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"Not surprisingly, this justification is heavily promoted by conservative think tanks and philanthropies. Yet what's overlooked is the larger issue of equity, in the form of the direct connection between poverty and performance."

"Social Security benefits make up half or more of the income for 52 percent of Floridians age 65 and older, according to an AARP compilation of census data for December 2009. In 2008, Social Security benefits pulled 35.5 percent of Florida's senior citizens above the poverty line."

"Kojo Nantambu, president of the local branch of the [NAACP], was charged with disorderly conduct Tuesday at a forum that drew an estimated 600 people, many of them angry about plans to close westside schools serving minority and low-income children."

"Low-income students in Montgomery County performed better when they attended affluent elementary schools instead of ones with higher concentrations of poverty, according to a new study that suggests economic integration is a powerful but neglected school-reform tool."

"Construction is expected to start this spring on an assisted-living housing center for low-income senior citizens, courtesy of an $8.4 million federal grant."

"Yet South Dakota has one of the fairest formulas for delivering money, the report said. Only four states do a better job of sending extra money to high-poverty areas."

"'What jumped out at me was the importance of teachers,' Burnam said. 'At our school 70 percent of our staff is Teach for America. But with a lot of work and coaching and support, we've been able to create a setting where teachers are motivated to get better."

"One of the most dramatic changes is the proposed shift from middle schools to pre-K-8 schools in some low-income neighborhoods. Superintendent Peter Gorman... say the new structure will prevent the academic slump many students suffer when they move up to middle schools."

"Portland Community College operates a job-skills program for low-income parents on cash assistance in part of the space rented by the county, and the county allows neighborhood groups to use conference rooms for free."

"The Dexter Regional High School Key Club will again co-sponsor the event with the student council, Seeds of Peace and the football team. The event is designed to raise funds for homeless agencies and awareness of homelessness. About $12,000 has been raised..."

"New Jersey distributes a greater share of its education funding to school districts with low-income students enrolled, an effort for which the state received high marks on a national analysis of school funding systems released Tuesday by the Education Law Center."

"There is a host of challenges society has to face head-on that complicate the ability for a community to improve its school system... This fight includes unstable families, poverty, unwed teens having babies, powerful gangs, crime, parental incarceration and abuse..."