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"With the default rate steadily rising among the nation's 36 million student loan borrowers, President Obama is seeking to ease the repayment process by streamlining enrollment in the income-based repayment program, which helps low-income borrowers by capping monthly payments at 15 percent of their discretionary income, and 10 percent in 2014."

"Ninety percent are paid hourly, with the current median hourly wage for full-time workers at just $9.25 -- barely sufficient to keep them out of poverty. 'It's striking how severe young people's problems are,' said Carl Van Horn, co-author of the study and the director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers. 'These are folks at the beginning of their work lives already feeling very pessimistic about themselves.'"

'A yearlong investigation into a federal pension program for low-income veterans has concluded that weak oversight and unclear rules have made the system ripe for abuse, including by financial planners and lawyers who help well-off retirees qualify for benefits by transferring or hiding assets."

"As a whole, the 20 districts with the highest percentages of students with 504s had enrollments that were 76 percent white; all had far less poverty than the state average of 45 percent of enrollment. The 20 districts with the lowest percentages of 504s were 19 percent white, and the vast majority had far higher poverty than the state average."

"The job market is still bleak for young people with only high school diplomas. Nearly half of high school graduates are still looking for full-time work, according to a new report by Rutgers University's John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development."

"Another federal review of New Hanover County Community Action Inc.'s Head Start program described more problems at the Wilmington nonprofit, including 'massive' staff turnover, the hiring of unqualified employees for top positions and a shortage of books and other supplies in classrooms."

"That same morning, a Fieldston parent, Adam Weinstein, who happens to be chief executive of the nonprofit organization that developed Honeywell, led a discussion about the evolution of public housing from tenements to towers. The students had also visited Lambert Houses, another low-income complex, and would set off for Via Verde, a new subsidized, sustainable development."

"Nathan's study shows charters have long catered to low-income, minority students. Half of charter school enrollment statewide is poor students of color; in the Twin Cities it is closer to two-thirds.Yet, in St. Paul, that trend appears to be changing."

"There are more students who don't speak English than there were a decade ago. The percentage of special-needs students is also higher, and the number of students living in poverty has grown. All those types of students are more expensive to educate."

"Homeless children are particularly at risk for dropping out of school - and of course this doesn't surprise anyone. The National Coalition for the Homeless reports that 75 percent of homeless youth drop out of school."

"'We've got some teaching and learning issues,' Spring said candidly after his first meeting with the district's principals. 'We've got some achievement gap and equity issues.' In layman's terms, he means the district's graduation rate of 60 percent is far too low and too few poor and minority students graduate."

"The financial pressure has made it more difficult for students like Saleh to attend private colleges. Grades and test scores are lower at underperforming schools, many of which are in urban, low-income areas like Oakland and Richmond, so 'merit-based' scholarships tend to help wealthier students from the suburbs afford expensive schools."