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"Officials recognize that a ban can be a burden for tenants, particularly because many are elderly or disabled. At Franklin Towers, where the elevators lumber slowly up 16 floors, Mark Adelson, the executive director of the Portland Housing Authority, half-joked that by the time smokers go outside and get back in, they need to go out again for another cigarette."

"Most suffer from diabetes, congestive heart failure or other long-term illness. They're like the millions of chronically ill Americans who visit doctors half a dozen times a year or more and, by some measures, account for 80 percent or more of all spending by the Medicare program for senior citizens."

"Many of the schools with lower graduation rates, such as Palm Beach Lakes High, Boynton Beach High, Glades Central and Royal Palm High, also are Title I schools, meaning they have a large portion of low-income students and receive federal assistance. Klinek said graduation rates are typically lower at Title I schools because many students come into those schools without the same skills as other students in the same grade level."

"He made it big and has lots of rich friends and plenty of money. When today's elderly people started to work, and the baby boomers started to work, the pay was very low, so even though we worked hard all of our lives our Social Security checks are not high enough to meet today's prices."

"Urban Institute analysts believe there are enormous potential savings from aggressively managing and coordinating the care provided to elderly people who are poor enough to receive services from both Medicare and Medicaid, and from better managing the treatment of Medicare patients who have multiple chronic conditions."

"New Jersey applied for $60 million through the U.S. Education Department's Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge. The state planned to use Consumer Reports-style ratings of early-childhood centers to increase family access to information, enhance teaching and strengthen programs for 75,000 low-income children."

"Manning ruled in July that the changes violated the state constitution's guarantee of a sound and equal education for all children. He told the state to cover any low-income 4-year-old who wants to enroll."

"Instead of searching for a "silver bullet," we must work toward a common vision and priorities that center on data, not ideology. We need a targeted approach that builds on our public and private investments to alleviate the effects of poverty, support children and families in meaningful ways, and create a culture of learning."

"Two pieces of economic news should not be allowed to slip quickly from the headlines this week. The first has to do with the new poverty numbers. Nearly one in two Americans have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low-income."

"The task force vote also recommended raising the required lottery reserve to $100 million from $50 million and setting aside a $10 million annual supplement for the Tennessee Student Assistance Awards program, which could give scholarships to 5,600 low-income students."

"Reformers such as former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle A. Rhee argue that for too long, weak teachers have used poverty as an excuse and that an effective educator can transcend circumstances. Unions such as the AFT maintain that economic and social factors must be addressed for a child to succeed."

"It builds on a series of smaller events that have been held statewide to discuss ways to close the achievement gap between white and minority students, and between wealthy and low-income students."