Title I at Lucy S. Herring

Lucy S. Herring is a Title I school. Title I, formerly known as Chapter I, is part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and is the foundation of the federal commitment to closing the achievement gap between low-income and other students. Nearly 14,000 of the 15,000 school districts in the nation conduct Title I programs. The original purpose of Title I was to give additional resources to states and localities for remedial education for children in poverty. The 1994 reauthorization of Title I shifted the program's emphasis from remedial education to helping all disadvantaged children reach rigorous state academic standards expected of all children. Title I funds can be used for instructional activities, counseling, parental involvement, and program improvement. In return, school districts and states must meet accountability requirements for raising student performance.  

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law on December 10, 2015. The ESSA replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and is the latest reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). NCLB was designed to make teaching and learning changes that will help increase academic achievement in our schools.

The legal definition of a “highly qualified teacher” has three parts. It states that the teacher must have the following:

1. A four-year college degree
2. A regular teaching certificate/license
3. Proof of his/her knowledge in the subject they teach

At Lucy S. Herring, we use Title I funds to support one full time instructional facilitator and several tutors who work with children needing extra support in reading and math. Please read, sign, and return the Title I compact we send home each year verifying that you understand the Title I services. 

Parents’ Right to Know Policy

The Federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires Title I schools to notify each parent in the school whose child is being taught for four or more weeks by a teacher who is not “Highly Qualified” regardless of whether or not the teacher is being paid with Title I funds. Our school receives Title I funding, and we are happy to share this information with you at your request. We believe that nothing is more important to your child’s education than having a well-prepared and highly qualified teacher. The law requires that all teachers who teach in core content areas must meet a specific legal definition of “highly qualified” to teach in schools that receive Title I funding.

At the beginning of the school year, districts must notify all parents of students attending a Title I school that they may request, and the district must provide in a timely manner, information regarding the professional qualifications of students’ classroom teachers including, at a minimum the following:  

• Whether the teacher has met North Carolina qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;
• Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency license or waiver through which the state qualifications or licensing criteria have been waived;
• The bachelor's degree major of the teacher and any other graduate certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field or discipline of the certification or degree; and
• Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.