The National School District receives money from the State and Federal government to provide support for special population groups. These programs are intended to go beyond the basic program that the school district provides.
Title I, Part A, is intended to help ensure that all children have the opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach proficiency on challenging state academic standards and assessments. It provides flexible funding that may be used to provide additional instructional staff, professional development, extended-time programs, and other strategies for raising student achievement in high-poverty schools. The program focuses on promoting school-wide reform in high-poverty schools and ensuring students' access to scientifically based instructional strategies and challenging academic content.
The Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students program assists school districts in teaching English to limited English proficient students and in helping these students meet the same challenging state standards required of all students. School districts must use Title III funds to provide high-quality language instruction programs that are based on scientifically based research, and that have demonstrated that they are effective in increasing English proficiency and student achievement. Title III is organized into two local assistance streams: subgrants for LEP students, referred to as English Learners (EL) in California, and subgrants for eligible immigrant students. Funds may be used to support a wide array of instructional and support services for EL's and immigrant students and their families. Districts are required to provide high-quality professional development to classroom teachers, principals, administrators, and other school personnel in order to improve instruction and assessment of limited English proficient students.
Language Arts Specialists
Every school in the National School District has at least one Language Arts Specialist who works with students who are struggling to learn and read. Language Arts Specialists work with students in small groups with instruction that supports and extends what takes place in the classroom. These groups can take place in the child's classroom and sometimes students are pulled out of the classroom and work in a "reading lab." The Language Arts Specialist also works with parents, coordinates state and local assessments, models lessons for teachers and generally serves as an instructional resource for teachers and parents at the school.