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"According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis, the biggest cuts - $27.3 million statewide - would come from federal dollars meant for programs that support students at risk of not graduating high school. Rocho said those dollars fund initiatives like curriculum coaches who help teachers focus on struggling kids in an attempt to close the achievement gaps between white and minority students and between low-income and more affluent kids."

"Colleges in West Michigan could be out tens of thousands of dollars in financial aid next school year if across-the-board federal spending cuts -- known as the sequester -- take effect Friday, according to a new report."

"Berkeley-based Resources for Community Development, a nonprofit affordable housing developer, last month began construction on Berrellesa Palms, a 49-unit apartment building. Future tenants will be 62 and older with chronic health conditions such as kidney disease, arthritis or heart problems, and incomes of $22,500 or less."

"Sequestration could potentially strip $1.4 million in federal funds from the region's largest school district, Corpus Christi ISD. If the cuts go through, the district expects to see reductions in Title 1 grants, which are given to districts with high percentages of low-income students to help them meet academic standards, and in IDEA grants, which pay for services for special needs students."

"One senior, for instance, qualified for a state scholarship that provided full tuition at a two-year technical or community college. The student couldn't access the money, however, because he lived on his own and had no parent or guardian to sign for him. Bailey tried to register him as homeless' so he could sign his own forms. She discovered it took mountains of paperwork even to qualify as homeless--particularly since one of the boy's grandmothers had falsely claimed him as a dependent on recent tax forms."

"Teachers still issue school supply lists at the beginning of each year, but depending on how strictly districts interpret the law, many teachers must now label their lists recommended,' not required,' with no penalty for students who can't -- or won't -- buy their own. This isn't a problem in affluent districts, but in low-income areas, the number of students who don't bring materials, while still a minority, can be surprisingly high."

"An analysis by The Oklahoman shows a correlation between poverty and the state A-F school evaluation system. Schools with higher letter grades tend to have lower poverty rates, and vice versa. But Ryal is one of the school districts bucking the trend. Poverty is rampant, but it doesn't rule."

"The looming cuts, if they occur, are expected to hit hard in New Jersey's public schools and Head Start classrooms. David Sciarra, executive director of the Newark-based Education Law Center, said one analysis said special education could lose more than $18 million in New Jersey; Head Start programs could be cut by $7.6 million; and Title 1 funds -- which pay for basic skills programs for poor and struggling children -- could be cut by nearly $16 million."

"Too often, Daughtry said, legislative sessions bring many ideas that are bright shiny toys' -- educational initiatives that are exciting but lack funding or take money from bread-and-butter needs at the district level."

Amy Dworsky, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and Christopher Luecke, Added Chance

"Only weeks after New Hampshire launched its education tax credit program to create private school scholarships for low-income students, it's in danger. An initiative led a year ago by Republican lawmakers has come under attack in the Democratic-led House."

"The various ways in which poverty at home affects a child at school include physical and mental challenges. All can damage a child's overall well-being. The impact of poverty on a child depends on his or her home environment and attitude toward his situation, said Lynn Troutman, a counselor at James Buchanan High School, Tuscarora Area School District. Effects can include poor nutrition, dressing inappropriately for the weather, sleepiness, incomplete assignments and more issues that can cause a student to lack focus in the classroom or not comprehend material."