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"In a study published last year in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, researchers from Stanford, Harvard, the University of Toronto and the National Bureau of Economic Research looked at the college-enrollment decisions of 26,000 families in Ohio and North Carolina. The families all had incomes under $45,000. When some of those students and parents were asked to guess what annual tuition was at a local two-year public college ($3,099 at the time), they overestimated by an average of 300 percent."

"In a release Wednesday, the Illinois State Board of Education says the spike in low-income students and those with limited English has led to increased costs for school districts."

"A proposal to offer tax breaks for donating to a scholarship fund that would allow low-income Arkansas students to attend private schools failed before a state Senate panel Wednesday, after state education and finance officials raised concerns about the impact the move would have on the budget."

"Innovative math and science lessons have paid off with $175,000 Burroughs Wellcome grants for three area teachers ��� two in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and one in Gaston County. All three plan to use their grants to help students in high-poverty schools succeed in subjects that can lead to lucrative careers [...] The Burroughs Wellcome Fund ��� a private foundation headquartered in Research Triangle Park that promotes biomedical science ��� has decided it�s essential to start early. The fund launched its 'career awards' for North Carolina K-12 science and math teachers in 2009. 'We�re trying to change the culture of teaching in North Carolina,' fund official Carr Thompson said Monday."

"Academic challenges are often deep-seeded and begin in primary and secondary school, which when left unaddressed, often leads to remediation at the postsecondary level. There are several factors that contribute to low-income students entering college with poor math and reading skills."

"Roca, who also runs the Penn Program for Mindfulness at the University of Pennsylvania, was among four panelists who spoke about understanding stress in children who suffer trauma or live in poverty. They covered the effects on brain development and stimulation, and discussed the importance of nurturing infants, intervening at the preschool level, and teaching social skills."

"Washington's College Bound Scholarship Program appears to be helping more students finish high school, according to new data from the Education Research & Data Center. The center reports that more than 78 percent of low-income students enrolled in the scholarship program graduated on time in 2012."

"But as certificates grow in number and importance, many educators are calling attention to what they see as an overlooked problem in the nation's efforts to upgrade workers' skills and deal with soaring higher-education costs: Federal financial aid goes overwhelmingly to students in traditional degree programs, while little goes to the many students in noncredit certificate programs who may need it more."

"Social Security prevents many older Ohioans of color from falling deep into poverty. The importance of the program to minorities should not be overlooked during discussions on whether or how to reform the system, experts said. We know that savings and 401(k) balances are inadequate, and that is why Social Security matters, no matter if you are white, black or Latino,' said Kimberly Blanton, author of the Squared Away Blog at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. But it is even more important for low-income people, which often means minorities.'"

"A serious effort to provide low-cost or even free Internet access to city residents is hampered by a 2003 state law that sought to discourage cities from setting up their own broadband networks. The bill, which was pushed by the telecommunications industry, forbids municipalities from funding a broadband system with taxpayer dollars; only subscriber fees can be used."

"Changes that were never approved nor even debated by the legislature have skewed the poverty grant formula to create huge discrepancies in the value placed on children in poverty."

"Most low-income students who have top test scores and grades do not even apply to the nation's best colleges, according to a new analysis of every high school student who took the SAT in a recent year."