Lingelbach Elementary School: A Case Study of a Chapter 1 Schoolwide Project

Told from the perspective of the former principal, this article presents a 3-year case study of a Chapter 1 Schoolwide Project's (SWP) implementation and effects. The case details the conditions in the high poverty, inner-city elementary school preceding the move to the SWP, the programs and struggles involved in the move, and the effects of the move. During the years of SWP status, the occurrence of teachers' professional development activities, parental involvement, student attendance, and students' academic achievements all rose dramatically. The key to the improvements lay in improving the school and program and not blaming the students. After years of hard-won gains, faced with very difficult decisions on how to allocate greatly decreased Title I (formerly Chapter 1) funds, in the fall of 1995 the district removed SWP status and all Title I funds from the school. Practical and policy implications of the overall experience are discussed at the article's conclusion.