What is Title I?

Title I, Part A (or just Title I for short), is part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which was signed into law in 2015.  It provides additional funding to schools with a larger percentage of economically disadvantaged students to help ensure that all students meet the state standards.  Title I Schools can use the funding provided by the federal government to bring in additional staff and/or programs to improve student performance and achievement.

More information about Title I can be found at the Pennsylvania Department of Education's website.
More information about the Every Student Succeeds Act can be found at the US Department of Education's website.

Why is Tawanka considered a Title I School?

Title I qualification is based on the percentage of students within a school building that qualify for free and reduced meals.  Schools with 40% of students eligible for free and reduced meals are considered schoolwide Title I Schools.  Tawanka fits this criteria at this time, and is therefore considered to be a schoolwide Title I School.

My child works with a Title I staff member, but we don't qualify for free and reduced lunch.  Is that okay?

Yes!  Because Tawanka is a schoolwide Title I School, we are permitted to use the Title I funding we receive to serve any and all students in the building needing additional support.  Eligibility for free and reduced meals is completely confidential and is not used as a factor when determining which students are in need of extra academic support.  Just because your family might qualify for free and reduced meals does not mean they will work with one of our Title I staff members in a remediation group and vice versa.  Tawanka's Title I funding goes to support Tawanka as a whole.

How do I know if my child qualifies for free and reduced meals?

Eligibility for the free and reduced meal program is based on total family income AND total number of people residing in a household.  To find out if your family is eligible and for more information on how to sign up, please visit Neshaminy's Food Services website.  More information can also be found by clicking on the "Free & Reduced Meals" tab on the left hand side of this page.

How are parents involved in Title I?