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"To be sure, Massachusetts school districts here have some important lessons to learn from other states, especially about bringing low-income and special needs students up to speed. But the problem is with the implementation ofstate standards, not the standards themselves."

"The annual report on student achievement... would also include where Massachusetts ranks among the 50 states on each measure when comparable data exists and shed light on how well the state's minority and low-income students are being educated..."

"That can result in disparities in how much schools spend per student. For example, in one school with 275 students and 91 percent poverty, the district spends $12,188 per pupil. In another school with 94 percent poverty and 504 students, it spends $9,899 per pupil."

"Medicare and Medicaid are the primary drivers of federal spending increases in coming decades. Both programs rely on the private health system to deliver care, so they are at its mercy just like businesses and families."

"The voucher program, which since 2004 has provided low-income D.C. students with as much as $7,500 in scholarships to attend private schools, has foundered in the Democratic-controlled Congress."

"Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender senior citizens face myriad social and financial problems, and lawmakers could help them by altering Social Security and Medicaid rules, according to a national report being released Wednesday."

"...[T]hose least well-served historically are low-income and underrepresented minority students, who are less likely than their peers to pursue two- and four-year degrees, and most at risk of not completing college if they do enroll."

"Using his 'more carrots, fewer sticks' approach, the president also proposes to restructure Title I funding for impoverished students so schools showing the most improvement -- perhaps the top 10% -- receive more money."

"Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) plans to offer an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that would continue federally funded vouchers for low-income students attending private schools in Washington."

"Low-income disabled people and senior citizens are entitled to a property tax credit on their state tax returns of up to $750 for renters and $1,100 for those who own their homes."

"It calls for cuts across government operations, furloughs of many employees and a budget for schools that is $137 million less than... requested... Montgomery's programs to help elderly and disabled residents in their homes and to reach out to the homeless would be scaled back."

"It has placed recess coaches in 170 schools in low-income areas of nine cities, including Boston, Washington and Los Angeles, and of Silicon Valley. Playworks schools are not the only ones with organized recess games."