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" But there is one that is proven, paid for, and possible for every child in this country and that is school breakfast. It's a federal entitlement for low income kids yet barely half of them receive it. It is exempt from sequestration's automatic budget cuts and enjoys a long track record of bipartisan support. A change as simple as moving breakfast from the cafeteria before school begins, to the classroom or "after the bell" enables us to reach many more children."

"Across the nation, 51% of public school children are low income students. In some parts of the South, that number exceeds 60%. The figures, based on location, appear like other signs of the effects of poverty. According to a new study from Southern Education Foundation: In 40 of the 50 states, low income students comprised no less than 40 percent of all public schoolchildren. In 21 states, children eligible for free or reduced-price lunches were a majority of the students in 2013."

"Increased economic opportunity resulting in less poverty is within reach thanks to a statewide mentoring program helping low-income students stay in college. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE) is providing mentors to 21st Century Scholars, low-income students who receive state funding for post-secondary education. Despite this significant financial assistance, only 33 percent of scholars earn an associate's degree within three years or a bachelor's degree within six years. The state average for all full-time students is 42 percent."

"Just over half of all students attending public schools in the United States are now eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, according to a new analysis of federal data. In a report released Friday by the Southern Education Foundation, researchers found that 51 percent of children in public schools qualified for the lunches in 2013, which means that most of them come from low-income families. By comparison, 38 percent of public school students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunches in 2000."

"The majority of students in U.S. public schools are low-income for the first time in at least five decades, according to a new report by the Southern Education Foundation. The report measured poverty among students by the number of those that qualified for free and reduced lunch. Nationwide, 51 percent of students met that measure for the 2012-2013 school year."

"Washington University in St. Louis plans to double its share of students eligible for Pell Grants by 2020, a university spokeswoman wrote in an email to The Chronicle. The private college says it will spend roughly $25-million per year to double its percentage of Pell-eligible students, from 6 percent to 13 percent. The college has been criticized for years for its lack of socioeconomic diversity. Most recently, The New York Times's Upshot column highlighted that lack in a list of the nation's most-accessible elite colleges."

"Local education needs are being ignored in a proposed rewrite of the federal No Child Left Behind law, an education policy expert says. Association of American Educators member Tracie Happel is a second grade teacher at Northside Elementary in La Crosse, Wisconsin, which has a high number of students from disadvantaged families. Students from low-income families don't learn like other students, Happel said. 'They have very different needs and world experiences,' Happel said in an interview with Watchdog.org. 'When we're forced to teach to a test, we can't spend much time on the other areas in their lives that they need.'"

"The Children's Museum of Denver is spending 2015 trying to open its doors a little wider to low-income families. The museum 2121 Children's Museum Drive is offering $1 admission per person to families who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The pilot project started at the beginning of the year and will run through December."

"The workshop was organized by Horizon Education Alliance and several partners including Conn-Selmer Inc., Elkhart Community Schools and Goshen College. El Sistema is a music education program developed in Venezuela in 1975 by Jos̩ Antonio Abreu and is geared toward providing music instruction to students from low-income or under-served communities."

"There is also a small tax credit for low-income seniors, which Perlman says is not widely used. 'It might be helpful for someone who neither contributed to the Social Security system nor ever married.'"

"Last week, President Barack Obama announced a plan that, if approved by Congress, would dedicate about $60 billion over 10 years to allow students to go to community college for free. While the plan has its share of critics, it could have a huge impact on families that are teetering on financial instability, supporters told HuffPost Live on Tuesday."