Let me say up front, I am no expert on poverty. By that I mean that I am not a statistician or a sociologist, nor do I belong to any related group considered fluent in the language of poverty. I am, however, a business owner in Harlem, which led me to my Gandhi moment of discovery and enlightenment.

U.S. Representative Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) discusses the importance of education accessibility to creating jobs and improving the economy.

The measurements of childhood obesity go beyond the scales, the doctors’ offices, and health care dollars. Overweight and obese children are underperforming in the classroom and on standardized tests. The support of policies and funding that would improve the health outcomes for 30 percent of our school aged children would help to elevate test scores, graduation rates and overall academic performance.

Dr. Mariko Chang discusses the racial wealth gap, educational disparities and economic security at the 2011 Color of Wealth Policy Summit in Washington, D.C.

Maya Rockeymoore interviews Rev. Jesse Jackson to discuss education reform and the education achievement gap in the United States.

There was a tale of two school districts on display at Baltimore's Walters Art Museum on Saturday morning. The occasion was Congressman Elijah Cummings's annual arts competition--an event in which students from high schools across his Congressional district submit their best work in the hopes of winning the honor of having their art hang in the bowels of the U.S. Capitol for one year.

Dr. Rockeymoore, CEO, Global Policy Solutions convenes Bridging Differences: What Works in Schools conference on May 4, 2010 and introduces leading child psychologist James P. Comer of the Yale School of Medicine.

Douglas W. Anthony, Dir. School Leadership from Prince George 's County Public Schools presents at the What Works in Schools Conference. Topics include school reform, U.S. education policy and developing teachers and administrators.

Roytel Montero, Student at Fenway High School, discusses the personal, professional and academic empowerment gained through teachers and U.S. public education at Fenway High School at the Beyond Standardized Tests Conference in Washington, D.C.

Chantale Soekhoe, Recent Graduate from Hunter College, discusses her experience at the Urban Academy developing learning skills and discovering the benefits of real education without standardized assessments. When students fail school tests, we need to ask the question, “Are the tests failing the student?”