Department Overview

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a law that was introduced in the Senate by Lamar Alexander on April 30, 2015. ESSA was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 10, 2015.  The purpose of this act was to replace and update the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which was signed into law in 2002.  Like NCLB, ESSA reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.  

The purpose of Tennessee's federally funded Title I, Part A Program is to support local school districts improve teaching and learning for students in high-poverty schools so that these students meet the state's challenging content and performance standards.

 

According to the US Department of Education, the purpose of Title I funding is “to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high quality education and reach, at minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.

The basic principles of Title I state that schools with large concentrations of low-income students will receive supplemental funds to assist in meeting the students’ educational goals.  Low-income students are determined by the number of students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program.  For an entire school to qualify for Title I funds, at least 40% of students must qualify for free and reduced lunch.

The purpose of Title II, Part A is to increase the academic achievement of all students by helping schools and districts improve teacher and principal quality through professional development and to develop and implement programs to effectively recruit and retain highly effective teachers.

The purpose of Title III is to serve students who have a primary language other than English, by providing instruction in English in a specialized setting.

The purpose of Title IV is to promote Safe and Drug-free Schools.