An unintended consequence of a 1994 rule governing Title I - the largest federal education aid program - is that New York City's poorest boroughs receive far less money per disadvantaged student than other boroughs with lesser concentrations of poor kids. Designed to give each borough no more than it "deserved," the formula allots Title I money according to poverty statistics from the US Census. Because the money goes to boroughs and schools, not directly to students, however, kids living in areas of high poverty (like the Bronx) - where funds must be distributed among many troubled schools - are "worth" less (per child) than those who attend poor schools in wealthier areas (like Staten Island). See "Poorer Boroughs' Students Get Smaller Slice of Aid," by Greg Winter, The New York Times, October 19, 2002. For a more complete discussion of the complexities of Title I funding - and how it ought to be reformed - see "Title I: Making the Investment Matter" in "Education 2001: Getting the Job Done: A Memorandum to the President-Elect and the 107th Congress," Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, December 2000.
