Latest Coverage

"Though a formal plan isn't due to reach the board until at least next month, national education experts are watching Douglas closely, because vouchers have previously been used to help low-income families escape failing schools."

"The governor's plan would set aside up to $3,000 per student in state money for vouchers that would follow 4-year-old children to the public or private preschools of their family's choice... Families would pay fees on a sliding scale based on federal poverty guidelines..."

"The Senior Community Service Employment Program provides on-the-job training at nonprofit or government agencies for low-income Americans 55 and older who want to enter or return to the labor force."

"But money for schools can seldom overcome long-term poverty and an impoverished culture that leaves children unready to succeed in life. There is solid evidence that children are a product of their parents' prosperity and culture."

"Before Social Security was established 75 years ago, more than half of our elderly population lived in poverty. Because of Social Security, the poverty figure for seniors today is less than 10%."

"There is no more pressing topic in education today than closing the achievement gap, and there is no one in America who knows more about the gap than Ronald Ferguson."

"Concerned about the possible expiration of a federal loan program for low-income students, Joseph E. Aoun, Northeastern University president, is leading a coalition of university presidents urging President Obama's administration to protect the low-interest loans."

"Although the program has long been a staple in urban and rural districts, some of the largest spikes in recent years can be seen in suburban schools surrounding Columbus, not often seen as the front lines of poverty."

"North Carolina schools need to reduce high rates of suspensions and address racial disparities that see black students getting punished more frequently than others, according to advocates, researchers and state officials."

"Dr. Gerald N. Tirozzi... pulled out schools with fewer than 10 percent of the students living in poverty, measured in the United States by students receiving free or reduced lunch, and compared them to countries with the same poverty rate."

"The lack of diversity among students in the specialized high schools has been a troubling issue for city officials for years - with theories about the causes ranging from bias in the entrance exam to lack of outreach to students in low-income neighborhoods."

"In the second year, low-income students living within the attendance boundary of a failing school would be eligible. All lowincome students would be eligible in the third year. Based on federal poverty guidelines, a family of four earning about $28,600 a year would qualify for the program."