Tuesday, March 17, 2020
With less than two weeks remaining until Census Day, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction wants to remind educators and education stakeholders of school resources that are readily available.
From now until March 20, homes throughout the United States will receive mail from the U.S. Census Bureau with detailed information on how to respond and be counted. When responding to the census, you will use information regarding where you will live as of April 1, 2020, Census Day.
Not only does the census attempt to provide an accurate count of the population, but many educational assistance programs rely on it for funding. Among those is Title I of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which is designed to close achievement gaps and ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education in Wisconsin schools.
Federal funding is allocated to Title I schools through a unique formula, which is based on the state’s average per pupil expenditure and the specific local educational agency’s count of children from low-income families. Federal law requires the DPI to use U.S. Census Bureau data to determine the number of low-income children, ages 5-17, and families experiencing poverty.
For more information on the formula and how Title I funding relies on an accurate count, check out this brief video.