Funding Arts Education with Title I

Introduced fifty years ago, as a piece of the 1965 Civil Rights legislation signed by President Lyndon Johnson, Title I has been a key tool for state and local educators to improve student achievement in under-resourced districts and schools across the nation. The goals of Title I are bold and powerful -- improve learning and mastery of subject matter, improve school climate and culture, and increase parental and student engagement.

While the majority of federal Title I money has been funneled to English and Math programs, recent programs in California have invested in arts education to effectively meet Title I goals.

Sponsored by the Massachusetts Arts for All Coalition, Laura Smyth from the California Alliance for Arts Education traveled to Massachusetts to tell arts education leaders and supporters how they have been assisting school districts to use arts programs to meet the goals of Title I.

Smyth met with more than 50 Title I coordinators, arts educators, cultural leaders, and school principals explaining how districts used Title I funds to increase investment to arts educators.

“Title I provides an exciting opportunity to increase education excellence in the State. It allows arts education to be a core piece of the curriculum, focuses on under-resourced districts that need assistance, and provides $16 billion national for funding,” said Matt Wilson, Executive Director of MASSCreative. 

MASSCreative looks forward to working with education leaders to explore opportunities to districts across the Commonwealth.  

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