Title I / Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Overview
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is a federally-enacted law governing elementary and secondary education. It affects states and school districts in four basic ways.
- Greater accountability for results.
- Increased district flexibility for spending federal money.
- Expanded options for parents.
- Increased emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work.
These changes support the district's current focus on delivering a strong standards-based educational program designed to improve student achievement in the gateway skills of reading, writing, and mathematics.
Effect for District Schools
- All of our 3 comprehensive and 2 alternative high schools receive Federal Title I funds as set forth in the ESEA. The district and the schools receiving these funds must ensure that they are meeting the educational needs of low-achieving students in high-poverty schools and working to close the achievement gap between high and low-performing students.
- Parents whose children attend Title I schools may request information from their schools about the professional qualifications of their children's classroom teachers, including any paraeducators working in the classrooms with their children.
- The state has designated some Title I schools as Program Improvement schools. Based on state test scores of students, these schools have not made adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years. District schools not listed may still be affected by ESEA because they may be identified to be receiving schools for students electing to leave Program Improvement schools.
Parent Notification and Involvement
Elementary and Secondary Education Act requires that districts provide information to parents about a variety of education related issues. Many of these notifications are provided in letters sent directly to parents at their home.
- Letter regarding continuing English Learner (EL) students: English | Spanish
- Request to Withhold Student Information from Military Recruiters: English | Spanish
Educating Homeless Students
Title IX of Elementary and Secondary Education Act requires, among other things, that the district notify parents in homeless situations, of their child's educational rights under this act. The Centinela Valley Union High School District provides schools with materials that help explain parents' rights under ESEA. Read More>>
Highly Qualified Paraeducators
Under ESEA, paraeducators who directly assist with instruction in a classroom setting, and whose site or department receives Title I funding, must comply with the new minimum qualification requirements. To ensure that all students will benefit from the intent of ESEA, the district has determined that all paraeducators, regardless of how the site receives its funding, must comply with these new requirements. Read More>>
Private, Non-Profit Schools
In accord with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Centinela Valley Union High School District has an obligation to achieve equitable participation of private school children, teachers and other education personnel in major federal programs. Participation is limited to private schools that have non-profit status.
Major state and federal education reform efforts emphasize the importance of family and community involvement to increase student achievement and strengthen public schools. State law requires parental involvement programs for schools that receive Title I funds (EC Section 11503) and parental involvement policies for non-Title I schools (EC Section 11504).
The federal Elementary and Secondary Education (ESEA) Act of 2001, section 1118, requires the adoption of (1) district- and school-level Title I parental involvement policies to support students in attaining high academic standards and (2) school-parent compacts that express the shared responsibilities of schools and parents as partners in students’ success.
Please access your district and school site's parent involvement information HERE.