The February 16th issue of Public Education Network (PEN) Weekly  
NewsBlast contained the following items of interest

FEW CHILDREN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NCLB TUTORING     Four years after  
President Bush signed the landmark No Child Left Behind education  
law, vast numbers of students are not getting the tutoring that the  
law offers as one of its hallmarks, reports Susan Saulny... Officials  
give multiple reasons for the problems: that the program is allotted  
too little federal money, is poorly advertised to parents, has too  
much complicated paperwork for signing up, and that it has not fully  
penetrated the most difficult neighborhoods, where there are high  
concentrations of poor, failing students.  http://www.nytimes.com/ 
2006/02/12/education/12tutor.html

LOW-INCOME STUDENTS MISS OUT ON FINANCIAL AID FOR COLLEGE     New  
information from the federal government suggests that an increasing  
number of low- and moderate-income college students -- who likely  
would qualify for financial assistance -- do not take advantage of  
financial aid programs, despite a trend of increased applications for  
aid among the general student population... Data suggest that a  
substantial and rising number of students are missing out on needed  
assistance. More outreach is needed to inform low- and moderate- 
income students about the availability of financial aid and the  
application process. http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm? 
Section=CPA&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentFileID=1374

$250 TAX DEDUCTION FOR TEACHERS TO OFFSET CLASSROOM COSTS      
Teaching takes a toll on many educators' pocketbooks as they  
routinely buy supplies for their financially strapped schools. Now  
there's a tax break for such academic dedication. Teachers and other  
educators can deduct up to $250 that they spent last year to buy  
classroom supplies. Even better, the deduction is claimed directly on  
Form 1040 or Form 1040A, meaning there's no need to itemize to get  
the break. Rather, it's an adjustment to your income, helping cut  
your tax bill by reducing your overall income. The less income to  
tax, the lower the tax bill... The deduction is not limited to  
teachers. The Internal Revenue Service says you can take the  
deduction if, for the tax year, you were employed at a state-approved  
public or private school system as a: Teacher; Instructor; Counselor;  
Principal; or Aide. http://biz.yahoo.com/brn/060213/9760.html?.v=1







Gail J. Price
Multimedia Specialist
National Center for Family Literacy
325 West Main Street, Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40205

Phone: 502 584-1133, ext. 112
Fax: 502 584-0172


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