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"A pair of Republican lawmakers is sponsoring a bill that would give low-income parents in the state's four biggest counties vouchers for private school tuition. Giving teachers bonuses to work in poor schools received mixed reviews. About 50 percent of Democrats favored the idea, but Republicans and Independents did not."

"High poverty rates mean children are likely going to school from homes where unemployment, financial constraints, substance abuse and neglect are common problems. The by-products are less supervision of children outside of school, less help with homework and simply less parental involvement in a child's education."

"The union representing hundreds of school support workers who lost their jobs last month plans to sue New York City on Wednesday, claiming the layoffs were unnecessary and discriminatory because of their disproportionate impact on schools that serve poor students."

"Almost 90 percent of students at the low-performing schools are members of minority groups and are from low-income families, groups that have traditionally lagged academically.In one of the schools targeted yesterday, James F. Leonard Middle School in Lawrence, 96 percent of students are from low-income backgrounds."

"Oregon and the Salem-Keizer School District battle a persistent achievement gap for minority students, low-income students and English language learners. Oregon fourth graders who qualify for free or reduced lunches are on average 2.5 years behind their classmates on national reading tests."

"The recent column titled "Head Start just another failed notion" (Web, Wednesday) is an unwarranted and ill-informed mischaracterization of Head Start's successful, national commitment to providing critical early-childhood education services to our nation's poorest children."

"Smaller majorities say teachers should not be paid more to work in schools with large numbers of poor students or receive extra pay if students excel on standardized tests."

"Convening the meeting was Turnaround for Children, a nonprofit organization that the young-but-faltering school in an impoverished neighborhood near the Bronx Zoo had brought in this year to try to change things."

"The proposed $2.6 million project includes 17 apartments -- some 440 square feet and others 690 square feet -- for low-income seniors (62 and older) and more than 4,000 square feet in retail space on the first floor."

"According to the National Research Council, statistics show that the educational careers of 25 to 40 percent of American children are imperiled because they don't read well enough, quickly enough or easily enough."

"The Pew Research Center report published Monday looked at the economic well-being of older adults and younger adults over several decades through a wide variety of economic lenses wealth, income, homeownership, home equity, employment and poverty."

"Minority lawmakers say House and Senate plans to rewrite the No Child Left Behind education law fail to protect minority children, those with disabilities and children learning English."