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"The Advance Illinois school report "The State We're In" has some good news for Illinois school, including gains in high school graduation rates in Chicago. But the report overall is not cause for optimism about the state of Illinois' elementary and high schools and the preparedness of Illinois students for the job market that awaits them after graduation. Of particular concern is the academic performance of low-income students, whose reading and math proficiency are alarmingly low."

"The debate and discussion about the recently approved tuition increases has been marked by misinformation. So, let's start off by dispensing two myths. The first myth is that tuition increases will hurt students from lower-income families. In fact, low-income families will have better access to UC Berkeley with the tuition increase than they would without it."

"Student poverty in Gwinnett and across the state, has soared over the past decade, freighting classrooms with hungry, tired and sometimes ill-disciplined students. In 2002, when Oakley moved to Gwinnett, 21 percent of the district's students qualified for free or reduced-price school meals, a common index of poverty. By last year, 55 percent qualified. The suburbs are seeing more of what one local superintendent calls the 'pathologies of poverty,' such as homeless students or those with blurred vision for want of eyeglasses. Students who fall behind can become disruptive, and the wild, unfocused energy can infect a crowded classroom and hinder student achievement."

"For more than a decade, Whitney has been doing the same for students who pass through the various SAEE programs now incorporated under one roof in Lucy Stone Hall on the Livingston Campus. Last spring saw the merger of Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math-Science; the EOF programs of the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; the Student Support Services Program; the Ronald E. McNair Program; and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation."

"Colleges and universities in Kentucky have failed to meet some major goals to help boost graduation rates among Black and low-income students, leaving officials scrambling to put an end to the education disparities. Kentucky aimed to drastically increase graduate rates for the 2012-2013 school year but the latest accountability report by the Council of Postsecondary Education revealed that the schools just aren't reaching those goals when it comes to their Black and low-income students."

"Allen County families who meet certain income requirements can apply for prekindergarten educational grants from Indiana's Office of Early Education and Out-of-School Learning. The grant would cover the costs of enrolling children in an approved On My Way Pre-K program in public or private schools, licensed child care centers, licensed homes or registered ministries as long as those programs meet the requirements of a state-approved provider, according to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration."

"Kentucky is lagging in its efforts to increase graduation rates among poor, minority and under-prepared college students, according to the Council on Postsecondary Education's latest accountability report. The annual report, to be discussed by the council at a meeting Friday, showed a six-year graduation rate of 49 percent among bachelor's degree-seeking students in 2012-13, the latest data available."

"When it comes to advocating for greater reliance on public benefits for low-income individuals, the idea is already a tough political sell among anti-entitlement elected officials and segments of the electorate that view the benefits as handouts. But what if those public benefits were being extended to community college students as a way to boost their chances of earning a credential?"

"A souped-up bus will bring 3-D printing, robotics and digital design instruction to Lansing's low-income areas as early as next summer. By August 2015, the Techtransport bus is expected to bring the nonprofit Information Technology Empowerment Center's classes to local communities whose residents can't afford Internet service. ITEC showed off the donated bus at a gathering Tuesday at the Foster Community Center."

"A bill that would provide meals for low-income students on days schools are shut down over winter weather was vetoed by Mayor Vincent Gray over concerns about funding and endangering children, leaving one Councilmember who created the legislation 'baffled.'"

"Low-income students in some of Colorado's more affluent school districtsBoulder, Cherry Creek, and St. Vrain Valleyare more likely to attend top colleges than their peers around the state.But across the state, and even in those districts, less well-off students attend elite schools at a lower rate than more affluent students."

"With a goal of fiber-optic lines reaching to every school and a Wi-Fi connection in every classroom, Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, is expected on Monday to propose a 62 percent increase in the amount of money the agency spends annually to wire schools and libraries with high-speed Internet connections."