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Find the latest stories, research, and insights on policies, programs, and ideas shaping the national conversation on poverty and economic mobility.
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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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The Washington Post, April 15, 2015: New brain science shows poor kids have smaller brains than affluent kids
"New research that shows poor children have smaller brains than affluent children has deepened the national debate about ways to narrow the achievement gap. Neuroscientists who studied the brain scans of nearly 1,100 children and young adults nationwide from ages 3 to 20 found that the surface area of the cerebral cortex was linked to family income. They discovered that the brains of children in families that earned less than $25,000 a year had surface areas 6 percent smaller than those whose families earned $150,000 or more. The poor children also scored lower on average on a battery of cognitive tests."
Time, April 13, 2015: Why Are States Leaving Billions in Retiree Income on the Table?
"Many elderly can afford to pay more in taxes. And with a growing number of needy seniors to support, states can't afford to pass up that revenue."
Hawaii News Now, April 13, 2015: Preschool funding at risk for low-income families
"But the state isn't appropriating enough money for the program to help hundreds of parents in 2016. Preschool Open Doors faces a $6 million funding cut."
Deseret News, April 12, 2015: College degree does little to resolve income inequality
"A recent study published by the Hamilton Project, an economic research project, found that while education can propel Americans from the lower class to the middle class, there is little evidence education reduces the gap between the middle class and the wealthiest citizens, reported Education News."
Expanding Access and Opportunity: How Small and Mid-Sized Independent Colleges Serve First-Generation and Low-Income Students
A Matter of Equity: Preschool in America
An education agenda for the states: Fostering opportunity from pre-K through college
A Better Start: Why Classroom Diversity Matters in Early Education
High costs, uncertain benefits: What do Americans without a college degree think about postsecondary education?
IJReview, April 11, 2015: Low-Income Ivy League Students Face Difficulty Adjusting To Elite College Life
"A new report from the Boston Globe says that low-income students who attend Ivy League colleges on full scholarships sometimes have a difficult time fitting in."
Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 11, 2015: (Op-Ed) Empower high-achieving, low-income students across Virginia
"There is a profound and widening excellence gap: a measurable difference between lower-income and higher-income students who reach and remain at 'advanced' levels of academic performance. It's not just that rich kids test 'advanced' at a higher rate; the problem is that kids who test 'advanced' and are poor tend to backslide the longer they stay in the public schools, don't graduate at the same rate as other smart kids and don't go on to graduate school in comparable percentages."
Lincoln Journal-Star, April 9, 2015: Deal would preserve grants for low-income college students
"College students in need would continue to have access to state grants under a compromise lawmakers reached Thursday over how Nebraska should use its lottery proceeds over the next five years. If the deal survives two more rounds of voting by the Legislature and is approved by the governor, it would essentially hold funding steady for the Nebraska Opportunity Grant, which provided an average of about $1,000 to nearly 16,000 students enrolled in Nebraska colleges and universities last year."