An in-depth exploration of education in the 21st century South.
With an influx of Tennessee Promise students heading to community college in a few weeks, one program is trying to prepare some of them for coursework before the first day of college. The three-week Summer Bridge program is part of an effort to decrease the number of community college students — usually a high percentage — who have to take remedial classes in reading or math during the school year.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The high school students attending summer classes in Upward Bound will most likely graduate on time and get a diploma. But they’re giving up summers and Saturdays during the school year with an eye on what happens after high school. That’s one goal of Upward Bound– a [...]
Remember when you could get a job with just a high school diploma? By 2020, it’s projected that 65 percent of jobs will require a diploma, AND, higher education. Upward Bound is more than doubling the chances of low-income, first-generation students graduating and going to college nationwide, including 6,500 in the Deep South. Today, Louisiana Public Broadcasting producers Kevin Gautreaux and Shauna Sanford take a look at this federally funded program and its summer work.
Fewer reading materials in the home. Less access to camps or museums. Those are some reasons summer learning loss disproportionately affects low-income kids. There are many in the South, which can hamper efforts to raise graduation rates. But in Part Two of this Southern Education Desk series, WBHM’s Dan Carsen reports on “GEAR UP Alabama” — a wide-ranging federally funded attempt to meet those challenges, and more.
National education leaders are trumpeting recent increases in high school graduation rates, yet about 20 percent of kids still dropout before completing high school. That number jumps significantly among the Southern poor in places like Alabama and Mississippi. And it costs money. Dropouts earn less and governments pay more to support them. One possible solution? Make summer a season of learning for students that could help them stay engaged and in school. Sherrel Wheeler Stewart kicks off our series on Summer Learning and its impact high school graduation.
Tourists driving through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park discovered a new attraction this summer. Archaeologists from the National Park Service and the University of Tennessee opened three big holes in a field. But it was who was digging those holes that surprised most folks who stopped by.
Ever heard of “stealth learning?” That’s what its called when kids have so much fun with hands-on projects that they may not even realize it is learning. That’s exactly what a group of students in public housing in Knoxville, Tennessee, is experiencing this summer.
Summer vacation is rapidly drawing to a close, and many students will end the summer further behind academically than when it started. Research shows that students lose, on average, a month’s worth of learning over the summer. Low-income students lose more, which exacerbates achievement gaps. In Savannah, one program is pushing low-income students ahead in school by summer’s end – through a combination of work and play.
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