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"Schools rejoiced in November when Proposition 30 passed, putting a stop to massive budget cuts to public schools. But some districts, particularly in higher-income communities, are wondering whether they celebrated prematurely, now that Gov. Jerry Brown has unveiled a funding formula that would give the most money to schools serving the neediest children. Under the governor's plan, to be phased in through 2020, students who are English learners or who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches would bring districts 35 percent more in per-pupil funding than other students. Schools where low-income and non-English-speaking students represent more than half the population would get even more funding on top of the extra 35 percent."

"If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, why are so many public-school students needlessly going hungry? Only 35 percent of New Jersey's 471,714 children eligible for a free or reduced-price meal received breakfast at school last year. That's among the lowest participation rates in the country. New Jersey ranks 46th in the number of low-income students who get breakfast at school. Pennsylvania is 36th. Nationally, only about 50 percent of students in the reduced or free lunch program eat a school breakfast."

"City-funded after-school programs face the threat of funding cuts annually, creating insecurity among the low-income families they serve. In a new report , Campaign for Children, an after-school and child-care advocacy group, called on the city to invest long-term in these programs, after financial support was almost eliminated from 2012's city budget."

"School choice offers low-income and working families, especially black families, a ray of hope. When families have access to high-quality public charter schools, vouchers and tax credits, it levels the playing field. These options give low-income and working-class families, families that are trapped in decaying urban districts, the same opportunity that middle-class and affluent families have. The opportunity to choose what is best for their children."

"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."