February 9, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. – Canton resident Marcus E. Cheeks, interim director of federal programs at the Mississippi Department of Education, was named the 2015 president of the National Title I Association, which works to improve and implement the Title I program to help students reach their academic potential.
“As I, in the State of Mississippi, and my colleagues across this country work to ensure compliance with federal regulations, we more importantly work to see that all children — especially those living in economically disadvantaged conditions— have the opportunity to receive a high quality education,” he said.
Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provides resources to schools to enable students to reach proficiency as determined by the assessment of state standards in reading and math. Typically, these schools are situated in low-income communities that struggle to provide a high-quality education to all children.
Cheeks, who has worked in federal programs at MDE for nearly 10 years, oversees $245 million in federal funds for various school services. He assumed his one-year term as president of the National Title I Association during the annual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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