Latest Coverage
Find the latest stories, research, and insights on policies, programs, and ideas shaping the national conversation on poverty and economic mobility.
Subscribe to our newsletter for daily insights
Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity leads research and consulting initiatives that identify and address barriers to economic well-being.
Type
State
Issue
The Boston Globe, August 25, 2010: Mass. wins $250m for schools
"Half of the $250 million will go to school districts, based on their number of low-income students... The rest will be spent on statewide efforts. Massachusetts was among nine states and the District of Columbia to prevail in the second round of the Race to the Top competition..."
Times-Picayune, August 25, 2010: The elderly and frail are more likely to take up in abandoned buildings
"The house, which sits on a particularly bleak block choked by weeds and vacant buildings, wasn't theirs, but it was shelter in the neighborhood where they'd grown up. The siblings are part of a disproportionate number of sick and elderly living in blighted buildings since Katrina..."
The Washington Times, August 24, 2010: (Editorial) Why young black men don't graduate
"When it comes to poverty - a contributing factor for dropping out of school - the majority of those affected are single parents. Thirty-seven percent of single moms and 17.5 percent of single dads are in poverty, whereas just 6.7 percent of married couples are in poverty."
The Merced Sun-Star, August 24, 2010: Early Head Start program pays home visits to families
"The ultimate goal of the program is to break the poverty cycle, but some of the other side effects include lowering the high school dropout rate, reducing the number of children in at-risk situations and lessening the number of students repeating grades, DeMelo said."
The Miami Herald, August 24, 2010: Troubled Rise Academy charter school appeals closing
"Torcivia, a Teach for America alumna who had taught special education at Miami Central Senior High, said she founded Rise to provide new opportunities for low-income students in South Dade."
The Macon Telegraph, August 23, 2010: Day care assistance funds drying up as need deepens
"In 2009, a two-parent family living at the poverty line would have to spend about half its income to afford placing a baby in a day care center, according to a report by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies."
The Macon Telegraph, August 23, 2010: Bibb schools join suit against charter school commission
"The Bibb County school system is now included as one of the parties in an amicus brief being filed in support of school systems in the state that want control over granting charter school petitions."
The Associated Press, August 23, 2010: Kansas tries to help more homeless students
"Fitting in with classmates. Adjusting to a new school. Managing homework and after-school activities. As students adjust to the rigors of a new school year, an increasing number of their classmates face an extra challenge: homelessness."
The Kansas City Star, August 23, 2010: (Op-Ed) Quality early learning matters
"Their number-one recommendation to begin to remedy this is to 'provide a program of voluntary preschool education, universally available to children from low-income families such that all children at or below... the official poverty line have a chance to enter school..."
Sacramento Bee, August 23, 2010: (Editorial) Budget gridlock hangs up students
"About 335,000 low-income students have qualified for Cal Grants, but the state won't be sending out the money a total of $407 million until there's a budget deal. (Most Cal Grant recipients also receive other financial aid, including federal loans and grants, that isn't being held up.)"
Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, August 23, 2010: Stop learning loss
"Studies show that low-income students lose knowledge over the summer, and some state educators are advocating year-round school to ease the problem."
The Washington Post, August 23, 2010: For Teach for America, 4,500 tests
"The recruits commit to teach for two years in low-income urban and rural public schools. The program was formed to match needy schools with elite teachers from schools such as Harvard, Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley."
