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Students in the public school system in the United States are eligible for a variety of services, depending on their needs. Under Title I, students in need are provided with additional assistance to promote their success in school and beyond. Title I funding is provided to more than 90 percent of the school systems across the country, with the money used in various ways to help low-income students break the cycle of poverty with the tools they need for academic success.

What is Title I?

Title I is one of the oldest public education programs in the United States and one of the largest. The program provides additional funding to school districts with a large population of low-income students to help students in this demographic meet the academic standards assigned by the state. The program was established as Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and its purpose is to “ensure that all children have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education,” according to the U.S. Department of Education website.

This brief video gives us an overview of Title I.

The Department of Education also lists strategies that local school districts should implement to achieve that purpose with the provided funding, which include:

• Meeting the educational needs of low-income and minority students
• Holding schools and governments accountable for the academic achievement of students
• Use of tools, assessments, and

Chicago ���������� Schools faces many challenges today, as it strives to educate a wide and diverse student body. To achieve that end, the school system offers a wide range of programs to help students succeed and even excel in their academic endeavors. Check out these six programs currently offered by the Chicago ���������� Schools district.

Academic Decathlon

Chicago ���������� Schools boasts the highest enrollment in this national competition than any other school district in the country. Approximately 70 schools compete within the local district in the , with nine-member teams representing each school. Each team must consist of three students with an A-average, three students with a B-average, and three students with a C-average.

Students compete in seven different academic areas and on three different levels of competition. The purpose of this activity is to foster a spirit of teamwork, while individual members work toward academic excellence. Nearly all of the students that participate in the Academic Decathlon through CPS graduate from high school, and more than 70 percent head to college after graduation.

Arts Education

The strives to offer Chicago students more opportunities to explore various forms of art outside the classroom setting. The department provides offerings in dance, theatre, music, and visual arts. In addition to providing programs for students, the Department of Arts Education serves as a resource for teachers and administrators within the Chicago ���������� Schools system.

The goal of the Arts program is

Serving more than one million students each year, the New York City Department of Education is the largest school district in the country. This district faces serious challenges when it comes to ensuring all students in the city get at least one or two hot meals every day, regardless of their income level. With a wide variety of services provided by the School Food division of the New York City Department of Education, students throughout the city get the nutrition they need all through the school year and beyond.

About NYC School Food Services

According to the NYC School Food , this department serves around 850,000 meals to more than 1.1 million students in New York City every day. The department offers a free breakfast program to all students in the city, based on the philosophy that students that start their day with a nutritious meal perform better academically. The department also serves lunch and 1,700 schools across the city, including free lunches for many students that qualify.

According to the of the New York City government, qualification for free or reduced-price lunch is based on family income level. A family of five qualifies for the free lunch program if their monthly income is $2,927 or below. That same family of five can also qualify for a reduced-price lunch, where the student only has to pay 25 cents per meal, if their monthly income is $4,165 or

The , one of the largest public school districts in the United States, has very specific goals for its students. Those goals are outlined at the district website, as well as the strategies the district plans to use for achieving those goals. The goals all point towards preparing students for career or college readiness once they graduate from Los Angeles high schools. However, the strategies begin implementation long before students ever set foot in a high school in the county.

Goal 1: Prepare Students for Career and College by Transforming the Teaching and Learning Process

At the foundation of this goal is the implementation of Common Core Standards. According to the , Common Core Standards provide a consistent expectation for all students and faculty within the Los Angeles Unified School District. These standards encompass English Language Arts and mathematics. English Language Development standards are also in place for the district to ensure English learners are able to master the core requirements for English Language Arts.

Common Core Standards were chosen by the Los Angeles Unified School District for a number of reasons, including:

• These standards provide for career and college readiness after high school
• Common Core Standards include rigorous content and develop high-order skills
• The standards are consistent, understandable, and measurable
• Common Core Standards are evidence-based
• These standards are used by other countries, so students in L.A. remain competitive on a global level
• Common Core Standards build on the strengths of