Title III Funds: What Are They and How Can They Benefit Catholic Schools?

How can Title III help Catholic schools? Title III is an element of the older No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Every Child Succeeds Act (ESSA), and it authorizes the use of federal funds to benefit immigrant and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students in public and private schools. The funding is designed to support the development and implementation of new instructional programs, the expansion or enhancement of existing programs, family engagement initiatives, and/or professional development for teachers of English learners in order to help LEP and immigrant students achieve English proficiency and meet the same academic content standards as their grade-level peers.  

As the number of educational technology resources continues to grow, it can be easy for educators to be both excited about the potential they have to transform classroom learning, and also overwhelmed by the sheer volume of resources that are available from which to choose. These options deserve the critical attention of ELL teachers. Choosing the most effective tools can make a significant positive impact on our English language learners' ability to acquire a new language. 

This month’s 15 on 15th spotlights an innovative school model – Dual Language Catholic schools or Two-Way Immersion (TWI) Catholic schools. We invite you to take 15 minutes to learn more about this model, which manifests deep mutual respect for linguistic and cultural diversity. This model has shown evidence of cognitive, social, emotional, and economic benefits (Gándara, 2015).