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Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity leads research and consulting initiatives that identify and address barriers to economic well-being.
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Chicago Tribune, September 24, 2010: CPS lands $35 million for performance awards; Staff at high-poverty schools stand to gain
"Chicago Public Schools will expand its effort to link an educator's compensation to student achievement with a $35.9 million federal grant that will allow the district to reward principals, teachers and classroom aides in schools dogged by poverty, officials announced Thursday."
The New York Times, September 24, 2010: Some Obama Allies Fear School Lunch Bill Could Rob Food Stamp Program
"'It is wrong to take money from food stamps to finance child nutrition programs,' said Edward M. Cooney,... 'You are taking money from low-income people in one program and spending it on low-income people -- maybe the same people -- in another program.'"
The Cincinnati Enquirer, September 23, 2010: School voucher demand may top supply
"About 85,000 Ohio students are eligible for Ohio Educational Choice scholarships, which pay tuition for students transferring from low-performing public schools to private schools."
Youth Today, September 23, 2010: Facebook Founder to Give $100 Million to Newark Schools
"'Newark for a long time has been a city with enormous promise but with a public school system that by and large fails many of the kids,' said Kevin Ryan, who worked with Newark Public Schools for about 14 years and is currently president and CEO of New York-based Covenant House for homeless and runaway youth."
The Bradenton Herald, September 23, 2010: Seniors and safety nets: Making sense of poverty numbers
"They don't include the homeless, who number anywhere from half a million to three million. Nor do they count most doubled-up families experts say they're up by at least 11 percent. And then there's those young adults returning home who at other times would be living [alone]..."
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, September 23, 2010: Complaint says school district disfavors low-income students at Montessori magnets
"A Hollywood commissioner is calling for a federal inquiry into whether the Broward School District discriminates against low-income children by keeping them out of two Montessori magnet schools."
The New York Times, September 23, 2010: (Op-Ed) Tomorrow's School Lunches
"The Senate has approved the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which sets new nutritional standards... It would also expand the number of low-income children eligible for free or reduced-priced school meals"
The Associated Press, September 22, 2010: Ore. families brace for day care assistance cuts
"'If the program goes away, I will lose everything,' she said Tuesday, while she and others visited lawmakers in hopes of winning a last-minute reprieve. 'I won't be able to work, I won't be able to afford day care, I don't have family support here, and I'll lose my home. Connie is my support.'"
Charlotte Observer, September 22, 2010: (Op-Ed) Schools' test obsession robs kids of joy
"'Children of the privileged are being educated to interrogate reality,' Kozol said at the Council for Children's Rights annual meeting. 'Children of poverty are being educated to spit up regurgitated answers.'"
Los Angeles Times, September 22, 2010: 2 nonprofits get U.S. grants; The funds are to help low-income and minority students from cradle to college.
"The federal "Promise Grants" are an anti-poverty and education-reform initiative in one, an approach many experts applaud but also say is expensive, with goals that are difficult to achieve."
The Boston Globe, September 22, 2010: US looks to boost schools in 3 cities
"`It's a bold vision, but the kind of vision you need to have to make the impacts you want on the age-old achievement gap and poverty,' said John Barros, Dudley Street's executive director and a Boston School Committee member."
The San Luis Obispo Tribune, September 22, 2010: (Editorial) Don't make things worse for children
"Of the many sobering statistics included in the series, here's one that stands out: Every major school district in San Luis Obispo County has seen the number of homeless children in its district rise dramatically over the past couple of years."
