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Find the latest stories, research, and insights on policies, programs, and ideas shaping the national conversation on poverty and economic mobility.
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Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity leads research and consulting initiatives that identify and address barriers to economic well-being.
Type
State
Issue
The Oregonian, February 19, 2011: Molalla High students help homeless peers in school district
"Every school in the district has students who are homeless --the district total is more than 150 youth, about 6 percent of the district's 2,600 students."
The Asheville Citizen-Times, February 18, 2011: Asheville educators search for ways to close achievement gap
"Another issue is summer loss, when low-income children with few opportunities for summer learning fall behind. 'When children are with us, we can make a difference with them,' said Cynthia Sellinger, Vance Elementary School principal. 'But we need them with us.'""
The Associated Press, February 17, 2011: Mich. gov.'s budget doesn't spare schools, seniors
"His proposal adds $1.7 billion to revenues by eliminating tax breaks for seniors and low-income workers and getting rid of many other income tax deductions... Personal deductions would be phased out for individuals making at least $75,000 or couples making at least $150,000."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 16, 2011: (Op-Ed) Give Pittsburgh students more options; Let them seek higher-performing schools
"Senate Bill 1 would give low-income and working families the chance to send their kids to a higher-performing public, public charter or private school. It's an opportunity these students desperately need and deserve."
The Huffington Post, February 16, 2011: Child Poverty and America's Middle Class Dilemma
"Anyone who has studied poverty knows that it is a complex issue with a plethora of causes and effects at play. Unfortunately, the impact of poverty is often most pronounced in the lives of our nation's youth."
Chicago Tribune, February 15, 2011: Free rides for seniors to end
"...[I]ncome limits are necessary for transit agencies to combat shrinking revenues while still providing free service to the neediest. Of the 435,000 seniors currently enrolled in the free-rides program, about 44 percent are estimated to be low-income..."
Spotlight Webcast: Poverty's Impact on Older Americans
Interview with AARP Foundation President, Jo Ann Jenkins
Los Angeles Times, February 15, 2011: Colorado's test on school vouchers
"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."
Des Moines Register, February 15, 2011: Governor's preschool plan requires all to pay
"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 Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2011: At Labor, Budget Would Spend on Oversight, Cut Job Training
"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."
Las Vegas Sun, February 14, 2011: Means to help disadvantaged students succeed
"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."
Los Angeles Times, February 14, 2011: (Op-Ed) Saving Social Security
"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%."
