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"Green Houses also have a lower vacancy rates than conventional nursing homes, and they accept patients on Medicare and Medicaid, making them an option for low-income elderly. On average, about 54 percent of Green House residents are on Medicaid, while the rest pay for the care privately."

"Illinois' latest standardized test results show that the achievement gap among elementary school students is narrowing, largely because of gains among black, special education and low-income students, the Illinois State Board of Education announced Monday."

"The Illinois state standardized test results released today show the gap in performance between different groups of students is narrowing at the elementary school level, particularly because of gains among African-American, special education and low-income students. "

"Given a student population that is 86 percent low-income and behind academically, it is shameful how long Chicago has carried on with a diminished schedule. Emanuel has gone after the longer-day prize in his signature, take-no-prisoners way."

"Two-thirds of schools failed to make increasingly difficult federal progress targets under the No Child Left Behind law. This year, to hit the target, 85 percent of a school's students - and subgroups such as special education or low-income students - had to pass their tests."

"What has changed in the past decade is there's a renewed public understanding that not graduating from high school has deeply negative consequences for the individual and the family, especially when it comes to escaping generational poverty and finding gainful employment with family-supporting wages,' Smith said."

"We teach and prepare thousands of young people to enter our state universities. We are given the opportunity to teach kids from low-income, single-parent families and to convince those that we teach that they are worthy of a college education!"

"'We like to think success is about merit, but it's also about access -- and we can change that, if we choose,' said Karen G. Foley, president of Chicago Scholars, the program that nurtures low-income college-goers, giving them the tools to achieve their dreams."

"Most of the students at Oyler in Lower Price Hill and at Riverview East in the East End come from low-income families struggling to pay bills. Many come from single-parent households in hard-scrabble neighborhoods. Most Oyler students are urban Appalachian."

""The district's probation data from last school year showed the absence of high-performing schools in neighborhoods with high poverty rates and large numbers of minority students. "

"`It's devastating,' said Shirley McCready, 76, a retiree from Springfield who cleaned restaurants for a living. `I only have one income - that's Social Security. If they start chipping away, what am I going to do? It's just one income, and it's low income, and they're going after us.'"

"Emma Jewel Charter Academy in Cocoa will focus on nutrition and health. It will enroll grades K-6 and eventually grow to K-8, and focus on serving the impoverished Diamond Square community. Viera Charter School will focus on math and science. It will enroll grades K-7 the first year and grow to grades K-8."