This brief is an effort to correct widespread misunderstandings about Title I funding formulas and inform discussions about how to fix the federal program. Together, CRPE and the Edunomics Lab clearly lay out problems with the current formulas to explain why the program isn’t working as intended. The authors then present five fundamental principles on which Title I formulas should be based and progress measured. As Congress works to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, a commitment by policymakers and advocacy groups to judge proposed changes to Title I against these principles could help fix the program to make sure federal dollars reach the poor students they are intended to serve.
