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"According to the latest data provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count program, the percent of young people in Des Moines under age 18 who are living in poverty has reached 27 percent. The percent statewide has also grown over the past five years. This means that at least one out of every three students we serve in Des Moines schools is living in poverty. As the adults who spend a majority of our time with these children, it is incumbent upon us to take a stand for these young people."

"First pitfall: impact of poverty. The successful schools Carroll highlights do serve minority and low-income students, but not at a comparable rate to MSLA. Our student population is almost entirely Hispanic, and a super-majority are second language learners. Nearly all of our students are on free or reduced lunch."

"All told, 213 schools are now labeled underperforming in some way, compared to more than 1,000 under No Child Left Behind. All are schools that receive federal Title I money to address higher levels of poverty. Those schools have to submit turnaround plans to the state, but unlike previous years, they no longer have to provide tutoring or transfers or face stricter penalties."

"Though most of its students are poor and many speak English as their second language, Alice Ott Middle School will open Tuesday as one of the most successful schools in Oregon. In four years, the school in east county's David Douglas School District has increased the share of its students meeting or exceeding state standards from half to 80 percent. Its improvement has been so dramatic that the state last month designated it the sole high-poverty middle school in the state worthy of being called a model school.'"

"So a group of private philanthropists stepped in and offered to cover a portion of private school tuition for eligible students for three years. The students were low-income and, for the most part, low performing, and either were entering first grade or already in grades 1-4. They were placed in a random lottery. In the end, 1,363 students were offered scholarships and 1,279 were assigned to the control group, where their progress was monitored."

"Cities like Detroit, as well as disadvantaged neighborhoods in many cities, need greater public investments: in education, jobs and infrastructure. Poor children and young adults won't have an equal opportunity to succeed if their public schools don't teach them the skills they need for 21st century jobs. And employers are not locating new factories and offices in areas where the labor force is not well educated."

"The Arizona Department of Education recently announced 123 reward schools' in the state, including Barbara B.Robey Elementary in Litchfield Park, Corte Sierra Elementary in Avondale and Wigwam Creek Middle School in Litchfield Park. The reward designations are part of a state program that recognizes achievement in TitleI schools, said Molly Edwards, an Arizona Department of Education spokeswoman. Title I schools have large numbers of poor students and often those students have lower scores on standardized tests. By definition, more than 40percent of students at those schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunch."

"Through a program to boost Michigan's college graduation rate, Comstock High School is getting a full-time adviser to help students navigate the college admissions and financial aid process. Laura Essig is part of the National College Advising Corps, a program in which recent college graduates are hired, trained and placed as full-time college advisers in high-poverty high schools."

"Children who are considered homeless often have physical, social and academic problems, and in time the truth comes out. What is unfortunate is that they could have been helped early on if only school officials had been aware of the circumstances. There is help for many families in these situations, if they ask. Getting children connected to services that can help them is imperative, and school officials could use some help."

"The state announced yesterday the five health plans that have been selected to serve as many as 115,000 low-income seniors in Ohio enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare."

"The two connected through Idealistic Mentors,' a pilot program of College Possible, which Daynom began as a junior. College Possible, a St. Paul-based nonprofit that also operates in Milwaukee and Omaha, tries to make college a reality for low-income students through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support,' its website states. The organization rolled out the mentorship program to 100 seniors at Columbia Heights, Coon Rapids and Highland Park high schools last year."

"Work on the long-planned Franklin Field senior housing complex, which will add low-income housing for senior citizens in the Waveland Park neighborhood, is expected to begin by fall."