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Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity leads research and consulting initiatives that identify and address barriers to economic well-being.
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Orlando Sentinel, June 12, 2012: Study: Poverty, racial divide soaring among Florida's kids
"The number of Florida's children living in poverty swelled 35 percent from 2006 to 2010 -- an increase that especially hurt black and Hispanic youth -- a new report shows. Using the most recent statistics available, the report found that nearly one in every four Florida children, or about 924,000 collectively, now lives below the federal poverty line."
Lowell Sun, June 11, 2012: Plan gives state control of costly program for busing of homeless students
"Massachusetts school districts may soon be spared the expense of busing thousands of homeless students to class. But a plan for the state to take over the $11.3 million bill means state taxpayers -- rather than individual communities -- would pay the rising costs of the federally mandated program."
The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 11, 2012: Lack of computer access a major hurdle for the poor
"For low-income Americans, it's akin to being stuck yelling out a window to communicate while everyone else is using the phone. Overall, 90 percent of Americans making between $50,000 and $74,999 are online, according to a study released by the Pew Research Center in April. For those making more than $75,000 annually, it's 97 percent."
The Washington Times, June 11, 2012: Planned Parenthood gains entry to schools
"Last week, news spread of a unique partnership between Planned Parenthood and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Planned Parenthood now runs a "health clinic" on the grounds of Roosevelt High School, serving mostly teens from low-income, Latino families."
The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 11, 2012: Cherry Hill looks to phase out rent control
"Cherry Hill is preparing to scale back rent control, prompting fears among senior citizens that they soon could be priced out of their apartments and forced to move to less expensive suburbs."
Dayton Daily News, June 10, 2012: 'Summer slide' worse for poor kids; Gap between kids of varying affluence widens over time.Students urged to read over the summer.
"American students in grades one through nine reportedly lose one month of learning, on average, during a typical three-month summer break - which is often referred to as the "summer slide" - and research shows this loss is most pronounced in kids from low-income homes."
Daily Town Talk, June 10, 2012: Alexandria families turn out to learn about school vouchers
"Sampson was part of a group of people who attended an informational meeting Monday about the state's Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence program at the Wilborn-Dempsey Multipurpose Resource Center in Alexandria. It was one of a series of meetings hosted by the Black Alliance for Educational Options to educate parents in low-income families about the program."
The Boston Globe, June 10, 2012: Ahead of the curve
"To maintain their numbers, schools will have to recruit high-schoolers who might not otherwise attend college - and that will mean, among other things, reaching out to minority and low-income groups."
Chicago Tribune, June 10, 2012: Transportation executives help put students on job track
"Pritzker said he also is interested in helping grow the Denver-based Nurse-Family Partnership, in which a nurse periodically visits low-income, first-time moms at their homes. He also cited the Fussy Baby Network, run by Chicago's Erikson Institute, which operates a hotline for parents whose infants are excessively crying."
The Charleston Gazette, June 9, 2012: Students face hunger during summer break
"Of the 388,338 children who live in West Virginia, 40,872 live in extreme poverty, and 128,000 are part of the supplemental nutrition assistance program, according to data released in January from the Children's Defense Fund."
Chicago Tribune, June 8, 2012: Students, parents seek removal of bars from Evanston middle school
"The bars have been a part of Chute Middle School since its construction in 1966 and are intended to protect students from the outside world, according to officials. But some students and parents say the bars have affected the way the outside world views the school, which is located in a south Evanston neighborhood that has a larger percentage of low-income and minority students than areas served by the city's other two middle schools."
Fresno Bee, June 8, 2012: Fresno County after-school programs in jeopardy
"The California Department of Education denied grant applications from about 60% of Fresno County high schools wanting to continue or expand after-school programs. No school in Central Unified, Sanger Unified or Clovis Unified got new funding for the 21st Century programs, a federally funded program for high-poverty, low-performing schools."
