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"A new list of rankings published by CollegeNet, a higher-education technology company, and Payscale lists the top schools for lower-income students. The 'social mobility index' created by CollegeNet and Payscale highlights schools that do the best job of helping disadvantaged students graduate with the ability to start a career free of crushing levels of debt. Five criteria determine the SMI rankings: tuition, percentage of the student body from low-income households, graduation rate, salaries of grads once they start working, and the size of each school's endowment. Take a look at the top 10."

"The Cristo Rey Columbus High School is part of the now 28-school network founded in Chicago by Jesuit priest John P. Foley in 1995. The schools are strategically located in cities large enough to have a needy urban population, a supportive local Catholic diocese, and cooperative, deep-pocketed businesses. Columbus, which is an energetic, creative, and generous city, fit the bill perfectly. The mission of the schools, as James Ragland described it, is to break the cycle of poverty through education."

"The Illinois State Board of Education released statistics showing that more than half of public school students in the state are considered low-income, and for the first time, less than half of public school students are white. The agency said Wednesday that the state's white public school student population has dropped to 49.9 percent, while its Hispanic population has grown to 24.6 percent. It also said 51.5 percent of all Illinois public school students are considered low-income."

"What if when we talked to high school and college students, especially those from low-income families, instead of, 'What's your major?' or 'What are you going to do for a career' or 'What's your GPA?' We asked, 'What are your hopes and dreams for your life?' I think everyone could benefit from being asked and then answering this question, but I think it's most vital for students who are striving to achieve the American Dream through education, especially higher education."

"About 650 schools throughout the state are opting into a program to provide free breakfast and lunch for all students. It is part of a new program called Community Eligibility Provision, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The idea is to allow schools with high percentages of low-income children to offer free meals for all, instead of collecting individual applications for free and reduced price meals."

"While the current U.S. economy continues to improve, there is one area that is still feeling the squeeze from the recession years: K-12 public school spending. Recently, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that 34 states are contributing less funding on a per student basis than they did prior to the recession years. Since states are responsible for 44 percent of total education funding in the U.S., these dismal numbers mean a continued crack down on school budgets despite an improving economy. In extreme cases, like in Philadelphia and Chicago, individual districts have had to tap into other money and reserves to cover the basics of public education in their areas."

"Endangered programs providing grants and scholarships to low-income Nebraska students are the focus of the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education's budget priorities. The Access College Early (ACE) grant, which paid for 1,700 qualifying students to earn college credits last year, will lose $285,000 in U.S. Department of Education funding next August. ACE Plus, which provides scholarships to college freshmen and sophomores who successfully completed the ACE program, is set to lose $300,000 in federal funding. Meeting Tuesday, the Coordinating Commission approved asking the Legislature to appropriate a total of $600,000 in state general funds for both programs, as well as increase the funding in both by $100,000 over the next two years."

"The numbers marked a grim record for the U.S., which saw a steady surge in homeless students over the last six years fueled by the recession and historic rates of home foreclosures. Yet accurately estimating the number of homeless students can be extremely difficult for school districts and the federal government. According to the latest data, roughly 75 percent of the nation's homeless youth are living in what's known as 'doubled-up' situations, meaning they are forced to share temporary housing with friends, relatives or anyone willing to take them in. The students living in this type of housing which can include motels, trailer parks and campgrounds are entitled to help from their local schools but do not qualify for assistance from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development."

"Income level is the greatest indicator of whether a high school graduate will attend college, according to a study released Tuesday. The National Student Clearinghouse looked at more than 3.5 million graduates of public high schools over the past several years, and found that high school graduates from schools with more poor people are significantly less likely to attend college than their counterparts at schools with majority middle-to-upper-income level students."

"A report released Tuesday by the research branch of the nonprofit National Student Clearinghouse, which examined data from more than 3.5 million high school graduates, found that poverty remains a more important indicator of whether a student will go to college than high school demographics or location. Class of 2013 students from low-minority, low-income, suburban and rural schools were the least likely to have enrolled in college by last fall --in the semester immediately following their graduation -- according to the report."

" As enrollment continues to surge at schools in North Dakota's oil country, the number of students deemed homeless under federal regulations is also increasing. The spike of homeless students is an effect of the housing shortage in the Bakken area. Students are deemed homeless under federal law when they 'lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.' Students living in motels, hotels, trailer parks and campgrounds are considered homeless."

"More than one in three low-income seniors, or 41 percent, has already gone without medical or dental care because of high energy bills, according to a survey included in a newly released report. And things will only get worse for seniors, says the 60 Plus Association, as states scramble to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's carbon-reduction rules."