Latest Coverage

"The number of homeless students in the AISD has also increased. In the last five years, it has jumped from 617 homeless students in fall 2008 to 811 this year. Brokovich said the number of unaccompanied homeless students - those who do not have adult supervision - has also risen, with only 20 students claiming that status in 2010, but more than 130 homeless students this year. He said most of the homeless students generally attend the district's secondary schools."

"Neighborhood House is an innovative K-8 charter school whose student population represents the demographics and learning issues of high-needs schools nationally. The goal of the pilot is to channel the passion and energy of national service in a focused way and have a significant and measurable impact on student success in high poverty schools."

"It is no surprise that this disparity in senior and childhood poverty exists. We have made a national commitment to provide income and health security for seniors through Social Security and Medicare. For children, on the other hand, we have only a combined federal-state commitment to health insurance, but children have no social compact to protect them against the whims of the economy that lead to severe declines in their family incomes. And the one sure way of alleviating the effects of poverty funding education is left primarily to states and localities, and is continually under threat. In essence, we've built a social safety net for seniors, but left a gaping hole for our kids to fall through."

"But helping senior citizens who are on the streets or facing homelessness can be especially challenging, he said, because seniors are often on fixed incomes, have greater barriers to employment and may need intensive medical care or additional services, including caregiving help. While Hilarion Phillip, 65, can live independently, he says he struggled to get off the streets after becoming homeless two years ago, largely because he couldn't find a place he could afford."

"Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has earned national acclaim for innovative programs to break the link between poverty, race and academic failure."

"Republican House Speaker Joe Straus has pledged to give money back to public schools. That is one of the best investments any state can make, and goodness knows Texas, with its booming population - many younger than 18 and from low-income families - needs to make those investments. The state's high school graduation rates hit an all-time high in 2011, as nearly 86 percent of students graduated in four years, according to the Texas Education Agency. Research also shows that low-income third-graders who attended preschool passed the third-grade TAKS tests at higher rates than their peers who did not attend preschool."

"More and more schools across the state are moving toward offering breakfast in the classroom. Our research shows participation among low-income children soars when schools adopt breakfast in the classroom. And that's good news not just for ending hunger, but also for boosting education and health. Research shows that giving more children breakfast leads to higher math and reading scores, improved behavior, fewer visits to the school nurse, and a lower likelihood of being overweight."

"The Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates show eight of Lancaster County's 17 school districts with higher child poverty numbers in 2011 compared with the previous year, and eight with lower numbers. One district, Cocalico, stayed the same. At least the percentages seem to have stabilized. From 2009 to 2010, on the other hand, 16 of 17 districts saw an increase in child poverty rates."

"Iowa City Community School Board members soon will vote on a new diversity policy for the district. If approved, the document will set benchmarks to more evenly spread poverty around the district. Faced with geographic, economic and political challenges, though, how school leaders would obtain those goals isn't totally clear."

"The Over-the-Rhine charter school serves 261 students in grades K-8. The students are almost exclusively minority and low-income, from tough urban neighborhoods. Nearly 16 percent have disabilities. They all qualify for the free or reduced-price lunch program because of their poverty level."

"The Imagination Library mails age-appropriate books to impoverished homes for children up through age 5, in an effort to jumpstart their interest in reading and increase their literacy. From birth to 5 is when the brain is growing and absorbing the most,' Fisher said. If they start kindergarten and they're not prepared, they're already behind. A kindergarten teacher can tell when a child hasn't been exposed to books.'"

"Children born into poverty are twice as likely to be in special education, 30 percent more likely to never go to college and 70 percent more likely to be arrested for committing a violent crime. Many of those children will also be more likely to become a teen parent, drop out of school and never hold a job.