Texas

"There are 76 homeless students enrolled at the school, more than most other high schools in Dallas ISD. Mark Pierce, homeless liaison for Dallas ISD, wanted these kids to have everything they needed before the break - food, coats, bus passes - whatever it took so that they could come back after vacation."

"Many students saw their college savings dwindle during the recent recession, McGuinness said, because as parents lost their jobs, they dipped into college accounts to make house payments or pay bills. Some students teeter on the edge of poverty from semester to semester, McGuinness said. McGuinness has an open-door policy for students needing help. Sometimes, aid is as simple as finding a low-cost or housing payment plan tailored to the student's needs. Sometimes, officials are able to find students work."

"If the Texas Legislature is in session, there must be a fight about Medicaid going on. The health care program for the disabled, the elderly poor and the impoverished raises hackles every two years, mostly because the number in need keeps rising alongside health care costs."

"After all, with an education from HISD's best public schools and the polish from a Texas university, these middle-class kids will meet, learn from and influence non-Texans throughout their business and private lives. It's the brilliant, low-income students who are the great loss. If they aren't exposed to global ideas and opportunities through college, they may never encounter them at all."

"An early childhood education expert testified Tuesday that Texas is not doing a good job preparing low-income youngsters for school. High-quality pre-K programs help close the achievement gap and put low-income students in the game. You give them a shot,' W. Steven Barnett testified in the school funding lawsuit against Texas."

"The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge is bringing interest and attention to West Dallas. Investors and developers have been buying land, betting on opportunity and beginning to change the look of an aging industrial area only minutes from downtown. For those who live there, the challenges continue - education, persistent poverty and limited opportunities. Many parents work low-wage jobs. As happens elsewhere, they often don't participate in their children's education. Of the students who graduate from the only high school in West Dallas, Pinkston, few are prepared for college."