Education Podcast with John Merrow | PBS
Veteran correspondent John Merrow and Learning Matters produce podcasts focusing on educational issues such as reform, best practices and testing in k-12 and higher ed. For over 30 years John has used media to encourage and enrich public dialogue about education. Learning Matters has a 11 year history of producing outstanding reportage for PBS that continues to inform the general public, policymakers and those specializing in education. Learn more at: http://www.pbs.org/merrow
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Sometimes One Brick at a Time Isn't Fast Enough-Education Podcast with John Merrow #94
New Orleans’ new Superintendent of Schools, Paul Vallas, has received national attention for his sweeping initiatives – free laptop computers for every high school student, an extended school day, a special school for overage underachievers. So how does his boss, the State Superintendent of Schools …
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Community Engagement and Public School Reform-Education Podcast with John Merrow #93
Parent advocate Margot Berkey is thrilled about the prospect of lasting school reform in Washington, DC. But can such reform take place without community input? In this podcast, Berkey discusses the ramifications of what she sees as a lack of transparency on the part of DC schools leaders. AUDIOD …
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Push Them to a Cliff-Education Podcast with John Merrow #92
How do the best superintendents of the nation deal with the everyday challenges of running school districts? How do they negotiate the obstacles and develop innovative solutions to ensure that education remains a priority? Last September Rudy Crew, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public School …
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Everybody's Doing It-Education Podcast with John Merrow #91
College sports conjure up conflicting images from academics to athletics scandals. Our newest documentary, Big Time Losers, examines the contradictions of this multi-million dollar industry. In this podcast, Lute Olson--interviewed in the film--talks about the educational aspects of college sports a …
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Bold Initiatives in New Olreans-Education Podcast with John Merrow #90
If you were put in charge of one of the worst school districts in the country would you give high school students free laptops? Well, that’s exactly what Paul Vallas has done. Now several months into his superintendency of the Recovery School District in New Orleans, Vallas is betting on some bold …
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A Union Leader on the Hot Seat-Education Podcast with John Merrow #89
George Parker, the president of the teachers’ union in Washington D.C., is now negotiating a new contract with School Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Rhee wants to make it easier to fire ineffective teachers, but Parker says she already has enough power. In this audio podcast, hear how Parker balances t …
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Daily, Weekly, Monthly-Education Podcast with John Merrow #88
The Federal law known as No Child Left Behind has generated a massive amount of testing data. But is the data useful in the classroom? Jay McClain, principal at Bailey’s Elementary School in Fairfax County, VA, discuss how NCLB impacts his job. AUDIODuration: 11:14
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One Little Snapshot-Education Podcast with John Merrow #87
5th grade teacher Betsy Walter sees her students making progress – but often, tests required by the federal law known as No Child Left Behind tell a different story. Walter, who once worked for Senator Kennedy, a sponsor of the law, discusses how NCLB evaluates her students. AUDIODuration: 12:29
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Teachers at the Table-Education Podcast with John Merrow #86
Every Spring, the state teachers of the year travel to Washington to meet the President. But this year, they planned an event of their own – 50 of the state teachers of the year held a press conference calling for 10 major changes to the Federal law known as No Child Left Behind. Hear Maddie Fenne …
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The Right Answer-Education Podcast with John Merrow #85
The Federal Law known as No Child Left Behind tests reading and math each year in grades three through eight. But is the testing helping kids learn how to apply knowledge in the real world? Lynn Riggs, a science teacher in Fairfax County, Virginia, worries that students are learning how to give th …
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Honoring the Reality-Education Podcast with John Merrow #82
Anthony Cody is a National Board Certified Teacher with 18 years of classroom experience under his belt. But Anthony Cody is no longer teaching--he left the profession several years after the No Child Left Behind was passed. In this podcast, hear Cody explain why left, why it’s difficult for teac …
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Recovery School District: A New Beginning?-Education Podcast with John Merrow #84
Amanda Sias, Kady Amundson and Jason Denlinger—three teachers at Rabouin High School, one of New Orleans’ lowest performing schools designated to the Recovery School District—debate whether their new, optimistic Superintendent, Paul Vallas, can turn around a district plagued by historical failure an …
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Young and In Charge-Education Podcast with John Merrow #83
Washington, DC’s new and inexperienced superintendent, 37-year-old Michelle Rhee, discusses her plans to reshape the school district’s traditionally unresponsive central office and boost student achievement. AUDIODuration: 15:26
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We Needed Something Radical-Education Podcast with John Merrow #81
Michelle Evans was appalled by the conditions at her son’s middle school – and so she changed them. Using a provision of No Child Left Behind, Evans lead the fight to convert Gompers Middle School to a charter school. Hear Evans, who many call a hero, describe the struggle and success of the effor …
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The Political Will to Change-Education Podcast with John Merrow #80
During Alan Bersin’s 7-year tenure as San Diego’s Superintendent of Schools he often found himself at the center of the controversy. Hear this nationally-known educational reformer share some of the lessons he learned fighting to improve failing schools. AUDIODuration: 21:30
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Radical Reform in San Diego-Education Podcast with John Merrow #79
San Diego's Keiller Middle School re-invented itself as a charter school, and for the first time in ears, students are meeting the requirements of No Child Left Behind. So why, asks Executive Director Patricia Ladd, is the local school system treating it like an adversary? AUDIODuration: 19:19
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Game Changer-Education Podcast with John Merrow #78
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings responds to John Merrow’s questions about loopholes in the federal law known as No Child Left Behind. Is the law truly holding states accountable for educating all children? AUDIODuration: 14:26
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Three Quarters of the Way to the Moon-Education Podcast with John Merrow #77
Though the federal law known as No Child Left Behind requires annual testing in reading and math, states develop their own tests and decide where to set the bar. Conservative education guru Chester Finn discusses these and other loopholes in No Child Left Behind and tells us why it’s politically i …
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A Look Back at No Child Left Behind-Education Podcast with John Merrow #76
As the opportunity to reauthorize No Child Left Behind draws near, criticism of the law is mounting. But when President Bush signed the law early in his first term, it enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support. In 2001, John Merrow spoke with the President's Domestic Policy Advisor Margaret La Monta …
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Violence in the Media-Education Podcast with John Merrow #75
Does watching a violent movie increase the likelihood that a child will herself become violent? Does a focus on violent media distract from other crucial factors that turn kids violent? John Merrow asks Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of “Why They Kill,” about how our culture crea …
Education Podcast with John Merrow | PBS
