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"[Ford's] organization, D.C. Parents for School Choice, was started in 1998 as an information clearinghouse on charter schools and afterschool programs. It became a primary proponent of a taxpayer-funded school-voucher bill in Congress that beginning in 2004 enabled low-income parents to choose private schools."

"Relaxing expectations and standards now would be especially harmful in the state's low-income urban schools, where the pressure of the test often stands in for parents who lack the time or savvy to fight for better schools."

"They are also a bridge for many students to a four-year institution. Of all postsecondary sectors, community colleges enroll by far the highest proportion of low-income youth and the highest proportion of minority groups, who have the most difficult time finding jobs. "

"Sure, poverty is one reason why an alarming number of Muscogee County schools failed to make adequate yearly progress in last month's preliminary report. But it's not a good enough reason."

"The achievement gap, or academic disparity among minority students, students from families in poverty and all other students, has been an issue on the district's radar for years, but in the 2010- 11 school year district administrators organized two community forums to get everyone talking about the issue."

"Computer proficiency is becoming more and more critical for student success. Children lacking access to a computer after school are at a distinct disadvantage, especially the growing number of homeless students."

"Too many times in Micah Young's life, the school day ended and he wondered where he'd sleep that night. His mom died when he was 6. After that, he bounced between relatives' homes. Or he crashed on friends' sofas. He even slept outside his middle school."

"Forty-six Monte Vista Elementary Students in Montclair received backpacks as part of the Hope Through Housing Foundation's After School and Beyond program. The program provides children from low-income families the school supplies they need to succeed."

"The differences in scores across the state are influenced by a number of factors, including poverty rates, said Jamal Abedi, a UC Davis professor and education expert. He said the increase in scores statewide is 'good news,' especially considering the large number of English language learners in California."

"'One of the primary goals of this program is to eliminate the stigma that students feel when they get a free lunch, as opposed to paying cash,' said Mark Schrupp, the district's chief operating officer. 'Some students would skip important meals to avoid being identified as low-income.'"

"Over the last four years, the total of Reseda students who score at grade level or better in English rose from 39% to 47%; the percentage actually dipped slightly this year. In math over that period, the figure rose from 18% to 22%. About two-thirds of the school's students are low income and 18% are learning English."

"The 10-year-old federal law tracks the progress of entire student bodies and also how well individual schools and districts teach various subgroups of students, including those living in poverty, minority groups, and limited language and special education students."