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SCHOOLWIDE WAIVER REQUESTS
Title I, Part A, of the ESEA focuses resources on schools serving economically disadvantaged children. In schools with large concentrations of students from low-income families, disadvantaged students may be served best by improving the entire school, rather than by operating separate programs that target additional resources to individual students. Schoolwide programs allow schools to use Federal education program funds to upgrade the entire educational program of schools in order to raise academic achievement for all the students.
Title I permits schools in which at least 50 percent of the children are from low-income families to use Title I, in combination with most of their other federal education funds, to operate schoolwide programs. A number of districts with schools below the 50 percent poverty threshold have requested waivers to implement schoolwide programs in those schools.
Schools that want to operate as schoolwide programs must engage a wide range of stakeholders in one year of planning for a schoolwide program and develop a schoolwide program that meets the requirements of ESEA section 1114(b). These requirements can be found in the Department's Policy Guidance for Title I, Part A -- Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Education Agencies.
In accordance with the five requirements listed on page 8 of this guidance, the following is an outline of information that is most helpful when provided by applicants requesting waivers to implement schoolwide programs. While waiver applicants should provide certain information regarding their schoolwide plans,it is not necessary to submit copies of the schoolwide plan to the Department.
Submit a brief description of the schoolwide planning process, including who was involved and how in planning the schoolwide program.
Outline how the school went about conducting a comprehensive needs assessment and report the results of the needs assessment.
Outline the proposed schoolwide plan to be implemented, including an explanation of how the plan would address the needs identified through the needs assessment.
Explain the school's rationale for wanting to operate a schoolwide program, including a description of how a schoolwide program would better meet the needs of low performing students than a targeted assistance program.
Outline measurable educational improvement goals the school expects to achieve under the waiver and a description of methods to be used to measure progress toward these goals.
Indicate the percent of children from low-income families at the school that would implement the schoolwide program.
Provide documentation of the State's (SEA) comments on the waiver request.
Verify that the public was provided with an opportunity to comment on the waiver request and provide comments received as a result of public notice.
Describe the impact (if any) the waiver would have on private school students.
If applicable, describe how any similar State or local requirements would be waived.
TARGETING AND ALLOCATION WAIVER REQUESTS
Based on the demonstrated correlation between low academic achievement and poverty, several provisions in Title I require districts to target funds to schools with the highest percentages of children from low-income families. In certain cases, however, these approaches to targeting have not been the best way to meet the needs of the students in a particular district. To accommodate such exceptions, a number of school districts have requested waivers of the Title I targeting requirements. Based on the Department's experience with requests for waivers of targeting requirements, certain kinds of information appear to be most useful in outlining how a waiver might impact teaching and learning.
Identify the targeting provisions for which a waiver is sought and why. Provide a brief description of what the waiver would allow the applicant to do and how a waiver would help improve teaching and learning in the affected schools.
Compare academic needs among students in affected schools, including achievement data by school. Discuss how these comparative needs pertain to the waiver request.
Describe the specific instructional approaches included in the Title I program that would be used to address the needs of students in the identified schools.
Attach a table that includes: the districtwide poverty rate; a list of district schools with enrollments, and numbers and percentages of low-income students; building and per pupil allocations with and without the waiver; the district's 125% minimum per pupil allocation; the amount of Title I funds set aside for administration or other centrally provided services.
Outline the measurable educational improvement goals expected to be achieved under the waiver and a description of method to be used to measure progress toward these goals. Identify instruments with which progress will be measured.
Provide documentation of State's (SEA) comments on the waiver request.
Verify that the public was provided with an opportunity to comment on the waiver request and provide comments received as a result of public notice.
Describe the impact (if any) the waiver would have on private school students.
If applicable, describe how any similar State or local requirements would be waived.
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