A study of the Effectiveness of Title I Federal Programs in Catholic Schools in New York City

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, it would give me great pleasure to show my gratitude to my professor, for his propositions, remarks, understanding and patience. It would also be an honor to express gratitude to my parents, my mother, my father, my sister and my brother for their endless support in my life and allowing me to make all my decisions. I would also like to take the opportunity to show appreciation to my co-workers for their expert cooperation on every occasion. I would also like to be grateful to the Department, managers of the university, instructors and students who have supported me throughout this research.

I certify that the work presented in the dissertation is my own unless referenced

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DECLARATION

I declare that the content presented in this thesis/dissertation is, in my understanding and opinion, original and has not been presented for scholarly assessment in the past, either completely or partly, for an academic degree at this educational institution or elsewhere. I would also like to admit that I have studied and understood the principles, prerequisites, processes and guidelines of the University regarding the higher academic degree research award and to my dissertation. I would also like to declare that I have abided by the University's principles, prerequisites, processes and guidelines.

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ABSTRACT

Since the inception of Title I, funding has been designated for school districts that have large populations of economically disadvantaged students. Students are identified as economically disadvantaged if they meet the requirements for the free and reduced lunch program. School systems also meet eligibility requirements for high poverty through the use of census data, although the use of census data is often not the most current information due to a lag in receiving necessary data from the federal government. Title I funds are available to all school systems whose census poverty data is 40 percent or above. These school systems receive 40 percent of the state's average per pupil expenditure. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of federally funded Title I targeted assistance programs in non-public schools. To accomplish this, the study will focus on Catholic school students in New York City, specifically the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. The study will take students who currently qualify for Title I services based on federal guidelines and compare students who are receiving Title I services and those not receiving the additional targeted support services in Language Arts and Math.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the study1

Statement of the Problem9

Purpose of the Study12

Aims and objectives13

Research question14

Significance of the Study14

Research Method Chosen18

Variables19

Assumptions20

Limitations and Delimitations of the Study20

Recommendations21

Definition of Important Terms21

Title I school21

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)21

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)22

Reading Improvement Plan22

At-Risk student22

Structure of the thesis22

Chapter I: Introduction22

Chapter II: Literature Review23

Chapter III: Methodology24

Chapter IV: Data analysis and Discussion25

Chapter V: Conclusion26

Summary26

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW29

Introduction29

Catholic Schools34

Early Catholic School History40

The Development of Catholic Schools in America41

Introduction: Birth of Catholic Schools in America41

Tensions between American Protestants and ...