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"Minnesota's education community has never been more focused on closing our achievement gap, one of the highest in the nation. However, our efforts are hampered when the basic needs of our students are unmet, needs as basic as safe and stable housing. How can we close the achievement gap when thousands of students don't know where they're going to sleep at night?"

"The academic gap is widening because rich students are increasingly entering kindergarten much better prepared to succeed in school than middle-class students. This difference in preparation persists through elementary and high school. My research suggests that one part of the explanation for this is rising income inequality."

"Learning those skills in preschool - things like listening skills, vocabulary, sharing, focusing - add up to kindergarten readiness,' which some studies show is critically important to a child's future success. Especially children who come from low-income families - and about 85 percent of these students do."

"That low-income score comparison still has the voucher program's students as a whole scoring lower than MPS low-income students in math: 12.9% proficiency in the voucher schools vs. 15.4% proficiency among MPS low-income students."

"Offering free breakfasts to all interested students in low-income areas, not just to those who qualify under federal guidelines, is a program that some state legislators are trying to expand to schools in poor neighborhoods across Texas."

"Instead of just placing a heavy emphasis on outputs' of the educational system test scores and graduation rates the nation also must focus on inputs,' or what it invests in schools, said Stanford University's Linda Darling-Hammond, one of 20 academics who contributed to the book, Closing the Opportunity Gap.'"

"A House panel has approved legislation that would strip some welfare benefits for families whose children don't meet school attendance requirements."

"A partnership between the nonprofit Monarch School Project and the San Diego County Office of Education, the unusual educational program serves students from kindergarten through high school who are affected by homelessness. San Diego is one of just four counties nationwide to be given permission from the federal government to run public schools specifically for homeless students."

"Across Illinois, the state counted some 1 million low-income students more than twice the federal numbers in calculating poverty payments to districts, a Tribune review of school finance data shows."

"After launching a successful San Diego pilot program last year to bring low-cost broadband service and computers into the homes of needy K-12 students, Cox Communications is expanding the effort to all the markets it serves in the state."

"After browsing the 30 or so projects on display in the White House's public rooms and the East Garden, Mr. Obama said he was committed to giving students the resources they need to pursue education in the disciplines, collectively known as STEM. Earlier, the White House announced efforts aimed at increasing participation in those fields, particularly among female and minority students, as well as those from low-income and military families."

"Berger's efforts are paying off. Reagan High is the best urban high school in the Houston area, according to the latest rankings by the nonprofit Children at Risk. The category is limited to campuses where at least 74 percent of students are from low-income families."