WHAT IS EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT (ESSA)?   
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015 and represents good news for our nation’s schools. This bipartisan measure reauthorized the 50- year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students. The new law builds on key areas of progress in recent years made possible by the efforts of educators, communities, parents and students across the country. The Every Student Succeeds Act can be found on the U.S. Department of Education website at: http://www.ed.gov/essa.

WHAT IS TITLE I?   
Title I is a part of ESSA. This act provides money to public schools with high numbers of children from low-income families. Title I is designed to ensure that all children have the opportunity to obtain a high quality education and reach grade-level proficiency. Title I programs must be focused on improving student achievement and include strategies to support parent and family engagement. Additionally, ESSA requires school districts to set aside Title I funds to serve homeless and neglected students who do not attend schools participating in Title I. These services are comparable to services provided to children attending a Title I school.

WHAT IS A TITLE I SCHOOL?   
Title I schools are the schools that are given funding from ESSA. Schools are given funding based on the number of children who qualify for free or reduced price lunch. All schools in the Griffin-Spalding County School System are designated as Title I for the 2020-2021 school year. 

WHAT ARE TARGETED ASSISTANCE SCHOOLS?   
A targeted assistance school is a school that must use Title I funds to focus on helping the students most at risk of failure on state assessments. Funding is used to help participating children meet state standards and ensure students are taught by staff that meet professional qualifications.

WHAT ARE SCHOOLWIDE SCHOOLS?   
In schoolwide programs, Title I funds are used to serve all of the children in the school. The purpose of schoolwide Title I programs is to improve the entire educational program in a school which should result in improving the academic achievement of all students, particularly the lowest achieving students. The core elements of a schoolwide program are (1) needs assessment, (2) plan and (3) evaluation. All schools in the Griffin-Spalding County School System are designated as Title I Schoolwide Schools for the 2020-2021 school year. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION   
Additional information regarding Title I can be found by visiting the following websites: :
GA Department of Education website
US Department of Education website