The U.S. Department of Education on Monday advised states on how they can use Title I dollars for educational choice initiatives back home.
In a letter from the department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education to all chief state school officers, the Trump administration said states can use up to 3% of their Title I funding to “provide greater choice for parents and improve academic outcomes.”
Through Title I, the federal government funds school with large percentages of students from low-income families.
“The Trump administration is committed to expanding education options for parents in their children’s education,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Today’s guidance is an important early action aimed at advancing educational choice and encouraging states and schools to maximize learning options that help students excel.”
The letter says that under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, states can “provide greater flexibility to support parents’ choices for their child’s education.”
This includes:
Enrolling students in courses not currently available in their schools, including advanced coursework;Enrolling students in credit recovery courses that can help them graduate high school on time;Reimbursing students from low-income families for their participation in advanced credit courses that colleges and universities accept for college credits;Tutoring;Reimbursing students for travel to schools other than their district-assigned school, including charter schools.
“For tutoring services, the State must provide a list of options that, among other requirements, provides parents with meaningful choices, offers a range of tutoring including online and on campus, and provide instruction and content that is secular, neutral, and non-ideological,” the guidance says.
