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"In recent years, the demographic shift at public schools in Tippecanoe County has been dramatic. Where the overwhelming majority of families once could pay full price for their child's school meals, most students now come from families at or below the federal poverty level and rely on the federal government's free and reduced meal program."

"There are many bumps in the road to social and economic mobility in the U.S., and 11 large research universities are taking steps to level one of them. [...] Last week, the University Innovation Alliance announced it's raised $5.7 million for the project from six major backers. [...] The alliance is an outgrowth of universities' long experience with the challenges of getting students who are the first in their families to attend college to complete their studies. [...] The donors include the Ford Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Lumina Foundation, USA Funds, and the Markle Foundation."

"In the most challenging low-income schools in Greenville County, where poverty is pervasive and English is the second language for many students, the school district, United Way of Greenville County and the Riley Institute at Furman University will begin an innovative program to detect when students begin to slide down a path that eventually leads them to drop out of school. [...] The United Way will match the grant dollar-for-dollar, and grants from private foundations and corporations could boost the total to $15 million, Hendry said. The Hollingsworth Fund, the Community Foundation of Greenville and Wells Fargo already have made commitments, Hendry said."

"For the first time, the Reading School District is offering all of its students a free breakfast. And in the district's elementary schools, those meals are being enjoyed in the classroom. On Tuesday morning, the district showed off the new program. [...] The program is fully paid for with federal funding, with startup costs covered by a grant from Newman's Own Foundation, a philanthropic foundation formed in 2005 by actor Paul Newman. And in a city like Reading, where poverty is a constant challenge, the breakfast program gives students a chance to start the day off right, school officials said."

"Garden Grove and Westminster preschools are receiving a financial boost. The Westminster School District and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove will each receive state funding to increase the number of students from families with lower incomes that their programs can accommodate. The funding is part of a statewide initiative, announced last week by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and state Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, that will provide money to add 7,500 preschool slots throughout California."

"The U.S. is facing substantial performance gaps within higher education. High-income students are seven times more likely to attain a college degree than low-income students, exacerbating income inequality. The country is projected to be three million college graduates short of what we need to fill expected jobs in 2016 if we are to retain our competitive edge in an increasingly global economy."

"The number of state low-income children eating breakfast at school jumped 55 percent in the past four years, according to an annual report released Tuesday by Advocates for Children of New Jersey. Nearly all major urban school districts now serve breakfast 'after the bell,' according to Nancy Parello, spokeswoman for the nonprofit."

"Education is the solution to issues related to poverty, said Michael Burke, the new chancellor of the Riverside Community College District. 'This is the fight in America and a theme throughout my entire career,' he said. Burke sees poverty and race issues as the challenges in the district, home to Riverside City, Moreno Valley and Norco colleges, just like they were at his last job as president of Milwaukee Area Technical College."

"The growth of QuestBridge has broader lessons for higher education and for closing the yawning achievement gap between rich and poor teenagers. College admissions officers attribute the organization's success to the simplicity of its approach to students. It avoids mind-numbingly complex talk of financial-aid forms and formulas that scare away so many low-income families. QuestBridge instead gives students a simple message: If you get in, you can go."

"Charter school students in Utah are whiter and wealthier than their traditional public school counterparts, according to a report released this week. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ranked Utah 24th out of 26 states for the health of its charter school movement, with Utah scoring low marks for racial and economic diversity."

"The Tennessee Treasury Department is announcing a program to help low-income families build college savings. Under Tennessee Investments Preparing Scholars, the state will provide enhanced matches for money invested by families that have accounts in the Treasury Department's TNStars college savings program and meet the income requirements."