Funding the Future of Education - The Development of Innovative Options for Title 1 Schooling

Authors

Sophia J. De La Cruz, University of Central FloridaFollow
Jacob Decker, University of Central FloridaFollow
John Mcmahon, University of Central FloridaFollow
Nicolas Oksman, University of Central FloridaFollow
Ezequiel Ramirez Guzman, University of Central FloridaFollow

Streaming Media

Files

Course Code

LDR

Course Number

3215

Faculty/Instructor

Dr. Haley Winston

Faculty/Instructor Email

Haley@ucf.edu

About the Author

Hi! My name is Sophia De La Cruz and I'm a Lead Scholar! This semester, I worked with Jacob Decker, John Mcmahon, Nicolas Oksman, and Ezequiel Ramirez Guzman on our semester long project focusing on the creation of a Deliberative Dialogue for the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI).

Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement

This semester, our group focused on exploring the current funding of Title 1 Schooling through the creation of a Deliberative Dialogue. Using the previous model developed by the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI),a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting public deliberation about difficult issues, we worked together as the Options Development Team to create three potential solutions addressing inequities in the current educational funding seen across the country. Our options included increasing funding, reallocating existing funds, and launching an awareness campaign to help families and communities better understand how funding works.

Through this project, we as a group learned the power of civic engagement and collaboration in creating meaningful change. We discovered that open dialogue and respectful listening are key to understanding complex issues like that of education. Most importantly, we realized that meaningful change starts with people coming together—using conversation as the foundation for action and progress in our communities.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Keywords

Community; Leadership; Impact; Civil Discourse; Options; Innovative; Funding; Education

Recommended Citation

De La Cruz, Sophia J.; Decker, Jacob; Mcmahon, John; Oksman, Nicolas; and Ramirez Guzman, Ezequiel, "Funding the Future of Education - The Development of Innovative Options for Title 1 Schooling" (2025). High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2025. 3.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hip-2025fall/3