Overview

As stated by the State of New Jersey Department of Education, the purpose of Title I, Part A is to provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps. To help local educational agencies (LEAs) improve teaching and learning in high-poverty schools in particular for children failing, or most at-risk of failing, to meet challenging State academic achievement standards. Through the use of Title I, Part A funds, local educational agencies (LEAs) will be able to improve teaching and learning in high-poverty schools, in particular, for children failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet challenging, State academic achievement standards by:

• Ensuring that high-quality academic assessments, accountability systems, teacher preparation and training, curriculum, and instructional methods are aligned with challenging, State academic standards so that students, teachers, parents, and administrators can measure progress against common expectations for student academic achievement;
• Meeting the educational needs of low-achieving children in our Nation's highest-poverty schools, including Multilingual language learners, migratory children, children with disabilities, and homeless children;
• Closing the achievement gap between high- and low-performing children, especially the achievement gaps between minority and nonminority students, and between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers;
• Distributing and targeting resources sufficiently to make a difference in local educational agencies and schools where needs are greatest;
• Improving and strengthening accountability, teaching, and learning by using State assessment systems designed to ensure that students are meeting challenging, State academic standards and achievement overall, but especially for the disadvantaged;
• Providing greater decision-making authority and flexibility to schools and teachers in exchange for greater responsibility for student performance;
• Providing children an enriched and accelerated educational program, including the use of schoolwide programs or additional services that increase the amount and quality of instructional time;
• Promoting schoolwide reform and ensuring the access of children to effective, evidenced-based instructional strategies and challenging academic content;
• Elevating significantly the quality of instruction by providing staff in participating schools with substantial opportunities for professional development to address the needs of low-performing students;
• Coordinating services under all parts of this title with each other, with other education services, and, to the extent feasible, with other agencies providing services to youth, children, and families; and
• Affording families meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children.

Links regarding New Jersey’s ESSA State Plan can be found on NJDOE’s main ESSA webpage .