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"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."

"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."