Title I of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA/ESEA) is a federal funding program designed to close achievement gaps and ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and State academic assessments. Wisconsin has developed a comprehensive set of standards to measure what students need to know and be able to do, and an assessment system to determine to what extent Wisconsin students have met these standards. Wisconsin continues to provide students with the highest quality education through the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Schoolwide programs are designed to generate high levels of academic achievement for all students, especially those most in need of additional support. All staff, resources, and classes are part of the schoolwide program, and it serves all the children in school.

The largest part of the Title I program, Part A, allocates funding to districts and other local educational agencies (LEAs) according to a formula based on numbers/percentages of children from low-income families. LEAs distribute much of the funding directly to individual public schools and use the rest to support other efforts within the LEA that benefit students needing additional academic support. Schoolwide schools can improve systems and practices and embrace high-quality curricula, creating and implementing a comprehensive plan to ensure all students meet the state's challenging academic standards.