The Migrant Education Program (MEP) is a federally funded program, authorized under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). MEP is administered in all 50 states including Hawaii, Alaska, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. MEP is authorized by Part C of Title I and is designed to support high quality and comprehensive educational programs for migrant children to help reduce the educational disruption and other problems that result from repeated moves.

Funds support high quality education programs for migratory children and help ensure that migratory children who move among the states are not penalized in any manner by disparities among states in curriculum, graduation requirements, or state academic content and student academic achievement standards. Funds also ensure that migratory children not only are provided with appropriate education services (including supportive services) that address their special needs but also that such children receive full and appropriate opportunities to meet the same challenging state academic content and student academic achievement standards that all children are expected to meet. Federal funds are allocated by formula to SEAs, based on each state’s per pupil expenditure for education and counts of eligible migratory children, age 3 through 21, residing within the state.

Goals

The goal of the Migrant Education Program is to ensure that all migrant students reach challenging academic standards and graduate with a high school diploma (or complete a GED) that prepares them for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment.