Foreword

The Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights is a bipartisan organization established in 1982 to monitor the civil rights policies and practices of the federal government and to seek ways to accelerate progress in the area of civil rights.

This report is one component of the Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights’ Title I monitoring project, which is examining whether and how recently enacted federal reforms put into place through the reauthorization of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 are being implemented in high-poverty schools.  Previous Citizens’ Commission reports on Title I implementation include: Title I in Midstream: The Fight to Improve Schools for Poor Kids (1999) and Title I in Alabama: The Struggle to Meet Basic Needs (1999). 

The Commission gratefully acknowledges the support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the Ford Foundation for this study.