Though they’ve promised to admit more poor students, “top colleges educate roughly the same percentage of them as they did a generation ago.” (The New York Times)

Meanwhile, for-profit colleges tend to be much more expensive than state colleges, and students who attend them often end up with overwhelming debt. Before his death, Michael Brown was set to attend one such school. (Huffington Post)

A new report from the Economic Policy Institute finds that one in six restaurant workers lives below the poverty line. Plus: When restaurant workers can’t afford to eat. (Grub Street, The Billfold)

In a short documentary, filmmaker Pang Tubhirun explores her life as an undocumented immigrant. (The Atlantic)

GlobalPost’s editorial team pays tribute to the journalist James Foley, their slain colleague and friend. (GlobalPost)