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Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity leads research and consulting initiatives that identify and address barriers to economic well-being.
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State
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Minneapolis Star-Tribune, July 14, 2015: AP-NORC Poll: Many Californians unaware of caregiver program for low-income seniors, disabled
"McCormack gets paid $11 an hour through the In-Home Supportive Services Program, which pays family members and other caregivers to help about 467,000 enrollees with such things as housecleaning, bathing, grocery shopping and laundry so they can stay at home rather than move to a nursing home or other care facility. A poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that less than one-third of Californians age 40 and over have heard of the program, which dates back to the 1950s."
U.S. News & World Report, July 13, 2015: At This Low-Income Brooklyn Public High School, 100 Percent of Black Students Graduate
"Brooklyn College Academy has ushered many students like Bridgewater and Polite successfully through high school: 100 percent of the school's black students graduated on time last year, and almost all of them went on to four-year colleges. In contrast, the overall graduation rate for black male students in New York City was 58 percent in 2014."
USA Today College, July 13, 2015: Transition programs help low-income, first-generation students adjust to college
"To combat the obstacles that many first-generation or low-income students might face, Cornell University, among others, instituted pre-freshman summer programs, which are designed to bridge the gap between high school and college and offer a smoother transition into the rigorous academic and social culture that exists on elite campuses. These summer sessions include classes and enrichment programs to prepare students for college academics while also providing them with community and resources."
U.S. News & World Report, July 13, 2015: Study: Low-Income Minorities Get Worst Teachers in Washington State
"So researchers have been going back to the drawing board, trying to prove that, no matter which measuring stick you use, the worst teachers usually end up teaching the most disadvantaged kids. Last month, one of the top researchers in this field, labor economist Dan Goldhaber, published a new study with some of the most convincing evidence yet."
KIDS COUNT Data Book 2015
Growing Together, Learning Together: What Cities Have Discovered About Building Afterschool Systems
The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2014: Students from Low-Income Families
Baby Boomers and Beyond: Facing Hunger after Fifty
Housing Costs and Financial Challenges for Low-Income Older Adults
Social Security Disability Insurance: Benefit Offsets Encourage Work--But Achieve Little to No Savings
The Chicago Tribune, July 11, 2015: Project Backpack collects school supplies for low-income kids
"Elgin Community College and its partners are asking for donations for this year's Project Backpack, which collects school supplies for low-income students who attend Elgin School District U46, Algonquin-based School District 300 or ECC."
FOX Business, July 11, 2015: Social Security Minimum Benefits: Making a Comeback?
"Social Security provides much-needed income for the vast majority of retired Americans. As a social insurance program, Social Security's design returns a higher percentage of average lifetime earnings to low-income earners than to those who had more lucrative careers. Yet some policymakers have called for Social Security to go a step further, providing minimum benefit amounts to qualify low-income recipients."