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"Three months away from school, especially for low-income children, contributes to what educators call an 'achievement gap' that puts those disadvantaged children behind their peers by the end of the summer vacation. The gap begins before children enter kindergarten and continues to widen year by year."

"The U.S. Department of Education said three Tuscaloosa city schools will each receive federal grants totaling more than $1 million. According to the Tuscaloosa News, the 'school improvement' grant is meant to aid schools that are considered as persistently low-achieving, high in poverty and high in academic need."

"The sites were chosen because the neighborhoods have a high number of students who qualify for free- and reduced-price school meals, and Antell said that children from low-income families are less likely to have books at home."

"Low-income students tend to suffer more summer learning loss, according to sociologists from Johns Hopkins University who tracked 800 Baltimore students over 20 years. The better-off kids retained more over the summer break. Their minds were stimulated by trips to the library, to museums and concerts, and out-of-town vacations. They participated in organized sports and lessons."

"A school must have at least 60 percent of its students below the poverty rate, defined as eligible for free school lunches, to qualify for Title 1 money; P.S. 9's rate dropped to 59.1 percent."

"Ohio Medicaid costs $18 billion a year in state and federal funds and covers 2.1 million disabled and low-income Ohioans. The Kasich administration reported Tuesday that lower caseloads and other changes led to $535 million less in Medicaid spending last year than anticipated, helping bolster the state coffers."

"The program provides free meals to all students in schools in which 40 percent or more of the students receive food stamps or some other form of public aid. All three schools in Newport easily exceed that percentage. As a district, 86 percent are living at or below the federal poverty level."

"That percentage of black students who used a district-approved waiver is not only high, it is disproportionate even when compared with other demographic groups educators identify as at-risk. For example, one in seven Indiana students who receive free and reduced-price school meals -- a standard measure of poverty -- received waivers. For Hispanic students, it also was one in seven."

"Millions of poor people could still be left without medical insurance under the national health care law if states take an option granted by the Supreme Court and decide not to expand their Medicaid programs, state officials and health policy experts said Friday."

"Gov. Christie signed a $31.7 billion budget bill Friday for the coming fiscal year, but not before he cut $361 million in Democratic-backed initiatives, including measures that would have provided more money for legal services to the poor, aid for low-income students aiming for college, and a tax credit for low-wage earners."

"Three days after the Springfield school board split over whether to absorb or shore up a deep cut in federal Title I funding for low-income students, the point may be moot. On Friday, state education officials announced that Missouri received a 'flexibility waiver' from the No Child Left Behind law. Among other things, it frees up how Title I funding can be spent."

"They represent three different cities, Cleveland, St. Louis and Atlanta. All three are recent high school graduates, have been homeless and now each are heading to three different prestigious colleges."