Latest Coverage
Find the latest stories, research, and insights on policies, programs, and ideas shaping the national conversation on poverty and economic mobility.
Subscribe to our newsletter for daily insights
Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity leads research and consulting initiatives that identify and address barriers to economic well-being.
Type
State
Issue
The New York Times, March 5, 2012: Budget Cuts May Threaten City Programs for Children
"Previous rounds of budget reductions have already eroded these programs, the advocates said. The number of children from low-income working families who attend city-subsidized child care has dropped by more than 9,000 since 2009, from 51,712 to 42,215. A"
Daily News, March 5, 2012: (Op-Ed) Principal of low-rated school sorry for gaffe
"The letter shifts into pure fiction, audaciously blaming the low ratings on the school's "huge financial cuts" and wrongly stating that richer schools were spared from the belt-tightening."
Tri-City Herald, March 4, 2012: Richland schools, organizations fight effects of poverty on students
"The boy is one of about 26 students from Richland's Marcus Whitman Elementary School receiving tutoring and breakfast twice a week at nearby West Side Church. As he munched on cereal and a granola bar, the second-grader said he didn't get much help on schoolwork from his parents."
Knoxville News-Sentinel, March 4, 2012: C-N students help build new homeless shelter
"About a dozen students showed up to work at the site of a new Samaritan House, which will quadruple the size of the existing homeless shelter run by Carson-Newman College's auxiliary ministry, Appalachian Outreach."
The Washington Post, March 4, 2012: What D.C.'s school funding commission accomplished
"The District has embarked on two major structural education reforms: creation of one of the largest public charter school sectors in the nation, and a mayoral takeover of D.C. Public Schools. Yet little attention has been paid to the financing needed to make these ambitious makeovers successful."
Investor's Business Daily, March 2, 2012: Gov't's Scourge Of Affordability
"Columbia University looked at federal aid data from 1996 to 2008 and found that, on average, colleges raised tuition $17 in response to every $100 of Pell Grant aid. Perversely, Pell Grant generosity spurs schools to raise prices to capture aid. The less affordable a school, the likelier a low-income applicant will qualify."
The New York Times, March 2, 2012: More Americans Rejecting Marriage In 50s and Beyond
"The elderly, who have traditionally relied on spouses for their care, will increasingly struggle to fend for themselves. And federal and local governments will have to shoulder much of the cost of their care. Unmarried baby boomers are five times more likely to live in poverty than their married counterparts, statistics show."
The Salt Lake Tribune, March 2, 2012: Bill would have Utah high school students pay for college credit
"Utah high school students and their families would have to pay for college-level credits, long offered for free, under a bill headed to the Senate floor.SB284 is needed because Utah colleges and universities can no longer afford to provide concurrent enrollment instruction for free, according to sponsor Sen. Stephen Urquhart, R-St. George. "
The Boston Globe, February 19, 2012: Residents voice outrage at MBTA plans; Poor, elderly would bear the brunt of route cuts
"Reduced fares currently offered to senior citizens could increase by at least 50 percent under the proposals. The cost of using The Ride, a door-to-door service for disabled people, also would increase under both proposals."
The News-Press, March 1, 2012: Lee school district, United Way help to build Bridges
"Tommila notified the Lee County School District of their new address. Through its program for homeless students, a social worker has helped provide clothes and shoes for the children in the past. The family moved from St. Petersburg in 2010. Tommila has been working full time at a dollar store but it wasn't enough to provide stability."
The Boston Globe, March 1, 2012: Income for elderly falls short, study finds; Massachusetts seniors face largest gap in US
"`We know that there are more low-income people who have worked outside the mainstream, either as nannies or cleaners or landscapers,' she said. `So there's a great need to help the lowest income elders to get the assistance they need.'"
The Asheville Citizen-Times, March 1, 2012: Eligibility for Pre-K program may tighten
"Rep. Rayne Brown, R-Davidson, who serves as co-chairwoman of the committee, and Rep. Tim Moffitt, R-Buncombe, who also serves on the committee, also could not be reached to comment on the recommendations.Right now, families can qualify for the NC Pre-K program if they make less than 75 percent of the state median income. For a family a four, that's less than $50,976. The state is considering changing that requirement to 100 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $22,350 for a family of four."
