Study Finds Learning Gains for Title I Students

While the U.S. Department of Education warns that a majority of schools are falling behind in meeting the student-progress targets required under the No Child Left Behind Act, a new analysis suggests that students who participate in the law’s largest education program, the Title I program for disadvantaged students, are making strides in mathematics and reading.

In a study released this month, the Center on Education Policy, a Washington-based think tank, analyzed the mean test scores as well as the number of students achieving grade-level proficiency in math and reading in 19 states with at least three years of student-testing data between 2002 and 2009. Researchers found that students in the Title I education program for students in poverty improved in math and reading during the 2002-2009 time span in most states with sufficient test data.

“A lot of people have found it fashionable to say that Title I doesn’t work,” said Richard M. Long, the executive director for government relations for the Washington-based National Title I Association. “Well, this says there are indications we are making progress. The real question is how can we make...