Title I News - April 2026

April 2026

Volume 10, Issue 4

"The beautiful spring came; and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also."

– Harriet Ann Jacobs

As we welcome April, it’s the perfect time for a little “spring cleaning” within our Title I program. This month’s issue invites you to refresh your practices by reviewing policies and procedures, strengthening your compliance routines and thoughtfully evaluating parent and family engagement strategies. Just as spring renews the world around us, this month encourages us to renew our systems so they can better support students, families and schools. May this issue inspire purposeful reflection and meaningful action as we continue building strong, compliant and student‑centered programs.

Awards Season

As golden statues, red carpets and acceptance speeches fill our screens during awards season, it’s tempting to bring a little of that celebration into our end-of-year celebrations in our schools. But when it comes to using Title I funds, not every award deserves a spotlight.

Title I funds should never be used to purchase awards for teachers, staff or parents. Although schools may wish to use their school-level Title I allocations to fund awards that recognize student achievement, they must do so carefully. While small tokens of encouragement can support academic motivation, awards can be a slippery slope if spending is not kept in check. The three main considerations surrounding the purchase of awards are the award’s purpose, the estimated amount to be spent and the funding source being used.

2 CFR 200.438 states that costs of prizes are allowable if they have a specific and direct programmatic purpose. As stated in the December 2022 Title I Newsletter, Title I funds cannot be used to pay for attendance incentives or awards for participating in a school activity. Using Title I funds to pay for attendance awards would be like paying students to attend class, which is not allowable because attendance is a basic expectation. Awards can be purchased with Title I funds if they are related to student performance and/or behavior achievements included in the school’s Title I plan.

Under federal cost principles, expenditures must be reasonable, necessary and aligned with the intent of the Title I program. This means awards purchased with Title I funds must be low in cost, such as certificates and ribbons. Low-cost educational items such as bookmarks, pencils, erasers, etc., may also be used as awards. Steer clear of more expensive awards such as trophies, plaques, medals and graduation stoles and cords, as these items are not considered reasonable in cost. Gift cards and other door prizes are not an allowable use of funds.

While it’s allowable for a school to spend from its Title I school-level allocation on low-cost awards for student achievement, it’s important to remember that awards do not meet the intent of Title I parent and family engagement (PFE). An award ceremony does not meet the requirements of a Title I PFE event. PFE funds must specifically support activities that build families’ capacity to engage in student learning – not incentives, giveaways or prizes for students or families.

Practical Tips for Ensuring Compliance:

• Clearly document the programmatic purpose of any award tied to Title I activities.
• Keep award costs minimal and consistent with federal expectations for reasonable use of funds.
• Look for alternative funding sources – such as general funds or community donations – for non-academic or higher-cost recognition items.
• When in doubt, seek guidance from your assigned Title I consultant.

By making thoughtful, well-documented decisions, schools can celebrate student growth while maintaining compliance with federal spending rules.

District Parent and Family Engagement (PFE) Policy – Time to Evaluate

A common district level finding during monitoring involves the lack of evaluation of the district level PFE policy. Section 1116 (a)(2)(D) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires that districts conduct, with the meaningful involvement of parents and family members, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the district-level parent and family engagement policy in improving the academic quality of all schools served by Title I, including identifying:

• Barriers to greater participation by parents in activities (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy or are of any racial or ethnic minority background);
• The needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers; and
• Strategies to support successful school and family interactions.

Beyond providing evidence that an evaluation of your district policy occurred, be sure to also maintain evidence demonstrating that the findings of the evaluation are used intentionally to design strategies for more effective engagement, and to revise, if necessary, the district’s policy. Think about hosting a follow-up meeting to review the feedback received and discuss how responses can be considered for future planning. Maintain agendas, detailed minutes and sign-in sheets for documentation. You may even want to think about reporting back to parents some of the common threads in the feedback and provide some transparency for how the district plans to address concerns or accommodate requests.

Be sure to mark your calendar for the April Title I webinar, which will include a more in-depth review of this requirement!

Principal's Perspective: Using Parent Survey Feedback Effectively

Submitted by Denise Harover, Title I, Part A Consultant

Each school and district receiving assistance under Title I, Part A must ensure effective involvement of parents, per ESSA 1116(e). An effective partnership among the school, the parents and the community improves student academic achievement through training, information and coordination activities.

In order to coordinate activities with parents, it is important to gather feedback based on the activities they have attended. Collecting this information is essential in improving the events and strengthening your ability to meet the needs of your program.

Many schools use surveys to collect feedback from parents, but this process does not need to be cumbersome or difficult. This process can be as simple as a few well-developed paper/pencil questions that you ask parents to complete before they leave an event, or even a QR code that directs them to a quick survey they can complete on their mobile phone.

The end of an event is a perfect time to ask a few quick questions while the parents are still there and the activity is still fresh in their mind. Ask if the event was beneficial and what they would like to see added or changed to better suit their needs. Be sure to ask parents to provide ideas for ways to make the activity better, other events they would like to see offered or other academic areas where they could use some additional support.

An analysis of these responses can serve as one of the data points used to evaluate the activities that are offered to parents. Openly communicating the event survey results and the results of your annual Title I survey allows parents to see that their responses are being considered and taken seriously. Consider providing a feedback summary report that summarizes both positive feedback and areas for improvement or hold organized follow-up meetings to discuss survey results with parents. This provides an opportunity for parents to give further input or clarify their responses. Be sure to keep detailed documentation showing all parents were invited to attend the meeting, as well as who attended, what was discussed and any subsequent actions taken as a result of the discussion.

While this article focuses on surveys, it is important to note that surveys are not the only method for soliciting parent feedback. Depending on the population of your school, surveys may not be the most effective method. Obtaining data from multiple sources will increase the accuracy of your evaluation. Be sure to consider other methods for getting parent input beyond surveys. Join us for the April Title I webinar to learn about other approaches to obtaining parent feedback as well as other data points you can examine to inform continuous improvement in your Title I program.

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, you have already held most of your parent and family engagement events and may be ready to develop an action plan for the next school year. Be sure to share your specific plan with parents, families and the community. This is also a great time to celebrate improvements. Positive changes should be celebrated to reinforce to parents and families that their input truly makes a difference.

Open Title I, Part A Projects and Associated Deadlines

Please review the table below and make note of the approaching deadlines regarding the obligation and expenditure of funds from all open Title I, Part A projects.

In This Issue

• Awards Season
• In Case You Missed It (ICYMI): Review Policies and Procedures
• District Parent and Family Engagement Policy – Time to Evaluate
• Online Training Opportunities
• Upcoming Webinar Announcement
• Coordinator’s Year at a Glance
• Open Title I, Part A Projects and Associated Deadlines

ICYMI: Review Policies and Procedures

ESEA Now, a publication containing resources related to educational programs in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), published an article on Dec. 12, 2025, called “Avoid monitoring findings by reviewing policies, procedures.”

The article highlights a presentation during The Bruman Group’s 2025 fall forum in which staff made a connection between frequent audit and monitoring findings and missing, unclear or inconsistently implemented policies and procedures. These gaps can lead to federal noncompliance findings and weaken internal controls that help prevent misuse of funds.

The article notes that some districts either lack required documentation altogether or have policies that don’t reflect what staff actually do. These same observations have also been noted during consolidated monitoring activities across Kentucky. Clear, accurate and consistently followed procedures are essential, especially under 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.303.

The following recommendations can help districts avoid findings:

– Develop and document practical, easy‑to‑understand processes using plain language and defining key terms.

– Engage all relevant stakeholders (including program and finance staff) when drafting or revising procedures.

– Review and update policies regularly, especially when federal regulations change, and routinely test internal controls.

Now is a great time to revisit your district’s policies, as well as any other internal controls that are relevant to Title I implementation. Consider the following guiding questions during your review:

– Is the policy alone sufficient or are more district-specific procedures needed to ensure compliance? Remember that policies often contain standard, boilerplate language stating that the district will meet requirements as opposed to the specific steps taken to meet those requirements.

– Are your procedures documented in writing and in a manner that is understandable to anyone who may need to use them? Although written procedures are not always required, documenting the steps taken to ensure compliance can support more effective and consistent implementation. Clearly written and easy to understand procedures can be incredibly helpful when new staff are hired.

– Are your procedures accurate and do they reflect the actual practices of the district? Inaccurate or outdated procedures are likely to cause confusion. Be sure your procedures reflect any recent changes in requirements or staff responsibilities.

Being able to answer these self-assessment questions affirmatively could help you to avoid compliance findings in the event that your district is selected for monitoring in the future.

Online Training Opportunities

“Title I, Part A for Districts” and “Title I, Part A for Schools” are available as free, self-paced online courses through the Kentucky Department of Education’s professional learning platform, the Kentucky Learning Hub. The courses are designed for district- and school-level staff working with the Title I, Part A program and are recommended to help staff understand program compliance.

Effective Instructional Leadership Act (EILA) credit is available upon completion of both courses.

Coordinator's Year at a Glance – Suggested Tasks for April

– Conduct other stakeholder consultations on the development of the district/school Title I plan (i.e., comprehensive district/school improvement plans). Stakeholders include parents/families, private schools, homeless education programs, migrant education programs, English learner programs and school leadership teams.

– Conduct annual evaluation of district parent and family engagement policy.

– Evaluate the services with local neglected or delinquent facilities if the district serves one of these facilities. As a reminder, a list of facilities can be accessed by clicking “Help for Current Page” on the District Set-Aside page of the Grant Management Application and Planning (GMAP) application. Develop a plan for ongoing consultation for the upcoming school year.

– Consult with the local homeless liaison to determine the number of homeless students and amount to reserve for the required set-aside of Title I funds for the next school year.

– Consult with eligible private schools and obtain affirmation of consultation with participating private school officials.

Monthly Title I Webinar

The March webinar and accompanying PowerPoint are available on the Title I, Part A Documents and Resources webpage. During the webinar, information centered around spending in line with the approved GMAP application which supports allowability of purchases as well as rank and serve requirements. Potential impacts and examples of non-compliance and how to prevent them also were shared.

The April webinar will be held at 10 a.m. ET on April 30. A reminder email will be sent before the webinar.

We value your feedback and would like to learn more about what is helpful and what you would like to see more of in the monthly webinars. Anonymous feedback and topic suggestions may be submitted through the optional Title I Monthly Webinar Feedback Survey. The feedback will be used to help ensure the monthly webinars meet your needs.

CONTACTS

Title I District Consultant List