Latest Coverage

"The state's largest school district has added 515 students since this time last year, but the number of students from low-income families is growing even faster."

"For example, a voucher bill that came out of the Senate earlier this year, SB1, would start with low-income students in low-performing schools, but ultimately extend vouchers to all students, even those already in private schools. That obviously would cost far more than a more limited program."

"One-third of child-care centers in low-income communities contain unsafe play equipment, half lack space for active indoor play, and a fifth suffer from poor ventilation that can make children drowsy, according to an unusual survey of the physical conditions at places where many children spend most of their waking hours."

"For decades, states were free to set their own goals, but they failed to narrow achievement gaps between students of different races and income groups and failed to deliver on the promise of educational opportunity for all, he said. 'This feels like a betrayal of low-income kids, of kids of color,' said Amy Wilkins of the Education Trust, an advocacy group."

"Since 2010, the percentage of Georgians 65 or older living in poverty has actually fallen, while the median income has risen slightly. For working-age adults, the opposite is true."

"In Washington Heights, graduates of Stuyvesant High School and the Bronx High School of Science run the Science Schools Initiative, a yearlong free tutoring program held for three hours every Saturday morning. To qualify, students must show promise on a diagnostic exam and meet the city's benchmark for poverty."

"Angela Bell with the Higher Education Policy Commission says the state has a large number of low-income and first-generation students. She tells the Charleston Gazette ( http://bit.ly/rj1TpT) that many of these students are less likely to complete their degrees and then pay off their loans."

"'The poverty question was startling,' said Joseph Morris, a professor and director of the college's Center for Applied Politics, which conducted the poll, 'as was the fact that a strong majority of Pennsylvanians have had to make lifestyle changes because of the economy.'"

"But Quisenberry said most of those poor-performing schools are in high-poverty areas, which tend to have lower-performing students, research shows. What's important, he said, is that research has shown that the longer students are in a charter school, 'the more successful they are.'"

"It is not news that quality early childhood education is vital to the academic success of most children - especially those who live in poverty - but the issue is getting new attention from policymakers, corporate funders and others who recognize it as fundamental to real reform."

"'Our children in poverty continue to escalate ... in our area and in the nation,' she said. 'We have more children that are homeless than ever before.'"

"'The grant could make a big difference in Mississippi, where about 33 percent of children live in poverty, Grace said. That's a higher percentage than any other state. 'This is about children, and that's very clear in this proposal,' said Grace, director of early childhood development for Children's Defense Fund."