teachers, Instructional Coaches, teachers for small group instruction, and paraprofessionals. The Title 1 Coordinator and Parent Involvement Specialist are located in the Harrison District Two Administration Building . The Title 1 Parent Resource Center in the modular behind Stratton Meadows Elementary School. The Parent Resource Center has materials for family checkout including children's books with cassette tapes, professional books, books on parenting, videos, cassettes, games, book bags, and activities for math and reading. The Parent Resource Center also offers computers with Internet access for use by district parents.
The Harrison Adult and Family Education program is located at the Gorman Education Center. The Harrison Adult and Family Education program enable young parents with preschool children to earn their General Educational Development (GED), learn parenting skills during the Parent and Child Time, and how to speak and read English. The Title 1 program also promotes strong parent involvement in the schools and offers professional development opportunities for parents and staff.
Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was reauthorized under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The 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 (CSAP - Colorado Student Assessment Program).
This purpose can be accomplished by:
- ensuring that assessments, accountability systems, teacher preparation and training, curriculum, and instructional programs are aligned with the state standards so that progress can be measured against common expectations for student academic achievement;
- meeting the educational needs of low-achieving children, limited English proficient children, migratory children, children with disabilities, Indian children, neglected or delinquent children, and young children in need of reading assistance;
- closing the achievement gap between high- and low-performing children;
- holding schools, districts, and the state accountable for improving the academic achievement of all students, and identifying and turning around low-performing schools that have failed to provide a high-quality education to their students, while providing alternatives to students in such schools to enable the students to receive a high-quality education;
- distributing and targeting resources sufficiently to make a difference to districts and schools where needs are greatest;
- improving and strengthening accountability, teaching, and learning by using CSAP to ensure that students are meeting challenging state academic achievement and content standards and increasing achievement overall;
- providing greater decision-making authority and flexibility to schools and teachers in exchange for greater responsibility for student performance;
- providing children an enriched and accelerated educational program, including the use of schoolwide programs or additional services that increase the amount and quality of instructional time;
- promoting school 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;
- coordinating services under all parts of this title with each other, with other educational services, and, to the extent feasible, with other agences providing services to youth, children, and families; and,
- affording parents substantial and meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children.