Titles I, II, IV
Freire Charter School Wilmington receives federal funding through Title I, Part A – Improving Basic Programs, Title II – Supporting Effective Instruction, and Title IV – Support and Academic Enrichment. These federal programs provide financial assistance to schools with high percentages of economically disadvantaged students to ensure that children meet challenging state academic standards.
Since more than 47 percent of the Freire student body is classified as economically disadvantaged, Freire uses Title I funding to operate a school wide program to upgrade the instructional program for the whole school. Our school wide Title I program is based on effective means of improving student achievement and includes strategies to support parental involvement.
More than 50,000 public schools across the country use Title I funds to provide additional academic support and learning opportunities to help low-achieving children master challenging curricula and meet state standards in core academic subjects. For example, funds support extra instruction in reading and mathematics, as well as special preschool, after-school, and summer programs to extend and reinforce the regular school curriculum.
In 2024-25, Freire will use our Title I, II, and IV funds to:
- Provide adequate support personnel to assist in removing barriers to learning (academic and non-academic) and support parent involvement.
- Allow for additional and targeted instruction for students at risk for academic failure.
- Support classroom teachers in the execution of our high-quality educational program.
- Coordinate Freire’s emotional support program.
We accomplish this by using Title I, II, and IV funds to support academic advisors for each grade, an intensive math teacher, a reading specialist, deans of students, teacher mentors, and IT and emotional support staff.
Freire’s Federal Programs Coordinator is Tanza Pugliese. She can be reached at 267-583-4465 or tanza@freireschools.org.
Annual Federal Programs Meeting for Families:
Freire invites parents to attend our annual Federal Programs information meeting, which will be held in conjunction with a regular parent association meeting. At this meeting we will describe our participation in our various federal programs, explain the requirements of Title I, II and IV, and explain parents’ right to be involved (including developing our Title I Parent Involvement Policy and Parent-School Compact).
An open informational session will be held during the school’s Back to School Night on September 25, 2025 at 5pm to 7pm.
Parent Rights Under Title I:
Under Title I, Part A, Freire parents have the right to:
- Be involved in our Title I, Part A programs – Freire, with the help of its parents, will develop and implement a Title I Family Involvement Policy and a School-Parent Compact.
- Request regular meetings – Requests for meetings to discuss Title I programs should be put in writing and submitted to the Federal Programs Coordinator at Freire Schools Collaborative (Freire central office).
- Know teacher and paraprofessional qualifications – Parents may request, and Freire then will provide, certain information on the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers and paraprofessionals providing services to their children. Requests should be put in writing and submitted to the Federal Programs Coordinator at Freire Schools Collaborative (Freire central office).
Title I Complaint Procedures for Parents:
A parent who feels that the school is not meeting its Title I or other responsibilities as outlined in this policy, should first discuss the problem with the school Federal Programs Coordinator. Examples of violations would be such things as:
- An annual meeting was not convened to explain Title I offerings to parents.
- Parents were refused information on the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teacher.
If the concern was not resolved at the school level, a parent should begin a formal Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) complaint procedure as outlined below. A complaint is defined by Freire Charter School as a written, signed statement. It must include the following:
Information on any discussions, meetings or correspondence with PDE or Freire regarding the complaint.
A statement that PDE or Freire has violated a requirement of federal statute or regulations which apply to programs under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
The facts on which the statement is based.
