Latest Coverage

"In the U.S., we should be measuring the value being added by colleges. Currently, college rankings are focused on inputsthe scores and quality of students entering collegeand on judgments and prejudices about a school's "reputation." Students would be better served by measures of which colleges were best preparing their graduates for the job market. They then could know where they would get the most for their tuition money."

"This is not an attack on teachers. I am criticizing policymakers who continue to demand increased teacher education and licensure requirements centered on disciplinary mastery. A foundational element of teacher education must be improving pre-service teachers' critical thinking skills so teachers have the ability to understand society and the institutions in which they teach in order to better serve our low income and racial/ethnic minority students."

"[T]he system would direct additional resources to the schools and students that need them most. Under the proposal, all school districts and charter schools would receive a base grant for each student they enroll. School districts and charters with students who face greater challenges -- children in foster care, students living in poverty and students still learning English -- would receive additional funds to support these students."

"Research suggests that preschool only benefits children from these disadvantaged families (in particular, families that are below the poverty line, whose mothers are uneducated or who are racial minorities). This could be because preschool acts as a kind of equalizer,' ensuring that for at least a few hours a day, these kids get the same high-quality interaction with adults as more advantaged children do, which helps to even the developmental playing field."

"The committees also were asked to balance the number of low-income and affluent kids among the schools. How did that turn out for the North Phase? Somewhere between a vague attempt and none at all. Under the proposals, upscale Heathrow and Wilson elementary schools would continue to have a fraction of low-income students compared with high-poverty schools such as Wicklow or Winter Springs elementaries."

"More than 70 percent of district students are from low-income families. Often, poor students drop out because they have to work to help their family or because they become discouraged. The district wants to improve achievement and graduation rates, which are 74.1 percent among the 10,775 students."

"Regardless of which way the causal arrow runs, poverty and education are intertwined across the range of societal distress. Several experts said the state's pullback in funding education over the past two decades has narrowed the path for escaping poverty. Between 1992 and 2010, according to Census data, Colorado plunged from 24th to 40th on overall state spending per student for K-12 education."

"Districts face many challenges in addition to the rising numbers of homeless students, including more low-income students, more students who speak other languages, and rising federal achievement standards. Meanwhile, the state has dramatically cut base funding per pupil in recent years. The Kansas Center for Economic Growth, a new think tank, reported that Kansas has cut more funding per pupil since 2008 than all but seven states."

"The committee wrestled with balancing enrollments while also considering demographic makeup of the schools. But committee members balked at equalizing the percentage of students from low-income families at each school, saying too many students would have to be shifted to equalize the extremes of 77 percent poverty at Spring Lake versus 21 percent at Sabal Point. All of the recommended plans maintain that divide and even increased the percentage of low-income students at Spring Lake."

"New Mexico ranked No. 1 for feeding low-income children breakfast at school, according to a new report. It is the first time the rankings have come out since the state's Breakfast After the Bell' law took effect, which requires high poverty elementary schools to serve breakfast in the first minutes of class."

"The school is taking steps to address that problem. The gymnasium at Bucyrus Secondary School was bustling with activity Monday as teachers and other professionals in the community learned what it is like for a child to live in poverty. Because of an anonymous donation from a Bucyrus community member, district Superintendent Kevin Kimmel set up The Community Action Poverty Simulation training for middle- and high-school teachers and other professionals in the community."

"Local governments now can offer an additional homestead exemption to qualified low-income seniors age 65 and older who have, for at least 25 years, owned their permanent residence that is now worth less than $250,000. In order to take effect in 2013, local governments had to approve the exemption by last Friday. But in a 4-1 vote, Dunedin city commissioners rejected the exemption for now, saying they want to gather more information during summer budget talks on how the tax break would impact city revenues."