John Merrow Podcast
John Merrow, an education reporter for over 30 years and correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, profiles significant issues in k-12 and higher education.
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A Principal's Perspective-Education Podcast with John Merrow #99
Principal L. Nelson Burton must raise test scores at Washington, DC???s troubled Coolidge Senior High School ??? but he says that half of his teachers are not effective. AUDIODuration: 11:23
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Listen Up! Turns 10-Education Podcast with John Merrow #98
Listen Up!, a Learning Matters??? arm, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year! Ten years ago we started with a small idea but realized something big: young people can use video to change their lives and to change their communities. Listen Up has since become the biggest network of its kind, cr …
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Just One of Me and A Lot of Them-Education Podcast with John Merrow #97
Helen Miller is a single mother in New Orleans??? Ninth Ward. She works full time to provide for her family of five. Despite Superintendent Paul Vallas??? recent initiatives to keep children in school and out of the street, Ms Miller still struggles. She doesn???t want her 16 year-old son, Antoine, …
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DC Mayor Weighs In-Education Podcast with John Merrow #96
Mayor Adrian Fenty and Chancellor Rhee are moving quickly to make big changes in DC???s failing schools. But their controversial proposal to fire central office employees and close 23 schools has left some feeling that that they are moving too fast. In this podcast, Mayor Fenty gives Chancellor R …
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A Cost of War-Education Podcast with John Merrow #95
How do we reward our veterans for putting their lives on the line? Most soldiers say they want an education, but the current benefits offered through the GI BIll are inadequate to say the least. According to Virginia Senator Jim Webb, a former marine and Vietnam vet, it's a problematic cost of wa …
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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 Sch …
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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 bo …
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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 balance …
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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: 12:2 …
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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 Fen …
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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 te …
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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 fail …
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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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Young and In Charge in D.C.-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 e …
John Merrow Podcast
