Everyone knows that low-income and minority students often face steep hurdles. Although these challenges sometimes have roots outside of school, compelling evidence shows that great teachers and well-run schools can have powerful effects on student learning and help close achievement gaps. Yet in most parts of the country, people do exactly the opposite of what fairness and common sense dictate. They take the kids who have the least in their homes and communities, and they give them less in school, too. Indeed, poor children receive less of everything that research and experience tell would boost their achievement and improve their chances of succeeding in school and beyond. The result? Rather than narrowing the academic achievement gaps, people have created education systems that actually widen the gaps. A federal law that's been on the books for quite awhile has the potential to guard against these inequities. Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is the federal government's major program to help schools that serve high concentrations of children from low-income families. Every year, this program funnels billions of taxpayer dollars to such schools so they can provide these kids with extra help. The bad news is the law is not working as it should. The good news is that by fixing Title I, Congress could make inequitable district-budgeting practices illegal, thereby increasing the odds that high-poverty schools receive more of the financial resources they need and deserve. This publication explains the sources of the hidden funding gaps, the ways federal policy allows them to occur, and what Congress can do to fix Title I to promote funding equity in schools. (Contains 6 figures and 8 notes.)