Educate
Stories about education, opportunity, and how people learn. From APM Reports.
All Episodes
Reprise: Spare The Rod
January 14th, 2019
Reprise: Hard To Read
November 15th, 2018
Poverty, perseverance and a PhD
September 24th, 2018
Hard Words: Why Aren't Our Kids Being Taught to Read?
September 10th, 2018
Old Idea, New Economy: Rediscovering Apprenticeships
September 3rd, 2018
Still Rising: First-Generation College Students a Decade Later
August 27th, 2018
Changing Class: Are Colleges Helping Americans Move Up?
August 20th, 2018
Reprise: Stuck At Square One
June 29th, 2018
Oklahoma charter school becomes lightning rod in debate over rural education
December 17th, 2018
Hundreds of thousands of people could lose their legal status. One hopes to graduate with his college degree first
December 3rd, 2018
Despite decades of pledging to hire more black faculty, most universities didn't
November 5th, 2018
As they lose customers, universities try expanding the menu
October 22nd, 2018
In the fight over Kavanaugh, echoes of a battle being waged on college campuses nationwide
October 8th, 2018
School on the move
August 13th, 2018
Edged out of the middle class, teachers are walking out
July 30th, 2018
State financial aid money dries up before many low-income college students get help
July 16th, 2018
Louisiana ends policy that held thousands of students back a grade or more
June 15th, 2018
Liberal arts face uncertain future at nation's universities
June 4th, 2018
Protecting the legacy of HBCUs
March 2nd, 2017
Giving parents more freedom to choose doesn't guarantee better schools
May 21st, 2018
'I never want to be in a neighborhood where I'm shot at again'
May 7th, 2018
Are America's colleges promoting social mobility?
April 23rd, 2018
Schools prove soft targets for hackers
April 9th, 2018
High schools push few students with disabilities to consider college
March 26th, 2018
Hard to Read: How American Schools Fail Kids with Dyslexia
September 12th, 2017
Shadow Class: College Dreamers in Trump's America
September 7th, 2017
Shackled Legacy: Universities and the Slave Trade
September 4th, 2017
Keeping Teachers
August 28th, 2017
Stuck at Square One: The Remedial Education Trap
August 18th, 2016
Spare the Rod: Reforming School Discipline
August 25th, 2016
What it Takes: Chasing Graduation at High-Poverty High Schools
September 1st, 2016
Rewriting the Sentence: College Behind Bars
September 8th, 2016
Is the trauma of training for a school shooter worth it?
March 12th, 2018
A college degree, or your money back
February 26th, 2018
Overwhelmed by student debt, many low-income students drop out
February 12th, 2018
High school football makes a comeback in New Orleans
January 29th, 2018
Nearly 1 in 5 female college students are single moms
January 15th, 2018
History of civil rights movement gets short shrift in Mississippi classrooms
December 18th, 2017
Rural students are the least likely to go to college
December 4th, 2017
Rewriting the Sentence: College Behind Bars
November 6th, 2017
Yoga and dogs bring calm to school for troubled kids
November 20th, 2017
Mr. Rodriguez is undocumented and unafraid
October 23rd, 2017
Resegregation in Alabama
October 9th, 2017
How alumni revived a dying college
September 25th, 2017
'The oldest not-18-year-old'
August 7th, 2017
Segregation's Back
July 21st, 2017
What children in food deserts do during the summer
July 10th, 2017
When a diploma means more than just 'seat time'
June 26th, 2017
College is a leap of faith - and funds - for first-generation students
June 12th, 2017
'All they wanted to do was get an education'
May 30th, 2017
Making room for poor kids at rich schools
May 16th, 2017
A public school that's just for immigrants
May 2nd, 2017
Is free college free?
April 18th, 2017
Kids with dyslexia are not getting what they need in American public schools
April 4th, 2017
Immigration enforcement has DACA students on edge
March 21st, 2017
Improving the odds for young black men
March 7th, 2017
Reforming School Discipline
February 17th, 2017
The great equalizer
February 9th, 2017
'Dick and Jane were not my friends'
February 2nd, 2017
The View From Room 205
January 26th, 2017
Chinese students ponder Trump
January 19th, 2017
What Betsy DeVos might bring to the Department of Education
January 12th, 2017
High achievers left behind
January 5th, 2017
Detroit students sue for better school conditions
December 22nd, 2016
School confronts trauma in students' lives
December 16th, 2016
Offering sanctuary to vulnerable students
December 8th, 2016
Keeping black teachers
December 1st, 2016
Fear, uncertainty for undocumented students under Trump administration
November 17th, 2016
College-educated and out-of-touch
November 10th, 2016
Election leaves undocumented students in limbo
November 3rd, 2016
Clinton and Trump don't talk much about education
October 27th, 2016
The stress of racism may impact learning
October 20th, 2016
Talking about race in schools
October 13th, 2016
Schools give low-income students a chance to travel abroad
October 7th, 2016
What a flipped classroom looks like
September 29th, 2016
A new study finds school readiness gaps have declined over the past decade
September 23rd, 2016
How thousands of kids were denied special education in Texas
September 15th, 2016
Hungry hungry students
August 11th, 2016
With the Hollywood depictions of frat bros chugging beer and hippies snacking on munchies, the starving college student might seem like a […]
What is restorative justice?
August 4th, 2016
In the United States, three million kids are suspended from school every year. Yet research shows suspension is often ineffective: it doesn’t […]
A homeless student struggles towards graduation
July 28th, 2016
This week, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidelines to states and school districts for supporting homeless children. Over one […]
The facts and fictions of student debt
July 21st, 2016
Stories all over the news have identified a new crisis in the United States: student debt. They say debt is […]
Race in suburban schools
July 14th, 2016
Picture the suburbs. Before Arcade Fire, there was Leave It to Beaver, the white picket fence, perfectly manicured lawns. You’re […]
Going to college in prison
July 7th, 2016
Recently, the U.S. Department of Education announced plans to reinstate federal scholarships for incarcerated prisoners. Through 67 different …
Few teachers, little money, low test scores: Rural schools in the South
June 30th, 2016
Rural schools in the United States face an abundance of problems: budget cuts, shrinking enrollments, teacher shortages, poor internet. Nowhere […]
Merging small, rural school districts
June 23rd, 2016
Last week we started a series on rural schools by looking at Vermont – a state where more than half of public […]
Fighting for ‘our school’
June 17th, 2016
School in Smalltown, USA is changing. Over the past several decades, rural schools have suffered as enrollment has dropped and […]
How do we learn better: digital or print?
June 9th, 2016
Nowadays, parents are always complaining that their kids are always on their cell phones. “No Snapchat at the dinner table!” they […]
Theological schools feel the squeeze
June 2nd, 2016
Roughly 7 in 10 Americans still identify as part of the Christian faith. But the numbers have been declining over the past […]
The ‘invisible tax’ on teachers of color
May 26th, 2016
In a recent Washington Post op-ed, US Secretary of Education John King made the case that teachers of color suffer from […]
Should colleges teach men how to be men?
May 5th, 2016
Today, women are more likely to go to college than men. And they perform better academically once they get there. […]
‘My frain is bried’: shadowing a student
April 28th, 2016
Recently, more than 1400 educators from all 50 states and 30 different countries took the Shadow a Student Challenge. They […]
High school job prep
April 21st, 2016
Typically, a student’s education is supposed like this: elementary, middle, high school. College. Job. The idea that high school can […]
How tutoring helps students
April 14th, 2016
Private tutoring for students can cost thousands upon thousands of dollars per year. But economist Jonathan Guryan co-authored a study that …
Is advanced math necessary?
April 7th, 2016
Before you devour this week’s episode, listen to last week’s American RadioWorks podcast “Decoding the Math Myth.” Really do it. […]
Decoding the math myth
March 31st, 2016
Politicians and economists say people need advanced math skills to be successful in the highly technical jobs of the 21st century. […]
Writing discipline reform into law
March 24th, 2016
We’re working on a documentary that explores the backlash against harsh school discipline policies across the country. In Minnesota, there’s […]
The science gap starts early
March 17th, 2016
Before their very first day of kindergarten, white and affluent children already know more about science than children of other […]
Minnesota’s graduation gap
March 10th, 2016
Minnesota has a reputation for having good schools and strong standardized test scores. And that’s true for white children – […]
A brief history of school discipline
March 3rd, 2016
Research shows suspensions aren’t effective at changing kids’ behavior. And kids of color are more likely to get kicked out […]
Colleges want smart AND nice
February 25th, 2016
The college application process has come under scrutiny in a new report by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The […]
What students in remedial english can teach us about K-12 education
February 18th, 2016
Nearly two-thirds of all students who enroll in community college are not “college-ready” in math and/or English. And of these, […]
Making sure learning sticks
February 12th, 2016
Here’s some good news for students out there: if you want to memorize something, put your books down. Research shows […]
When school vouchers are not a leg up
February 4th, 2016
School voucher programs allow students to use public funds to pay for private school. This concept is very controversial. Supporters […]
Learning financial literacy
January 28th, 2016
Most teenagers are not learning about personal finance in school, according to an annual survey on financial literacy. Only five […]
Questioning inequalities in higher ed
January 21st, 2016
College was once considered the path of upward mobility in this country. And, for many people, it still is. But […]
Learning as a science
January 15th, 2016
What does research say about how students learn best? Deans for Impact, a group of deans from schools of education around […]
Where are the student voices in ed reform?
January 7th, 2016
A growing coalition of young people claims that student voices are largely missing from discussions of education reform. Andrew Brennen […]
Most likely to succeed
December 24th, 2015
In most modern work places employees are expected to be self-directed and also work collaboratively. But do conventional public schools do […]
Siblings and the education gender gap
December 17th, 2015
Girls in the United States graduate from high school at higher rates than boys. This gap is much more pronounced […]
Where budding chefs learn philosophy, too
December 10th, 2015
Colleges and universities are under increasing pressure from taxpayers to prove that graduates will be able to get jobs. According to […]
Letting kids fail
December 3rd, 2015
A few years ago, writer Jessica Lahey started noticing something troubling about many of her students: they were afraid of making mistakes […]
Inside school discipline in mississippi
November 25th, 2015
Policymakers and community leaders have started to question traditional forms of school discipline like detention, suspension and expulsion because …
Building bridges between the Western and Arab worlds
November 19th, 2015
After terrorist violence like the recent attacks on Paris by the group calling itself ISIS, some chose to blame an entire […]
Inside Oyler: a conversation with Amy Scott
November 11th, 2015
Amy Scott first visited Oyler School in 2012 as the education correspondent for Marketplace. Oyler was a neighborhood school in Cincinnati, […]
Learning to breathe
October 29th, 2015
Schools in Rockland County, N.Y. first started daily mindfulness lessons several years ago. Teachers noticed it was a way to […]
Is the growth mindset craze overblown?
October 22nd, 2015
Last week on the podcast, we ran a story about “growth mindset,” a popular term in education that came from […]
Helping students adopt a ‘growth mindset’
October 15th, 2015
“Growth mindset” is a term coined by Stanford Psychologist Carol Dweck. It means that students who view intelligence as pliable – […]
The rising cost of extracurriculars
October 8th, 2015
It can be pricey to have kids involved in sports or other after-school activities. A recent report from American Express claims […]
Wikipedia’s bum rap
October 1st, 2015
Wikipedia has gotten a lot of flak over the years for being inaccurate and untrustworthy. But in 2010, Wikimedia, the […]
A visit from the Church Lady
September 25th, 2015
Back in the 1960s, the Supreme Court declared it was unconstitutional for public schools to sponsor organized prayer and bible […]
Teaching black lives matter
September 17th, 2015
In November, a new social studies book about the Black Lives Matter movement will be available for middle school and […]
Beyond the Blackboard: Building Character in Public Schools
September 10th, 2015
From Boots to Books: Student Veterans and the New GI Bill
September 3rd, 2015
Teaching Teachers
August 27th, 2015
The Living Legacy: Black Colleges in the 21st Century
August 20th, 2015
From the Archives: Early Lessons
August 7th, 2015
Head Start got its start 50 years ago. Our documentary, “Early Lessons,” by Emily Hanford, profiles the program that inspired […]
Goodbye, College Ratings (For Now)
July 30th, 2015
For the past two years the Obama administration has been working on a way to rate colleges based on their accessibility, […]
Sweet Briar Returns
July 23rd, 2015
Sweet Briar College was about to close its doors after 114 years of operation. But it turns out it won’t […]
The Future of Historically Black Colleges
July 15th, 2015
This fall we’ll be launching a new documentary about Historically Black Colleges and Universities, also known as HBCUs. They were […]
Talking About Race in Schools
July 7th, 2015
In 1998, the American Anthropological Association (AAA) published a statement on race. It concluded that race is a social idea, […]
Minorities and Special Ed
July 2nd, 2015
African-American children represent about 14 percent of the school-aged population in the United States. But they make up 19 percent of […]
Learning from Video Games
June 23rd, 2015
A lot of parents worry about whether their kids’ video game habits are harmful – especially when gaming gets in the way […]
Teaching the Birds and the Bees
June 17th, 2015
For more than a century, Americans have been arguing about how to teach children about the birds and the bees […]
Million-Dollar Teacher
June 2nd, 2015
A few months ago Nancie Atwell received the $1-million-dollar Global Teacher Prize in recognition of her decades of teaching English and literacy …
Divestment on Campus
May 28th, 2015
Across the world, college students are urging their institutions to “divest” from fossil fuels. Divestment is short for dis-investment, a strategy …
Can how you move change how you think?
May 20th, 2015
Scientists have long thought of the brain as a “control center” for the body – a kind of computer that […]
Forest Schools
May 12th, 2015
There are places in the world where kids go to school not in classrooms, but in the woods. The Forest […]
Exposing Conditions at Native Schools
May 6th, 2015
There are 183 federally-run Bureau of Indian Education schools in the nation, and about a third of these are in poor condition. […]
Green Teachers
April 29th, 2015
A generation ago, if you walked into an American classroom, you’d likely find a veteran teacher who’d been on the […]
The First Gen Movement
April 22nd, 2015
As we’ve reported, over the past decade many elite colleges have taken great strides to admit low-income students, but there […]
The Lost Children of Katrina
April 15th, 2015
After Hurricane Katrina tens of thousands of children were forced to evacuate their homes and attend school in other cities and […]
Saving a Women’s College from Closure
April 8th, 2015
Sweet Briar College in rural Virginia has been educating women for 114 years, but last month the college’s board announced that […]
The Future of College
April 1st, 2015
We talked last week with Kevin Carey, author of “The End of College: Creating the Future of Learning and the University […]
The End of College or the University of Everywhere
March 25th, 2015
A lot of people in the higher education world are worried about the future. Rising costs, more competition for fewer applicants, the […]
UnRetirement
March 18th, 2015
Today older Americans are heading back to school in record numbers. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that students […]
The Test
March 11th, 2015
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton announced last week that he wants to cut the amount of required state and federal testing […]
An Administrator Responds to Adjunct Protests
March 4th, 2015
On last week’s podcast we talked about growing dissent among adjunct college instructors who claim they’re not getting compensated fairly […]
Adjuncts Unite
February 25th, 2015
What would higher education look like without adjunct professors? That’s what a grass-roots group of academics is trying to prove by holding […]
To Test or Not to Test?
February 19th, 2015
Sometime in the next few weeks, Senate Republicans and Democrats will vote to reauthorize The No Child Left Behind Act […]
Looking back: An Imperfect Revolution
February 11th, 2015
The Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case outlawed segregated schools. It took some time for America’s classrooms […]
Are HBCUs the Key to Producing More African American Physicians?
February 4th, 2015
African Americans make up 13 percent of the population, yet barely 4 percent of the nation’s doctors are black, and less than 2 percent are […]
Boosting Black Male Student Achievement
January 28th, 2015
Black males who drop out of high school have a 70 percent chance of going to prison by the time […]
Free Community College for All
January 22nd, 2015
President Barack Obama wants to make the first two years of community college free for what he calls “responsible students” who […]
What’s in a number?
January 14th, 2015
Our guest this week has a message for high school seniors and their parents who are poring over the latest […]
Following the Money in Education Philanthropy
January 5th, 2015
Philanthropic foundations have been giving money to public education for years. In 1993, the Annenberg Challenge put $500 million towards […]
Rising prices on the poorest
December 16th, 2014
In January 2014 nearly a hundred college presidents gathered at the White House for a summit on the rising cost […]
How Much Will College Cost My Family?
December 8th, 2014
In 2011 the federal government required colleges and universities to publish “net price calculators” on their web sites. These tools […]
Bridging the “Middle Skills” Gap
December 1st, 2014
There’s a paradox in today’s job market: even though there are millions of people looking for work, employers say they […]
Academic Fraud and College Athletics
November 24th, 2014
College sports are big business in the United States. Unpaid student athletes help bring in millions of dollars for top […]
The Utility of a PhD
November 17th, 2014
Humanities professors at colleges and universities are re-thinking what it means to offer a PhD. The old model is proving […]
What’s unfair about college grad rates
November 4th, 2014
It’s no coincidence that college graduation rates are highest for the most selective schools. The Department of Education metric considers […]
How to help students hope
October 27th, 2014
What if educators looked for strengths rather than weaknesses in students? A mindset that focuses on assets and talents could change […]
What teachers need
October 14th, 2014
In her new book, Building a Better Teacher, Elizabeth Green explores how teaching works. She says teachers’ skill and knowledge […]
Intelligence is achievable and other lessons from The Teacher Wars
October 7th, 2014
Good teachers know that intelligence is achievable. That knowledge informs how they act in the classroom. In part two of […]
Teaching: The most embattled profession
October 1st, 2014
In The Teacher Wars, author Dana Goldstein explores the roots of today’s fights about education. From tenure to desegregation, teacher training to …
Video games: New literacy for a complex world
September 24th, 2014
Author James Paul Gee says video games are problems to solve that come with their own tools. He challenges educators […]
Ed researchers: Colleges can do more for students, especially in a bad economy
September 18th, 2014
Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa’s new book, Aspiring Adults Adrift, follows 2009 college graduates into the world of work and […]
Ready to Work: Reviving Vocational Ed
September 11th, 2014
The New Face of College
September 4th, 2014
Greater Expectations: The Challenge of the Common Core
August 28th, 2014
The Science of Smart
August 21st, 2014
Reinventing college for a new kind of student
August 4th, 2014
Long-predicted demographic changes mean a new kind of student is figuring out where to go to college, and how to […]
Is school funding fair?
July 29th, 2014
Even though public schools are supposed to provide free education to anyone who enrolls, their quality can vary from state […]
Who Needs College?
July 22nd, 2014
In May Stephen Smith was invited to be on a panel in Minneapolis that focused on the value of higher […]
Unionizing Adjuncts
July 15th, 2014
A growing number of adjunct faculty at colleges and universities across the country are voting to unionize. Data from the […]
Kids and Data Mining
July 8th, 2014
The government wants to collect data on America’s children. And that has parents across the country more than a little […]
Inside the Common Core: Math
July 1st, 2014
The second of a series on what’s inside the Common Core State Standards. Last week we heard about the English […]
Inside the Common Core: ELA
June 24th, 2014
What do children need to know in school to be prepared for the future? That’s the question that drives a […]
Military-Friendly Campuses
June 17th, 2014
Members of the military and their spouses face more challenges than traditional students when it comes to getting a college […]
Is Coding Fundamental?
June 10th, 2014
Next fall, dozens of school districts nationwide will offer new computer coding classes. Advocates say computer programming is a fundamental […]
Sexual Assault on Campus
June 3rd, 2014
This spring, the Obama administration announced it was joining the effort to hold colleges and universities more accountable for sexual […]
The Education Gender Gap
May 27th, 2014
A new report says middle-schoolers who get Bs and Cs are less likely to finish college than their peers who […]
College Bang for the Buck
May 20th, 2014
For decades young people have been told that college is the path to prosperity. And research bears that out. But […]
The Kalamazoo Promise
May 13th, 2014
In 2005, a group of philanthropists decided to fund a scholarship program for public high school graduates in Kalamazoo, Michigan. […]
Degrees of Inequality
May 6th, 2014
Higher education has long been an engine of social mobility in this country. But today’s college choices may actually be […]
Navigating the Financial Aid System
April 29th, 2014
Spring is the time of year when college acceptance letters start landing in the mailboxes – and inboxes – of […]
Yes We Must
April 22nd, 2014
A new majority of students going to college are low-income, Hispanic or African-American, and from the southern or western United […]
School Counseling Crisis
April 15th, 2014
California schools have an average of 1,000 students for every guidance counselor. The American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio […]
Problem-Solving Skills and Jobs
April 8th, 2014
A new international survey of 15-year-olds shows students in the United States are pretty good problem solvers. The Organization for […]
Holding Online Schools Accountable
April 1st, 2014
A new survey shows online K-12 schools under-performing brick-and-mortar schools. Recommendations include specialized teacher training for virtual …
Don’t Wake a Sleeping Teenager
March 25th, 2014
Neuroscience research says teenagers don’t just like to sleep; they need to sleep. A new CDC study suggests early high […]
The Attainment Agenda
March 18th, 2014
A new book says success for low-income college students should be a national priority. There’s no G.I. Bill or Higher […]
The SAT Gets Revamped
March 11th, 2014
The College Board announced last week that it’s going to redesign the SAT exam by spring 2016. Will a new […]
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Struggle to Compete
March 4th, 2014
Until the end of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and early ’70s, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) […]
Remaking Education
February 25th, 2014
A new paper says teachers shouldn’t be held accountable in a system that fails students. It suggests ways to take […]
Snow Days and Test Scores
February 18th, 2014
Snow days have been plentiful in 2014. What impact do they have on student test scores? Guest: Joshua Goodman, Professor […]
Helping Community College Students Graduate
February 11th, 2014
About half of all college students in the United States go to community colleges and only a third of those […]
Can Teach for America Keep Its Promise?
February 4th, 2014
Teach for America wants to close the achievement gap by sending future leaders to some of the nation’s toughest schools. […]
Does Teach for America Need Reforming?
January 28th, 2014
A new study says Teach for American may be more costly than valuable. Guest: Julian Vasquez Heilig, Professor of Education, […]
Improving Teacher Ed
January 21st, 2014
Many schools of education are awful, experts say. A new system for accrediting teaching colleges may add rigor and improve […]
A Conservative Defends Common Core
January 14th, 2014
Conservative and liberal activists across the country are speaking out against Common Core State Standards. But Michael Petrilli, who works […]
This College Breaks the Mold
January 7th, 2014
At Quest University in Canada, there are no departments, no majors and no faculty ranks. Classes are co-taught by a […]
Talking to Baby
December 31st, 2013
Research shows the more words babies hear, the better they do in school. The achievement gap starts early; now so […]
Invent to Learn
December 24th, 2013
Many educators say the best way to learn is by combining what you learn in school with real-world practice and […]
College Un-Affordability
December 17th, 2013
The cost of college keeps going up. But family earnings are staying the same. This is leading to an unsustainable […]
The United States gets a “C”
December 10th, 2013
The results are in from academic tests of 15-year-olds in 65 countries and regions. PISA shows Finland slipping, Vietnam doing […]
Competency-Based Education
December 3rd, 2013
At most colleges, a degree is based on “seat time.” But economists argue that the number of college grads is […]
College in High School
November 26th, 2013
It’s not just Advanced Placement any more. A new trend is for students taking college classes for college credit while […]
Measuring School Improvement
November 19th, 2013
A new study finds that the emphasis on accountability since No Child Left Behind may be harming students, not helping […]
Grouping Kids by Ability: Drawbacks
November 12th, 2013
Grouping students by ability has become more prevalent since No Child Left Behind. But does academic “sorting” hurt low-performing students? […]
Grouping Kids by Ability: Benefits
November 5th, 2013
Is academic tracking good for our kids? New research shows gains in test scores when students are sorted by their […]
Trey Kay’s “The Long Game: Texas’ Ongoing Battle for the Direction of the Classroom”
October 29th, 2013
In November Texas plans to adopt new science textbooks which will be used in classrooms there for the next decade. […]
Adult Literacy Around the World
October 22nd, 2013
A new global survey shows that American adults scored below average in literacy and math skills, even though they’ve gone […]
James Meredith’s Education Mission
October 15th, 2013
In 1962, James Meredith launched a one-man crusade to integrate the University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss. Today, […]
Smartest Kids in the World
October 8th, 2013
Kids in some other countries learn more at school than American students do. A new book says that’s about what […]
What Good Are Field Trips
October 1st, 2013
Tight budgets and more emphasis on test scores mean fewer field trips. New research shows how and why field trips […]
Crossing Class
September 24th, 2013
The Ivy League isn’t on the radar for most poor students. Travis Reginal defied the odds, and is now a […]
Delve into Deeper Learning
September 17th, 2013
Author of key report says students need both knowledge and know-how; content and the skills to apply it. Guest: Jim […]
Second-Chance Diploma: Examining the GED
September 1st, 2013
Teaching to Each
August 20th, 2013
Our guest says teachers must meet students where they are, even if that’s 40 different places. Guest: Carol Ann Tomlinson, […]
The Sweet Spot of Learning
August 13th, 2013
Kids are naturally curious, but not naturally good thinkers.How personalized learning may help them learn to think. Guest: Daniel Willingham, […]
Pitfalls of the Common Core
August 6th, 2013
A supporter-turned-critic of the Common Core says the new standards may hurt more than they help. Guest: Carol Burris, New […]
One Child at a Time: Custom Learning in the Digital Age
August 1st, 2013
Common Core Explained
July 30th, 2013
The Common Core State Standards will tell educators what to expect of students, but not what or how to teach. […]
Achievement Gap Among States
July 23rd, 2013
Why do students in some states do better than students in others? A new report says the gap in state […]
What to Teach
July 16th, 2013
The Core Knowledge Foundation says the Common Core State Standards will help schools know what to measure, but not necessarily […]
Exercise for the Brain
July 9th, 2013
Physical activity is good for learning. Yet many schools cut back on gym class and even cracking down on fidgeting. […]
The Cost of College
June 28th, 2013
With tuition rising and debt mounting, author Jeffrey Selingo helps parents and students do the math for college. Guest: Jeffrey […]
New Grad School for Teachers
June 21st, 2013
A new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality says most graduate schools of education don’t prepare teachers for […]
The Disruption of Blended Learning
June 14th, 2013
How online tools may change classrooms today and forever. Guest: Heather Staker, Christensen Institute
Learning to Excel
June 7th, 2013
Students are capable of excellent work. Some schools insist on it. Guest: Ron Berger, chief academic officer at Expeditionary Learning
Achievement Gap: For Richer or Poorer
May 31st, 2013
How family income may cause disparities in school achievement, and what to do about it. Guest: Sean Reardon, professor of […]
The Case for Choice and Charters
May 24th, 2013
A controversial principal with a compelling personal story on why tough love is what students need and teachers’ unions are […]
Anti-Pigeonhole Plan
May 17th, 2013
New research shows how classroom teachers may be able to combat the impact of stereotype threat and help close the […]
Teachers Training Teachers
May 10th, 2013
How one exemplary school district does professional development despite lean times. Long Beach, Calif. has become a national model by […]
Affirmative Action: Against
May 3rd, 2013
Why college admissions should be colorblind. The U.S. Supreme Court will soon rule on the latest affirmative action case. Last […]
Affirmative Action: For
April 26th, 2013
Why being colorblind is a fine aspiration and a dangerous policy. The U.S. Supreme Court will soon rule on another […]
After Atlanta: More or Less Cheating?
April 19th, 2013
A key analyst during the Atlanta cheating scandal tells us what can be done about cheating as Common Core standards […]
Rethinking Pell Grants
April 12th, 2013
Pell Grants have been helping low-income students go to college for 50 years. A new report recommends changing the way […]
Happy Teachers
April 5th, 2013
A new poll finds that American teachers lead the most satisfied lives, second only to physicians. What’s making our overworked, […]
MOOC Recruiting
March 29th, 2013
There’s a talent war for computer engineers in Silicon Valley. That’s why MOOCs are getting in the head hunting game, […]
New GED Coming
March 22nd, 2013
In January of 2014, the GED exam is going digital, and it’s going to be harder to pass. This adult […]
Employers Want More From College Grads
March 15th, 2013
According to a new survey of employers, American colleges don’t produce enough qualified graduates for today’s workforce. Among the complaints: […]
Education Sequestration
March 8th, 2013
As the nation braces for cuts to federal programs under sequestration, a top education reporter describes how this new era […]
Financial Ed and the Common Core
March 1st, 2013
If students learn about personal finance in grade school, they’ll be more responsible spenders as adults. So goes the thinking […]
Project-Based Learning
February 22nd, 2013
A high school English teacher in Michigan says making videos of Shakespeare plays is better for students than memorizing facts […]
Beating the Odds
February 15th, 2013
We met Tracy Edwards last year during our reporting at the YES Prep charter school network in Houston, Texas. Unlike […]
Need-Based Aid
February 8th, 2013
Most private schools give out aid packages based on merit, often trying to compete for students from wealthy families who […]
Mississippi Charter Debate
February 1st, 2013
Mississippi legislators recently passed legislation that would allow charter schools in the state for the first time. In the Mississippi […]
The Decline of Catholic Education
January 25th, 2013
For much of the 20th century, a Catholic education was often a relatively inexpensive, higher-quality alternative to inner-city public schools. […]
Testing Teachers Reprise
January 18th, 2013
Teacher quality was in the news again last week with a PBS documentary about former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee […]
Merit Badges for Veterans
January 11th, 2013
Veterans who enter the workforce often have a tough time translating their military experience to “resume-ready” skills. But a new […]
Pre-K in OK
January 4th, 2013
Oklahoma is one of the most politically conservative states in the nation and it’s also home to one of the […]
eBay for Professors
December 28th, 2012
Ever heard of the self-employed college professor? Thanks to the efforts of the for-profit education company Straighter Line, some professors […]
School Safety
December 21st, 2012
According to the U.S. Department of Education, schools are actually safer than they’ve been in decades – which makes the […]
Popularity
December 14th, 2012
It turns out being popular in high school could actually be important later in life. New research from the University […]
Diverse Schools
December 7th, 2012
In the 1960s “white flight” sent many middle-class families from the cities to suburbs out of fear that the quality […]
Goodbye to Cursive
November 30th, 2012
Since handwriting is becoming less important in modern life, teaching cursive is going out of style in American schools. But […]
The Real Digital Divide
November 23rd, 2012
For a long time it was assumed that a “digital divide” existed between rich kids and poor kids. But emerging […]
Tuition by Major
November 16th, 2012
Florida governor Rick Scott is proposing a tiered pricing plan for the state’s colleges and universities that would cut tuition […]
The Military and the GED
November 9th, 2012
The GED test was created to help returning World War Two veterans who hadn’t graduated from high school have an […]
Crack Cocaine and Education
November 2nd, 2012
From the 1960s to the 1980s the educational achievement gap between blacks and whites was shrinking. But around 1990 high […]
University of Phoenix Slims Down
October 26th, 2012
The University of Phoenix is closing 115 of its campuses and learning centers and laying off about 800 employees. This […]
Parent Loan Debt
October 19th, 2012
When parents borrow money to pay for their children to go to college, they don’t often expect to be repaying […]
Elite Online Ed
October 12th, 2012
The Minerva Project is billing itself as the world’s first “elite” online university. Though still in development, its founder Ben […]
Tuition Discount
October 5th, 2012
Last month, Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn. announced plans to make a dramatic cut in tuition for the 2013-2014 […]
Re-Learning How to Write
September 28th, 2012
Some educators believe that honing analytical writing skills will improve student learning across disciplines. In an article in this month’s […]
Hidden Power of Character
September 21st, 2012
For years, educators have assumed that teaching students cognitive skills like reading and math was the key to preparing them […]
Keyboard College: How Technology is Revolutionizing Higher Education
September 13th, 2012
The Rise of Phoenix: For-Profit Universities Shake Up the Academy
September 6th, 2012
Grit, Luck and Money: Preparing Kids for College and Getting Them Through
August 30th, 2012
Economic Advantage of College
August 24th, 2012
Since the Great Recession began in 2008 many college graduates and their families have been wondering: what good is an […]
Mississippi’s Troubled Schools
August 17th, 2012
Mississippi has highest rate of childhood poverty of any state in the country. Research suggests that high-quality early childhood education […]
The Irreplaceables
August 10th, 2012
A new report claims that both the best and the worst teachers are leaving urban school districts at similar rates. […]
Report on For-Profits
August 3rd, 2012
This week, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and the Workforce released a report that was very critical of […]
MOOCs are Trending
July 27th, 2012
Massively Open Online Courses or MOOCS seem to be all the rage in elite higher education. Stanford, MIT, Harvard and […]
College in the New Economy
July 20th, 2012
At a conference earlier this year, APM economics editor Chris Farrell spoke before a group of college admissions officers, enrollment […]
Making it Through College
July 13th, 2012
Only 9 percent of low-income students complete a bachelor’s degree by age 24. Why are so many students quitting college, […]
Boys and Girls
July 6th, 2012
Do boys and girls learn differently? According to the National Association for Single-Sex Public Education, boys and girls show significant […]
The Art of Medical Education
June 29th, 2012
A prestigious medical school is trying an unusual way to teach young doctors to be more observant. ARW assistant producer […]
Elite College for All
June 22nd, 2012
Coursera is a new consortium of top colleges and universities that have joined together to offer what’s known as Massively […]
Three-Year Degree
June 15th, 2012
As the cost of tuition increases faster than the rate of inflation, condensing a bachelor’s degree down to three years […]
College Possible
June 8th, 2012
The road to college starts for many kids as early as middle school as they decide what courses they’re going […]
College Study Time
June 1st, 2012
Are college students learning less than they used to? Some recent, high-profile studies suggest the answer is yes. One reason […]
Housing Boom and College Choice
May 25th, 2012
A new study finds that lower- and middle-class families whose housing value increased during the boom of the late ’90s […]
Open Textbooks
May 18th, 2012
The average college student spends upwards of $1,000 a year on textbooks. The University of Minnesota recently announced a project […]
Virtual Tutor
May 11th, 2012
The University of Phoenix’s parent corporation, Apollo Group, recently bought Carnegie Learning – a company that developed something called a […]
Examining Mega Foundations
May 4th, 2012
The president of one of the nation’s largest philanthropies joins us to address recent critiques that foundations are playing too […]
Advocacy Philanthropy
April 27th, 2012
A new research paper focuses on the so-called “advocacy philanthropy” of the two largest higher education grant-makers in this country. […]
Flipping the Classroom
April 20th, 2012
This week we talk to a teacher who’s helping lead the “flipped” classroom movement. Instead of spending class time lecturing […]
College for All?
April 13th, 2012
The United States has the highest college dropout rate of any industrialized nation, at 40 percent. In a commentary for […]
Income Achievement Gap
April 6th, 2012
One of the fundamental goals of modern education is to encourage upward social mobility. But some critics say that colleges […]
Making Textbooks Cheaper
March 30th, 2012
As most college students know, textbooks are not cheap. Now, champions of the “open access” movement are working to make […]
Being a Phoenix
March 23rd, 2012
One in ten college students goes to a for-profit college. Schools like the University of Phoenix have been scrutinized for […]
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