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"The Equity and Excellence Commission said, While some young Americans -- most of them white and affluent -- are getting a truly world-class education, those who attend schools in high-poverty neighborhoods are getting an education that more closely approximates schools in developing nations.'"

"Public schools in San Francisco and Oakland are among those projected to get a larger-than-average bump in funding under Gov. Jerry Brown's new proposal to distribute a larger share of money to districts with higher percentages of low-income students and English learners."

"Nearly 21 percent of Solano County's homeless people are 55 years or older, and not only are they coping with loss of housing, but also dealing with the health and social complexities of getting older, service providers said. Concerned that the issue of homeless seniors will only worsen in the years ahead, social service providers are holding a forum Tuesday in Fairfield to try to find solutions."

"U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who discussed the recommendations in a conference call with reporters, said in far too many communities there is unequal distribution of resources. While money isn't going to be the sole answer, she said, the federal government has a responsibility to ensure that low-income communities have the resources they need to compete on a level playing field."

"In the District, officials created a program about three years ago, leveraging federal Head Start funding to offer seats to 3- and 4-year-olds in public schools with many children from low-income families. The program has a research-based curriculum, improved professional development and ongoing assessments of the children, according to Danielle Ewen, director of the office of early childhood education for D.C. public schools."

"With the homeless student population in the Collinsville school district steadily increasing, the task of educating children who are classified as homeless has become costly."

"However, the so-called achievement gap -- the gap between white and middle-class students compared to low-income and minority students -- widened slightly as the former groups had bigger gains than the latter."

"To ensure that more American children receive that opportunity, I have introduced the Educational Opportunities Act, to create a new federal tax credit for individuals and corporations to help families pay for expanded educational opportunities. The Educational Opportunities Act will empower parents by allowing their children in grades K-12 to receive a scholarship to be used toward private school tuition and related expenses."

"Illinois has just over 800 students in its eight state youth prisons. The average young inmate enters scoring between the fifth- and sixth-grade level in reading, and Gaffey said school records and the teens' own stories suggest that elementary-grade truancy is increasing across the state amid rising rates of child poverty and homelessness."

"Community Research Partners found that the state's policy making students at two-year schools ineligible for the Ohio College Opportunity Grant has resulted in college being less accessible to low-income and nontraditional students."

"More than 40 percent of U.S. children attend high-poverty schools and 22 percent of children are living below the poverty line, the government said. Public schools in poor communities have fewer resources, less-experienced teachers and worse facilities than schools in more-affluent communities - an imbalance that must be corrected by state and federal action, the commission said."

"The report said states should adopt finance systems that divided funds equitably, which doesn't mean evenly, the commission said, because some students need more support. It called upon the federal government to use incentives to push states in this direction, and for more money for schools with large numbers of low-income students."