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"Halfway into the 2012-13 academic year, the number of homeless students being tracked countywide has fallen by more than 200 from the end of last year. The figures -- from 1,536 at the end of 2011-12 to 1,328 now -- come as some districts report more students without permanent homes while others reported fewer."

"Researchers know a lot about how various factors associated with income level affect a child's learning: parents' educational attainment; how parents read to, play with and respond to their children; the quality of early care and early education; access to consistent physical and mental health services and healthy food. Poor children's limited access to these fundamentals accounts for a good chunk of the achievement gap, which is why conceiving of it instead as an opportunity gap makes a lot more sense."

"Focusing on boosting the quality of the state's patchwork early learning programs and eliminating duplication and inefficiencies should be paired with a wider effort to expand children's access to care. We -- as a company and as parents, siblings, neighbors -- cannot emphasize enough the importance of investing in quality preschool, child care and programs that help parents, particularly those living at or near the poverty line, to become stronger caregivers."

"Washington kindergartners are physically coordinated enough for their first year of school, but their ability to count to 20 and clearly express themselves are lagging, according to a new assessment released by the state. Early-learning advocates suspected the state's kindergartners were entering school less than fully prepared, especially low-income and minority students. Now there's data to back up the theory."

"Proponents of school choice argue too many of the nation's children are zoned to failing public schools, effectively trapping them into a lifetime of poverty. Many see alternative schools, parental empowerment and vouchers as a way out for these students."

"The major contributor to high-poverty schools is ... poverty. As long as the poverty rate in Greensboro remains about 20 percent, thousands of children from low-income families will attend local schools. They will have to overcome disadvantages that don't weigh down their more fortunate peers."

"So Zimmerman Community Center, situated in a dense low-income housing area on Northwest 14th Avenue and Quimby Street, on Monday is starting an affordable after-school childcare service called After-School Activities Program or ASAP. For $10.50 a day, not only will kids ages 4 to 7 have a place to stay from 2:30 to 6 p.m., but they also will get art and theater lessons and other instruction."

"A number of education issues were on the agenda when Cerf appeared before the committee: The ongoing plan for new teacher evaluations; a proposal for an alternate certification pathway for teachers in charter schools; and discussion of school security measures, in the wake of the tragic school shootings in Newtown, Conn. But one of the first things Education Committee Chairwoman Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) asked about was the governor's Educational Adequacy Report, a proposal that would adjust the state's school funding formula to give less extra aid to districts with high numbers of low-income and limited-English-speaking students. Both the Senate and Assembly budget committees have adopted resolutions objecting to the report."

"Officials are working out the details now and looking for a way to lower costs before kindergarten registration begins in March, Superintendent Donn Mendoza said. Fees for low-income students are expected to be waived, possibly based on their eligibility for free or reduced-price lunches, he said."

"The Portland-based John T. Gorman Foundation is providing a $300,000 grant to the Machias-based Sunrise County Economic Council to fund the technology training program, formally known as the Washington County Education and Employment through Sustainable Broadband Adoption Project [��_] Free classes have covered basic computer skills, Microsoft programs and social media skills. They�ve been held at locations throughout the 2,568 square miles that make up Washington County, which is struggling with limited economic activity, 9.4 percent unemployment and the state�s highest poverty rate."

"Any city with levels of poverty like Washington (as many as 70 percent of students are low-income) is facing struggles that the suburban districts can never imagine. These are daily struggles for basic necessities, neglectful home situations, poor nutrition and the like. Yet is any city's socio-economic status a reason to give up on 4 out of every 10 students?"

"A 2012 study by the New York-based Community College Resource Center suggested programs in which high schools offer college-credit courses could be a step toward equity for students from low-income and minority backgrounds. Studying California students in particular, researchers reported that those taking the college-credit courses are more likely to graduate high school, enroll in four-year colleges and be successful once they get there."