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"Northeast Parent & Child Society will receive $1.1 million in federal funding to develop and expand its YouthBuild program, an alternative education option geared toward high school dropouts and low-income residents. The grant was one of 74 awarded to YouthBuild programs, with the Schenectady-based nonprofit receiving the highest available grant offered by the U.S. Department of Labor; a total $75.7 million in grants was awarded starting at $700,000."

"Investors with seven-figure nest eggs could soon have greater access to startup companies, more modest investors could get in on smaller deals and low-income seniors could be among the first beneficiaries of new partnerships between financiers and social services providers."

"High-performing D.C. public school teachers who work in high-poverty schools will be able to accelerate through the pay scale to reach top compensation levels more quickly under a "career ladder" announced Tuesday."

"Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corp. (Great Lakes) awards $1.8 million in grants to 14 programs that help Wisconsin college students from disadvantaged backgrounds complete their degree, diploma or certificate."

"Under a new assessment system, the state Education Department last week identified 16 Queens schools that were failing to help disadvantaged students make progress on state exams. The schools were among 221 singled out across the state where low-income students, English language learners, students with disabilities and those of certain ethnic and racial groups scored in the bottom 5 percent on math and English tests or with graduation rates below 60 percent for the past few years."

"The No Kid Hungry campaign will work with schools and communities to increase participation in school breakfast programs. Some parents are unaware of the programs, and some students are embarrassed to sign up for them. One way around that is Philadelphia's universal feeding program, which makes free meals available to all students, thus reducing paperwork and eliminating the stigma associated with poverty."

"Enter Philadelphia Futures, the nonprofit that helps promising low-income city students get into college and then succeed there. Traditionally, it has handpicked a select group of teens - currently, 176 high school students citywide - for intensive, long-term mentoring, academic enrichment, guidance, and funds for college-related expenses. But Futures wants to do more. This year, it's launched a one-year pilot program for 31 Northeast seniors."

"At least half of the preschool's children were low-income, and their families relied on state assistance to cover tuition. Preschool Director Helen Freeman said a state-imposed change has made it impossible for the center to continue operating, but state officials disagreed. The state made a change in April 2011 to its ABC Child Care Program, which pays for low-income children to attend child-care centers so their parents can work or further their education."

"Goodwill of San Antonio has received a $100,000 federal grant to boost its program that encourages low-income people to save for their education. The American Dream Individual Development Account program provides a $4 match for every $1 that a program participant saves for their education up to $4,000."

"The segregation of these schools is hurting all downtown students - both those who attend them and those who do not. All children can succeed. But students in high poverty schools encounter more obstacles than those with more diverse populations. Only half graduate on time. Many suffer the fates of dropouts - including time in prison. The costs of failing to educate low-income children are so high that it seems logical to focus on those students. But costs are incurred by others, too - including families that relocate or pursue other options because these schools are not educating students well."

"The three-credit class, taught by Salem State adjunct professor Julie Batten, began with eight Lifebridge residents, of whom four including Robinson completed the course. The four were awarded their credits in a ceremony in August. Salem State funded the estimated $20,000 cost of the program, which university officials believe may be the first credit program in the nation to be targeted specifically for homeless people. The university plans to explore with Lifebridge the possibility of offering more courses."

"Located on northern California's spectacular coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, this free camp for children from low-income families has served more than 7,000 kids from the inner cities of Oakland, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, and San Jose."