This paper presents general information about Title I of the Elementary Secondary Education Act on the education of the disadvantaged pertinent to local school districts. From the beginning, the major portion of the Title I program was intended to supplement the education routine provided by local school districts for disadvantaged children. Each school can shape its Title I project in whatever way it feels necessary to meet the specific needs of the children in its classrooms -- provided that it meets the requirements of the law. In the beginning, Title I tried to provide everything to everyone, but with time the program has become more selective. Today, assistance is focused mainly on instructional services. About 90 percent of the nation's school districts participate in the basic Title I program, with about 15,000 school districts receiving Title I funds. One problem in making an objective assessment of Title I effectiveness has been in inequitable distribution of local and State funds in many school districts. Also in the early days of the program, testing was unsystematic, and few resources were available for evaluation. Today, a uniform evaluation reporting system is being developed, as well as improved Title I evaluation models. Reports indicate that the Title I child is achieving better in school. The program has raised the mathematics and reading scores of hundreds of disadvantaged youngsters across the nation. (Author/AM)