Federal Programs

Rockport-Fulton ISD receives a number of Federal grants to supplement the District’s educational goals. Federal grants are not designed to take the place of or supplant local revenue. Each Federal grant has a specific intent and purpose aimed at achieving the goal of all children meeting or exceeding state standards.

 

Background:
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was written into law in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson in an effort to make “full educational opportunity” a priority. It was a civil rights law which offered new grants to districts serving low-income students to help close the achievement gap. This was essentially the beginning of the Title I program.

 

In 2002, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which was the reauthorization of ESEA. This made significant changes in education which included increased accountability for academic progress of all students, recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers, and special focus on certain student groups, such as English-language learners, students in special education and disadvantaged students, whose achievement, on average, trails their peers.

 

In December of 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into federal law. ESSA, a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, made substantial changes to the previous iteration of the law, known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Most notably, ESSA represents a significant shift from the federal government back to the states.