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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
Detroit Free Press, February 10, 2011: Students face food stamp cutoff
"In April, the state no longer will allow as many as 20,000 college students to qualify for food stamps just because they're in school, not because they're in need."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 10, 2011: Getting a free education
"Through the state CareerLink offices, the government will pay for appropriate education for certain residents if they need further training to find employment. This applies to dislocated workers and some low-income adults."
Vallejo Times Herald, February 10, 2011: Parent trigger empowers parents to improve
"As is true with so many California schools that serve a low-income population, McKinley continued to underperform year after year with little, if any, improvement in sight."
Spotlight Webcast: Education and Poverty, Part 2
Eric Cooper of NUA and Dan Domenech of AASA, explore the poverty issues impacting schools
Courier-Post, February 9, 2011: Most city schools fail to make the grade
"While there are bright spots here and there, Camden's standardized test scores are typically below the statewide average for districts in the lowest socioeconomic state ranking known as District Factor Group "A.""
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 8, 2011: Invest in pre-k for long-term gains
"Some may argue that more investment in Georgia pre-k should benefit only families who cannot afford quality child care on their own. But making enrollment income-based is counter-productive: most school failure occurs in children above the poverty line."
The New York Times, February 8, 2011: Replace the Principals? Who Would Step In?
"At Champion Middle School, in a neighborhood with a housing project plagued by drugs and poverty, mired in failure despite years of turnaround efforts, the district installed a principal who had once taught at Champion, Edward Baker."
The Washington Post, February 7, 2011: D.C. high schools face funding gap, study finds
"Cardozo, near 13th Street and Florida Avenue, is a neighborhood high school that takes all comers in an attendance area that includes about a dozen group homes and homeless shelters."
The Associated Press, February 7, 2011: W.Va. program gives students chance to learn
"'The first step out of poverty and public assistance is a good education. A lot of these kids never saw college in their future. Now, a number of them are looking to that possibility.'"
The Associated Press, February 4, 2011: RI education chief backs off new diploma system
"Gist's plan would have provided an honors diploma to students who score highly on standardized tests. The plan came under attack from advocates of low-income, minority and special-education students who often score poorly on standardized tests."
The Associated Press, February 4, 2011: House Republicans move to slash domestic programs
"Popular programs such as health research and federal aid to school districts appear likely to take a hit when lawmakers write the spending bill... Republicans promise not to cut the minimum $5,550 Pell Grant for low-income college students."
The State, February 3, 2011: (Editorial) Smarter ways to spend education dollars
"This is his best proposal, but we should go further. Decades of data and research have confirmed that test scores are far more linked to out-of-school factors, such as poverty, than in-school quality."
