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"Gov. Jerry Brown is pushing hard to overhaul California's convoluted school funding system. His plan has two major objectives: Give K-12 districts greater control over how they spend money, and send more dollars to impoverished students and English learners."

"Schools across Illinois have experienced a double whammy in recent years. As the number of homeless students continues to rise -- 22 percent during the past two years -- state and federal funding for homeless education has fallen 64 percent since peaking in 2009. With government support flat-lining, experts worry that cash-strapped schools won't have enough resources to meet the demands of the growing population."

"Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Senate Education Chairman Dan Patrick of Houston are proposing that Texas businesses be allowed to claim a franchise tax credit of up to 25 percent and direct it to nonprofit groups that would fund private school scholarships for low-income children."

"It is estimated that nationally, 61 percent of children from low-income families have no books at all in the home. Research from the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics shows that 64 percent of families whose incomes are at or above the poverty level read to their preschoolers on a daily basis compared to only 48 percent of families below the poverty level. This lack of daily engagement can have devastating results."

"There are 76 homeless students enrolled at the school, more than most other high schools in Dallas ISD. Mark Pierce, homeless liaison for Dallas ISD, wanted these kids to have everything they needed before the break - food, coats, bus passes - whatever it took so that they could come back after vacation."

"These students have spent the past several weeks learning about poverty, homelessness and hunger affecting people in Southeastern North Carolina. Now, by packing bag lunches to send to homeless shelters across the area, they're getting a chance to help."

"While both groups improved their odds of finishing college, the affluent improved much more, widening their sizable lead. Likely reasons include soaring incomes at the top and changes in family structure, which have left fewer low-income students with the support of two-parent homes. Neighborhoods have grown more segregated by class, leaving lower-income students increasingly concentrated in lower-quality schools."

"The grants signal implementation of the foundation's new 10-year strategic vision, which focuses on closing the achievement gap for low-income children, protecting the region's water quality, and making its creative community more vibrant."

"Half of the elementary schools in Naperville Unit District 203 may offer all-day kindergarten next year, under a proposal that won initial support from most school board members Monday. District officials say they would like to implement the program at its seven Title 1 schools, which are those that receive federal funds to assist low-income students."

"Smart Riverside, a nonprofit group that provides computers and training to low-income families, was to deliver the computer processor towers to the parents' homes later in the day, said Kathy Pitchford, staff development specialist with the Riverside Unified School District."

"His major focus, the governor said, is grappling with controlling higher education costs while dealing with huge expected increases in TennCare, the state's Medicaid health care program for low-income children, pregnant women and disabled Tennesseans.'"

"Nearly $500,000 in grants will go to local learning programs aimed to keep Birmingham-area students from experiencing the summer slide' which research shows happens to children when their minds are idle for three months in the summertime. Summer learning loss contributes to the achievement gap between low-income students and their higher-income peers, research shows."