Fayette Middle School on Grady Avenue in Fayetteville has been named a National Title I Distinguished School.
Fayette Middle School serves 710 students in grades 6-8. Principal Sharlene Patterson credits her faculty and staff as a major factor in her school’s success: “I just can’t say enough about the hard work they put into this work every day. Their mission is to ensure that every student’s needs are being met socially, emotionally, academically, developmentally. It’s a school-wide commitment.”
The National Distinguished School Program is a project of the National Title I Association and provides an opportunity for Title I Schools from every state to be recognized for their positive achievements. Title I is the largest federally funded program for pre-college education, providing more than $15 billion annually to schools and districts for supplemental programs to aid economically disadvantaged students.
Initiated as a key part of President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” Title I is the cornerstone of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently referred to as the No Child Left Behind Act.
Schools are selected for national recognition by their State Department of Education based on state-determined criteria, such as use of research-based instructional strategies, implementation of sustained research-based professional development, or established partnerships with parents, families and the community.
The National Title I Association is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to improving and implementing the Title I program so that more children reach their academic potential.
The Association provides educational leaders at the state level with the opportunity to work together to share ideas on effective and innovative programs, identify problems and solutions, and represent the needs of Title I students.
