Latest Coverage

"Upward Bound, a program that prepares low-income students for college, is awaiting the results of an appeal on a decision by the U.S. Department of Education to halt its funding. Wojnicki, the program's director, learned May 14 that the program -- which has been on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campus since 1968 -- would lose its $500,000 funding as of May 31."

"In Backpacks for Kids,' it's a great chance to help low-income and underprivileged kids get the school year off to a great start, and that makes a difference in how the rest of the year unfolds. It's far better for them to begin classroom work on the right foot than struggle from the beginning."

"The state is also in the midst of a huge demographic shift, with an increasing population of low-income and minority students. The demographic shift has played out on a small scale in Duncanville I.S.D., a district of about 13,000 students on the outskirts of Dallas and one that has not seen the same success with dropout problems as others in the state. There, in the last eight years, the number of economically disadvantaged students has jumped to 75 percent from 49 percent."

"This year, The Charlotte Observer's Summer Camp Fund awarded Camp Royall $3,200 for two full scholarships for children from low-income households. Kate received one of those scholarships this year. One-third of the campers come from families living on less than $10,000 a year, said camp director Sara Gage, who started as a counselor 16 years ago."

"Here's the concept: offer affordable rental space to businesses researching and developing so-called 'smart cities' technologies, and teach youths in impoverished city neighborhoods skills they need to get high-paying jobs."

"The United Way of Ventura County is once again seeking the community's help to provide back-to-school supplies for children from low income families. The nonprofit's third annual Stuff the Bus campaign starts Monday with the goal of collecting enough school supplies to fill 500 new backpacks for needy children."

"The Kansas Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program is providing low-income seniors with a $30 check that can be used during the 2012 harvest season to purchase fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, herbs and honey at local farmers markets, according to a news release."

"In its latest publication, Lazy Days of Summer: A National Security Threat?' the group calls for expanded summer programs as well as at-home reading initiatives and greater parent involvement in their children's literacy and wellness. It cites a long-term study by a Johns Hopkins University researcher who found that, by the ninth grade, two-thirds of the test score disparities between low-income children and their middle-income peers could be traced back to the summer months."

"The Urban College of Boston, a two-year school that educates working women from low-income and immigrant backgrounds, is on the verge of closing amid deep financial troubles and a scuttled alliance with Endicott College."

"The California Community Foundation is to announce Friday that it has received $1.5 million from the Ford Foundation to give children in impoverished communities the same enriched learning activities typically enjoyed outside school hours by their wealthier peers. The California foundation also contributed $200,000 to the efforts."

"Herald-Leader reporter Linda Blackford on Sunday provided some insight into why the graduation rate of low-income students fell from 46 percent to 35 percent: The legislature routinely raids lottery funds intended for need-based financial aid to balance the state budget."

"Most of the schools' homeless students are defined as unaccompanied youth,' temporarily living with another family or adult who is not their legal guardian, or alone without an adult. Some are unsheltered youth,' without a stable place to sleep every night. The Orleans Parish School Board provides services for homeless students: free lunches, school supplies and uniforms, referrals for housing, jobs and medical attention."