Today on 1A, the guests discussed K-12 education concerns and the proposed budget. With all the focus on cuts to higher education research funding, I was surprised to learn that the FY 2026 Budget Request did not propose cuts to Title I or the Individual Disability Education Act (IDEA).
Title I was created in 1965 as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration’s “War on Poverty” initiative. A key goal of Title 1 funding is to support educational initiatives that close the skill gaps in reading, writing, and mathematics between children from low-income and middle-class families, particularly in urban and rural school systems. School districts may use Title 1 funding to provide preschool programming to augment Head Start programs.
No cuts to Title 1 means that approximately 9 million school-aged children, 12.2% of all school-aged students (see Table 1), who live in households with income below the poverty line, will continue to have access to funding for programs to improve their educational outcomes.
Table 1. Distribution of school-aged children below the poverty line
Source: Calculations by the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity, and Race using the 2024 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Current Population Survey downloaded from www.ipums.org.
Children are the future, right?
I believe investments in the education of children from vulnerable households are vital for making America great—a society where income is not the first determinant of who gets to participate fully in society. With all the cuts to services for low-income households, I am embracing the continued funding for Title 1 as a small win for the 2.77 million single female-headed households with school-age children (see Table 2)..
Table 2: Single female-headed households with school-aged children
Source: Calculations by the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity, and Race using the 2024 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Current Population Survey downloaded from www.ipums.org.
Although many resources are being reduced for low-income communities, the continued support for Title 1 funding shows that Congress recognizes every child—regardless of their zip code or family income—deserves the opportunity for educational success. This is not just a matter of fairness; it is essential for making America the nation we aspire to be. Investments in our most vulnerable children are investments in our future competitiveness, social cohesion, and democracy.
Are investments in our children enough?
No.
But this sustained commitment, even as other supports are gutted, gives us a foothold from which to push for something better. It’s a reminder to acknowledge the small wins—because they matter.
