Latest Coverage

'''People don't think of the North Shore with families living in poverty,' said Martha Arntson, executive director of network. But, Ms. Arntson said, pockets of struggling families exist even in affluent areas."

"We are not arguing that this reform should be expected to overcome the harm caused by insufficient school resources or the ravages of poverty. But we... believe that high-quality schooling opportunities, coupled with the effort of the student, can... affect student success."

"Pace Academy of Atlanta is using star power to raise money for a new grant that will give low-income and minority teens a free private school education."

"In 2008, the county received 4,644 applicants for the exemption. In 2009, the applicants numbered 5,198. So far this year, another 900 low-income senior citizens have applied, according to Property Appraiser Alvin Mazourek."

"Why is this voucher program not needed? Because we have free public schools. Are low-income children discriminated against in our schools? No. Certainly not on the basis of low income. Then how did such a program with no sensible rationale get started?"

"Founded by ISU students in 2006, UNITE steers graduates of the Bloomington-Normal university's College of Education to careers at 'high needs' CPS schools with low-income student populations, said Lucille Eckrich,... UNITE's faculty adviser."

"An Orthodox rabbi, Dr. Lander was also an academic sociologist who specialized in the study of poverty and juvenile delinquency. His writings include 'Towards an Understanding of Juvenile Delinquency,' published in 1954."

"Florida is all about school choice. We have 389 charter schools and a state-run virtual school. We have private-school scholarships for low-income students and private-school scholarships for students with disabilities."

"Public schools struggle to deal with the multifaceted pathologies in low-income areas, true. The magic ingredient you perceive in private schools is an engaged, motivated parent community and students who know that they have to study hard and behave or risk getting kicked out."

"Battered by deep cuts last year, groups that offer services to the disabled, the elderly, and children are wincing at what they see in Gov. Rendell's latest proposed budget."

"In impoverished neighborhoods where schools are bad, parents, voters, residents and community leaders don't make them better. Teachers do. I know of very few instances in which community leaders... brought people together to fix the schools and succeeded in doing so..."

"Families that bring in $30,000 or less will get a decrease of more than 5 percent, and the lowest-income families that pay tuition will get a decrease of more than 20 percent."