Federal Programs provide multiple areas of support under the guidelines of federal legislation. The No Child Left Behind Act outlines significant changes to past legislation directly impacting the Richmond County School District’s federally funded programs. For additional information on No Child Left Behind, please visit: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb/

Title I provides support to 11 schools in reading and math. Highly qualified certified and classified personnel provide instruction. Title I schools' School Improvement Plans, define instructional and performance objectives. These plans provide the foundation for decision-making at each site. Title I schools are involved in continuous collaboration and staff development, as they work toward school goals supporting district initiatives. The Richmond County Title I Schools are: East Rockingham , Ellerbe Middle, Fairview Heights, L.J. Bell, Leak Street, Mineral Springs, Monroe Avenue, Richmond County Transitional, Rohanen Middle, West Rockingham and Washington Street.

Title II, Part A-Improving Teacher Quality

The primary goals of Title II-A are to promote teacher, principal and paraprofessional quality through strategies such as high quality professional development in core subject areas and development of mechanisms and initiatives to promote the retention and hiring of qualified teachers.

No Child Left Behind

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the main federal law affecting education from kindergarten through high school. Signed into law on January 8, 2002, NCLB was created on four principals:

Accountability for results - Under NCLB, assessments are given in each state that measure what children know and learn in reading and math in grades 3-8. Student progress and achievement are measured according to tests that are given to every child, every year. The results of annual assessments are provided to parents, educators, citizens, administrators, and policymakers. Further, results are also made available in annual report cards (www.ncreportcards.org/src/)  on school performance and statewide progress.    NCLB also requires school districts to inform parents if it enters into or continues in Title I District Improvement. Richmond County  Schools continues in Title I District Improvement because it missed achieving AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) targets in reading and math in its elementary, middle and high schools for at least two years in a row.  
More choices for parents - NCLB gives parents more options for their children. These options consist of Public School Choice: According to the student assessments results, Richmond County has two Title I Improvement Schools,  Mineral Springs Elementary and Monroe Avenue Elementary. Parents of students who live in those attendance areas may elect to transfer their child/children to Washington Street Elementary or Fairview Heights Elementary. Also, the school system must offer free tutoring services to students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. (Eligible students may transfer to a school of choice or receive free tutoring services, but not both).
Greater local control and flexibility - Flexibility in implementing NCLB has been made available to states since it passed, but there are firm deadlines and required actions including: Performing annual assessments in reading and math for all students in grades 3-8, and at least once in high school, grades 9-12. Meeting state standards for proficiency in reading and math by the 2013-2014 school year. Cultivating highly-qualified teachers and providing options for families. An emphasis on doing what works based on scientific research. 

For more information on No Child Left Behind, please click on the following links: 
                   NC Department of Public Instruction or US Department of Education.

Supplemental Educational Services (SES)

Supplemental Educational Services are extra academic services during off-school hours. Federal Title I funds can be used to provide SES Services to students, including FREE after-school tutoring. To qualify students must receive free or reduced-price lunch and attend one of the following schools:  Mineral Springs Elementary, Monroe Avenue Elementary, West Rockingham Elementary, Leak Street High School and Richmond County Transitional School.

Tutoring programs approved by the State Department of Education will provide students with tutoring that is coordinated with what is being taught in school. Provider Fairs for both sessions were held at the participating schools. Parents had the opportunity to visit provider booths and decide which program would best suit their child's academic needs.  Invitations and applications were sent home with qualifying students following the Provider Fairs. 

The first session served 281 students, November 8, 2011 - February 2, 2012. The second began February 28, 2012 with 124 students and will end May 10, 2012.

The tutoring sessions are held Tuesdays  and Thursdays from 4:00 - 5:30 pm. If you feel that you child qualifies, and you did not receive an application, please contact your child's school principal or the SES Program Coordinator, Sandra Smith at 910-582-7915.  

Mineral Springs Elementary - 582-7915  wendyjordan@richmond.k12.nc.us 
Monroe Avenue Elementary - 582-7907 dawnterry@richmond.k12.nc.us
West Rockingham Elementary - 997-9802 willettesurgeon@richmond.k12.nc.us
Leak Street High - 997-9800 darylmason@richmond.k12.nc.us
Richmond Transitonal - 997-9797 susanbrigman@richmond.k12.nc.us

School Choice

Congress reauthorized in January of 2002 the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Subtitle VII-B, originally passed in 1987 to help people experiencing homelessness. This federal law includes the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program that entitles children who are homeless to a free, appropriate public education and requires schools to remove barriers to their enrollment, attendance, and success in school. This Act protects all students who do not have a fixed, regular and adequate residence, such as students living in the following situations: doubled-up housing with other families or friends due to hardship; runaway/homeless youth shelters (even if parents invite the youth home); hotels or motels; shelters, including domestic violence shelters; transitional housing shelters; cars, abandoned buildings, parks, the streets or other public spaces;  campgrounds or inadequate trailer homes; awaiting foster care placement; and/or abandoned in a hospital.  For more information or assistance, please contact Paullett Wall, RCS Homeless Coordinator at 910-997-9800 or paulettwall@richmond.k12.nc.us. 

The North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program is a high-quality  program that serves children who are at risk and prepares them for success in school. Pre-kindergarten is a research-proven strategy for school readiness.

Registration Process - Children must be 4 years of age on or before August 31; parents complete a two page application, two page survey and home language survey; required documents include; a birth certificate, immunization record and proof of income, which can be a pay stub or W-2 form; children must complete a Brigance Screening.

For more information about Pre-K in Richmond County Schools, please contact: Julie Brigman, Pre K Licensure Specialist 910.895.6715 juliebrigman@richmond.k12.nc.us or
Teressa Beavers, Pre-K Academic Coach 910.997.4928 teressabeavers@richmond.k12.nc.us

 
American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)

Richmond County was allotted $1,215,404.00 in ARRA money to be obligated by September 30, 2011. This funding must be used consistent with the Title I, Part A statutory and regulatory requirements. At the present time this money has been budgeted in the following ways: 4 Teacher Assistant positions, 3 Academic Coaches Positions, 4 Social Workers positions, 1 SES Coordinator and 1 Pre-school Coordinator. We also have the following district initiatives that will be paid for with this money: Learning Together Reading Program (a reading intervention program for at-risk students in grades 3 and 5), ClassScape (a computer program which allows teachers to develop "common assessments" for students on a regular basis), America's Choice ("Ramp Up to Algebra" and 'Math Navigator" are math intervention programs which are being utilized in 8th grade at all middle schools, 9th Grade Academy, Leak Street and RC Transitional. "Ramp Up to Literacy" and Literacy Navigation" will be utilized in 9th Grade only), Ray Jones (Has been contracted to provide professional development for teachers with a focus on lesson plan design and student learning), Summer Enrichment Programs (will be planned and implemented as a continuation of the enrichment programs which were carried out last summer. Possible areas of attention: Science, Reading, Math, Computers and Writing.