Indiana schools receive Title I grants

The Indiana Department of Education awarded Title I award grants on Dec. 9 to Miami Elementary in Lafayette and Washington Elementary in Fort Wayne. Both schools will receive $25,000.

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is meant to ensure all children have an equal, fair and significant opportunity to get a high-quality education.

The act funds primary and secondary schooling, particularly for schools that are disadvantaged in terms of funding, location or students.

Daniel Altman, press secretary for Ritz, said that in order to receive the grant, schools must qualify with either exceptional student performance for two or more consecutive years or by closing the achievement gap between student groups.

The Indiana Department of Education reviewed all Title I Reward schools for the 2012-2013 school year and identified nine schools for nomination based on student achievement data, school letter grades and comparative ISTEP scores, and the population of students that receive a free or reduced lunch, according to the press release.

The two schools have demonstrated a wide array of strengths, said Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz, including team approaches to teaching and learning, focused professional development opportunities for staff, individualized programs for student success and strong partnerships between the school, parents and the community.

Out of the nine schools nominated, Miami Elementary was selected for its exceptional performance as a Title I school.

Altman said seven years ago Miami was struggling to educate its many at-risk students, but after instituting programs for high poverty schools, their ISTEP passing scores increased from 50 percent in 2008 to 90 percent in 2013.

“Miami’s success is attributable to an increased focus on data-driven, systematic and explicit instruction, professional development, and student, parent and community involvement,” he said.

While Washington Elementary is a Title I school, it has achieved A ratings due to its student achievement scores for the past two years, which Altman said earned it the grant.

According to the release, Washington’s success is attributed to teacher collaborations, weekly building and classroom goals related to the School Improvement Plan and high expectations of teachers, staff and students.

The schools have been invited to attend the National Title I Conference in San Diego in 2014. Ritz said she is proud of both schools.

“I am excited to recognize the great work that these schools have been doing,” she said.
“Because of the efforts of students, teachers, administrators and parents in these communities, we are seeing evidence that all public schools can achieve exceptional, documented gains in student achievement.”