What Is Title 1?  
Title 1 is a federally funded program designed to address the academic needs of students and to assist them in meeting the state's high standards, particularly in the areas of reading, writing, science and mathematics. The Sarasota County School District receives funds based upon the number of students who are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals. Title 1 schools are then determined by the percentage of students at each school who are eligible for free or reduced meals. Cranberry Elementary School has been designated a Title 1 school for this school year.

What Does That Mean For Cranberry Elementary School? 
Our school receives additional resources to help us address the academic needs of our students. In addition to receiving additional instructional positions, our school also receives increased funding for additional instructional materials, professional development for our staff and parent involvement.   

What Would We Lose If We Were Not A Title 1 School? 
If Cranberry Elementary School were no longer designated as a Title 1 school, we would lose our additional instructional positions, which currently help us create our Resource Team (RT). Our RT is responsible for providing supplemental instruction to our students during the school day. This team works with any children who demonstrate a need for additional assistance in a given academic area.   

We would also lose our Home School Liaison.  She is responsible for ensuring that all students are attending school on a daily basis and maintaining that vital connection between our families and our school.  She is also a member of our counseling team that provides support services to our students in need.

Also lost would be

• Additional training for school staff

• A variety of teaching methods and materials

• Training for families

• After-school tutoring

How Can I Help Ensure That Cranberry Elementary Maintains These Resources?  
Since our Title 1 designation is based upon the number of students who receive free or reduced-priced meals, the best way to help Cranberry maintain its Title 1 designation is to ensure that you have completed the online application. 

Home/School Compact:  Each school receiving funds under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) must develop a written Student-Parent-School Compact jointly with parents for all children participating in Title I Part A activities, services and programs. The Compact is part of the school's written Parental Involvement Plan developed by the school and parents under Section 1118(b) of the ESEA. The Compact must outline how parents, the entire school staff and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and how the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state's high standards. Title I schools must have one parent contact (via written signature, phone call or face-to-face meeting) for each student stating that the student, parent and school will meet the responsibilities of the Student-Parent-School Compact.

Whom Can I Contact If I Have Additional Questions?
If you have additional questions regarding the Title 1 services at our school, please do not hesitate to contact the office at 941-257-2317 and we will be happy to assist you.

Parent Resource Center
We invite all of our parents to take advantage of our Parent Resource Center located in room 136.  Our center has many materials on parenting as well as videos and books.