Title III, Part A, Immigrant Children and Youth Discretionary Grant
Purpose, Background, and Eligibility Requirements
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) reserves approximately five percent of its Title III to provide enhanced instructional opportunities to Immigrant Children and Youth. Local Education Agencies (LEAs) that have seen a significant increase in immigrant children and youth may apply for the discretionary grant. Qualifying LEAs must have demonstrated a significant increase in their Immigrant and Youth population[i]. For Immigrant and Youth eligibility, a significant increase is defined as at least a 25 percent increase in the current year for the number of Immigrant and Youth over the average of the previous two years.
Safeguarding Immigrant children and Youth Data Collection
LEA eligibility is determined by Immigrant and Youth data reported for the Third Friday Count in WISEdata via the LEA’s Student Information System to WISEdata. The data requested is defined by Section 3301(6) of Title III. Immigrant children and youth are ages 3 through 21, were not born in any state, and have not been attending one or more schools in any one or more states for more than three full academic years[ii]. States are defined as the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Immigrants may be adoptees, foreign exchange students, and refugee students, born in the US military, among others. Immigrants may or may not be English Learners (ELs) as defined by ESSA.[iii] Immigrant and Youth Discretionary Grant funds may be used for activities that provide enhanced instructional opportunities such as[iv]:
A) Family literacy, parent and family outreach, and the training activities designed to assist parents and families to become active participants in their children’s education.
B) Recruit and support personnel, including teachers and paraprofessionals who have been specifically trained, or are being trained, to provide services to immigrant children and youth.
C) Provide tutorials, mentoring, and academic and career counseling.
D) Identify, develop, and acquire curricular materials, educational software, and technologies to be used in the program to carry out with these grant funds.
E) Basic instructional services that are directly attributable to the presence of immigrant children and youth in the LEA, including payment of costs for added classroom supplies, transportation costs, etc.
F) Other instructional services that are designed to assist immigrant children and youth to achieve in U.S. elementary and secondary schools, such as school orientation or civics education.
G) Activities in coordination with community-based organizations, institutions of higher education, private section entities, or other entities with expertise in working with immigrants, to assist families by offering comprehensive services.
Application and Eligibility
Eligible LEAs and Title III Consortia may apply. Within the grant application, the application should describe how any activities undertaken will explicitly support immigrant children and youth. Additional pages may be added to the application. Districts should anticipate being able to serve immigrants during the grant year. The grant year runs from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022. The grants must be expended during the fiscal year awarded. Title III Immigrant and Youth funding do not carry over. Grant requests have traditionally ranged from $10,000 to $40,000 for eligible grant activities.
2023-2024 Title III- Immigrant Children and Youth Discretionary Grant Information
Inquiries about the Immigrant Children and Youth grant can be directed via email or phone to:
Amy.Maciolek@dpi.wi.gov or (608) 266-1570.
[i] ESEA 20 U.S.C. § 3114(d)(1)
[ii] Academic Year need not be consecutive.
[iii] ESSA definition of English Learner plus citation.
[iv] ESEA 20 U.S.C. § 3114(e)(1)