30 / matters magazine / school 2018 M ost kids would do just about anything for piz- za – and the chance for special trips to places such as Gravity Vault or the Turtleback Zoo ropes course. That is what the directors of Maplewood Middle School’s new Saturday Academy are counting on, and part of why their innovative way of using Title I funds to provide struggling students with extra in- struction on weekends is proving to be so successful. “We definitely believe that there is a draw, that there are kids coming for the pizza and that’s fine with us,” MMS Principal Dara Gronau says. “It’s all about leveling the playing field and getting these students more time and attention on their core aca- demic classes.” About 25 percent of the approximately 750 stu- dents at MMS qualify for free or reduced lunch and are eligible for extra academic instruction through the federal Title I program. Established under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965, it’s designed to help students identified as low- achieving or from a vulnerable population, such as foster children or those living in poverty, meet chal- lenging state academic standards. That means that “every fourth child who has a need doesn’t have the same advantages as the child sitting next to them in terms of being able to afford a tutor,” Gronau says. Because the percentage of students at MMS who qualify for Title I is under 40 percent, the school is prohibited from using its funds for schoolwide pro- grams. Instead, it must target its Title I funds to help a specific population. Beyond that, however, schools have some flex- ibility, as long as the instruction deals with the core academic subjects and administrators can identify and justify their methods – and document progress. “A lot of the time, Title I funding is used to pre- pare students for what they are assessed on, such as standardized tests, but actually, what it should be used for is getting them back on track with their course work,” Gronau says. School on Saturday? Incentives inspire Maplewood Middle School students to show up – and improve their grades. BY MALIA RULON HERMAN L-R: Guidance counselor Kelli Dios, social worker Eric Stoudemire and Maplewood Middle School Principal Dara Gronau have teamed up to launch a creative and surprisingly successful program to help struggling students on weekends.