Minnesota

"Amid a major school-choice overhaul that targets uneven achievement across its schools, next fall the district is designating some city areas as high-need' using an uncommon combination of family income, test scores and English fluency. It will reserve seats for children from those areas in 10 schools with the lowest portion of low-income students, including six with perennial waiting lists."

"The Generation Next partnership, to be formally announced Thursday, will focus first on fostering research-based strategies for closing racial and economic achievement gaps in Minneapolis and St. Paul, both district and charter schools. But it hopes to expand to suburban districts if it demonstrates results. New federal data this week indicated that Minnesota ranked last in four-year graduation rates for Latino and American Indian students, second to last for black students and near the bottom for low-income students."

"Homelessness among Minneapolis students stunts their growth in math and can leave them behind their peers in math and reading for years, according to a long-term study released Tuesday by the University of Minnesota."

"All told, 213 schools are now labeled underperforming in some way, compared to more than 1,000 under No Child Left Behind. All are schools that receive federal Title I money to address higher levels of poverty. Those schools have to submit turnaround plans to the state, but unlike previous years, they no longer have to provide tutoring or transfers or face stricter penalties."

"The two connected through Idealistic Mentors,' a pilot program of College Possible, which Daynom began as a junior. College Possible, a St. Paul-based nonprofit that also operates in Milwaukee and Omaha, tries to make college a reality for low-income students through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support,' its website states. The organization rolled out the mentorship program to 100 seniors at Columbia Heights, Coon Rapids and Highland Park high schools last year."

"Sauk Rapids-Rice has boosted its efforts by working more closely with city and county organizations as well as programs geared toward assisting homeless families. We've really made an effort to increase our awareness of that population,' Bittman said."