Decision Making About the Use of Title I Funds

• In Event: Results From a National Study of Title I School-Wide and Targeted Assistance Schools

Abstract

Title I requirements and guidance encourage a data-driven and strategic approach to the decision-making process for determining the best use of funds to improve student outcomes, including using needs-assessment data to inform resource allocation and drawing on the input of multiple stakeholders. A comprehensive needs-assessment and multiple stakeholder input may be particularly important in schoolwide (SWP) schools, where Title I is intended to support and align with a school’s overall improvement strategies. Indeed, research suggests that engagement of a range of school personnel and other stakeholders enhances a school’s decisions about strategies to undertake and commitment to the schoolwide program (Mohrman, Lawler, & Mohrman, 1992; Newcombe & McCormick, 2001; Odden & Busch, 1998). And, while TAP schools are often more restricted in their use of funds by virtue of having to specifically target the Title I-eligible students, the decision-making process and the types of data and people involved may still be crucial to ensuring the Title I-funded activities are meeting these students’ needs. In the current education policy environment, the pervasiveness of state and local school improvement initiatives with similar requirements makes it likely that some TAP schools engage in similar comprehensive improvement processes as SWP schools to realize the fullest potential of their Title I funds in supporting their overall approach to school improvement, while directing those funds to eligible students.

The objective of this presentation is to share what we have learned about the decision-making processes in Title I schools and how these processes differ between SWP and TAP schools and based on other school characteristics. This paper draws on all data sources associated with the study: nationally-representative survey data, case study interviews, and extant documentation. First, we discuss the shared control of Title I funds by districts and schools, describing the percentage of Title I school allocations that are left to the discretion of school administrators. We also describe the ways in which district and school administrators collaborate on decisions about the use of funds, and which stakeholders are involved in these decisions. We then focus on district support of Title I school, including the extent to which they provide training and professional development related to Title I, and principals’ knowledge of Title I requirements. We also discuss the extent to which school respondents perceive their Title I decisions to be compliance-driven, and whether they are able to use funds in ways that address their students’ needs. As with the previous paper, the analyses are complete but findings are currently embargoed.

Authors

• Courtney Tanenbaum, American Institutes for Research

• Karen Manship, American Institutes for Research

• Kerstin A. Carlson Le Floch, American Institutes for Research