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"The challenges of navigating the winter months as a low-income senior are immense. For 6.3 million older adults in the United States, wintertime stretches the term "fixed income" into a reality of fixed poverty. For increasing numbers of seniors who face the multifaceted vulnerabilities of poverty even during the sunniest of days, the winter can cost more than many can afford."

"When it comes to learning to read, educators agree: the younger, the better. Children can be exposed to books even before they can talk, but for that a family has to have books, which isn't always the case. There are neighborhoods in this country with plenty of books; and then there are neighborhoods where books are harder to find. Almost 15 years ago, Susan Neuman, now a professor at New York University, focused on that discrepancy, in a study that looked at just how many books were available in Philadelphia's low-income neighborhoods. The results were startling."

"Students who are black, poor or both represent a large percentage of those receiving out-of-school suspensions, according to data collected by Columbia Public Schools. School officials acknowledged there have been times when black or low-income students have received different treatment than students who aren't black or low-income. But district leaders say programs designed to address that disparity are starting to bring equity to student discipline."

"After decades of pushing to close the achievement gap between high- and low-income students, the level of post-secondary attainment for economically disadvantaged students remains abysmally low. Less than a third of our nation's poorest students enroll in college, and of those who do, only 32 percent graduate by age 25. Underrepresented students many of whom are poor, come from underserved schools and are the first in their families to pursue education beyond high school also are behind their white peers. Four in 10 Americans have earned a bachelor's degree by their mid-20s, but for African Americans, the number is three in 10, and for Latinos, it's two in 10."

"News about the present and future of American K-12 education continues to be discouraging, but a series of effective out-of-school programs is creating a glimmer of hope. If we focus on these, thousands of children can be salvaged from a broken system."

"If this is the case, the Georgia Legislature can advance an important piece of the middle-class agenda: Increase the annual cap on income tax credits available for contributions to scholarship programs that fund private school options for K-12 students from low- and middle-income families."

"So how did the 24/7 Wall St. writers assess the Magnolia State? 'Nearly one in four Mississippi residents lived in poverty last year, by far the highest rate in the nation. More than 35 percent of people without a high school diploma in the state lived in poverty, also the highest rate compared to all other states.'"

"If Eastside Charter can do it, any of Wilmington's six 'priority schools' can do it. Simply put, that's the way Gov. Jack Markell and Education Secretary Mark Murphy feel about improving the city's struggling inner-city schools. In 2010, Eastside's test scores were as bad as the "priority schools" today: Only 32 percent of its elementary and middle school students were proficient, on average, in both math and reading. And like the priority schools, 85 percent of Eastside's student body comes from low-income households."

"The state's investment in preschools for low-income kids appears to be paying off in improved elementary school test scores, according to a state report released this month. The report says that children who participate in Washington's Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program go on to earn higher test scores in math and reading in elementary school, when compared with their peers from similar economic backgrounds who didn't enroll in ECEAP."

"A new study shows low income kids from Washington state who go to a state supported preschool are likely to do better academically than their peers at least through fifth grade. Researchers found Washington state's Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program has a positive impact on third-, fourth- and fifth- grade test scores, which were given five or six years after the students were in preschool."

"Despite such sentiment, Catholic University charges the highest net price in America for low-income students the cost once discounts and financial aid are taken into account according to a study by the New America Foundation based on information reported to the U.S. Department of Education by the institutions themselves. And they have plenty of company among peer institutions."

"Construction of an 84-unit low-income housing development on Woodrow Wilson Way in West Rome could begin in the spring. Highland Estates, being built by Florence, Alabama-based Gateway Development, will provide new opportunities for low-income senior citizens to take advantage of new, quality housing. The primary occupant on the lease in Highland Estates will have to be at least 55 years of age."