Latest Coverage

"As things stand, the state does not fund pre-kindergarten for Louisiana children the way it does primary and secondary school. Parents above a certain income level generally have to pay for it on their own and a variety of different programs offer subsidies for providers that cater to low-income students, including the federal government's Head Start program and the state's LA4 Early Childhood Program. In all, the Department of Education estimates that 42,000 4-year-olds from low-income families are enrolled in one of these programs in Louisiana, out of a total of about 44,000."

"This simple concept has been working wonders for years: Pave the road to success for low-income and at-risk youth by promising to pay for college. Ensure that commitment with a student's pledge to keep up good grades, obey the law and join a mentoring program. Take Stock in Children does exactly as its name implies, investing in the next generation of American citizens."

"Start Making a Reader Today, or SMART, has given away 2 million books to at-risk children in the past two decades. The nonprofit seeks volunteers to read one-on-one with children around the state."

"The district is listed as having 100 percent poverty, since the state uses free or reduced lunch eligibility as its measure. Gordon said that not every Cleveland student is poor, but the district and federal government stop measuring once they hit the point where the entire district qualifies. Even at the 85 percent qualifying rate, Cleveland has poverty rates far above the 53 percent countywide, 43 percent statewide and even above the 82 percent in Columbus and 70 percent in Cincinnati."

"But today is the official ribbon-cutting and open house at the renamed Edge Water Apartments the renovated affordable housing building for low-income seniors at 626 I St. The project marks the last of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency's share of state redevelopment funds."

"The new accountability standards are hitting low-income students the hardest. Only 40 percent of them have passed all of the ninth-grade tests, which are required for high school graduation. The number of low-income students increases each year and now makes up more than 60 percent of Texas' 5 million K-12 public school enrollment."

"Homelessness among Minneapolis students stunts their growth in math and can leave them behind their peers in math and reading for years, according to a long-term study released Tuesday by the University of Minnesota."

"It's a sea change at DPS and for these schools, where less than half the students graduate and 40 percent or fewer attend postsecondary institutions. This fall, DPS launched its Detroit Rising College Prep Schools to put students in high-poverty areas on the path to college at the same rate as suburban schools."

"Gov. Jerry Brown has been seeking implementation of a weighted student formula' that would give more school money to districts with high levels of poverty and other educational impediments and low levels of achievement. But the proposal has been a hard sell in the Legislature, because districts that would lose money under the redistribution plan are opposed."

"Take Stock in Children guarantees low-income and at-risk students a four-year college education at a Florida public school if they sign a contract promising to maintain good grades, stay drug- and crime-free and meet with a mentor on a regular basis. On Monday, community leaders involved with the program officially announced that they have formed their own nonprofit organization in the hopes that they can raise more money to sponsor more students."

"Several principals and other school administrators are urging the state to re-examine the way it scores schools on new report cards after pointing out shortcomings they believe unfairly hurt districts with high poverty or large numbers of minorities or disabled students."

"Enrollment at several of the larger area public school districts saw slight gains this year over last year, but they were accompanied by bigger gains in low-income students, according to Arkansas Department of Education and school district data."