A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

September 16, 1998

The 1994 Title I reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act paved the way for extraordinary efforts to improve student achievement in our nation's poorest schools. This reauthorization made schoolwide programs more widely available by extending schoolwide program eligibility to Title I schools that serve at least 50 percent of students from low-income families and by increasing the flexibility of using federal education resources with local and state resources. Through innovative and comprehensive schoolwide programs, Title I is helping every child, including those most at risk of failing, to meet higher educational standards.

This Idea Book, Volume I of a two-volume set, focuses on the issues of schoolwide program planning and combining resources. It contains many examples from various schools that illustrate the issues discussed. Thorough assessment of needs and schoolwide planning are essential for comprehensively upgrading the effectiveness of a school. Two appendices in Volume I provide tools for planning schoolwide programs and extensive information about print, video, and Internet resources available to planners.

I encourage you to draw upon the guidance in this handbook and the successes of the profiled schools to improve your schools and to help all children, including our lowest achieving students, achieve challenging standards.

Yours Sincerely,

Richard W. Riley
Secretary of Education

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[Title Page]

[Acknowledgments]