An in-depth exploration of education in the 21st century South.
Millions of American high school students graduate this spring, and many aren’t ready for what’s next – college or career. In some states, students are swamped with mandatory tests to gauge what they’ve learned, how they learned, and how good of a job their teacher does. John King, confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Education in March, talks about these issues, education reform challenges, and more.
Students who don’t speak English as their first language – or “language minorities” – rank toward the bottom in almost every measure of academic achievement. Moral and legal concerns aside, even if their population were to stop rising, the situation signifies a looming hit to the national and regional economies. [...]
Students who don’t speak English as their first language, or “language minorities,” are some of the most socially and economically disadvantaged in our nation and in the South. So far in our series we’ve looked at two dual-language schools (a more common description since the phrase “bilingual schools” became politically [...]
As public schools become more linguistically diverse, some see bilingual or “dual-language” programs as a way to improve education for all – English speakers too. Yesterday we checked out an innovative dual-language school in a low-income Georgia neighborhood just outside Atlanta. Today we’ll visit a program 50 miles to the [...]
The number of Latinos in America’s schools is rising faster than any other group’s. And their share of the school population is rising fastest in the South. Many don’t speak English as their first language, making them “language-minorities.” And the question of how best to educate them is becoming crucial in places with little bilingual history – places like Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. So WBHM and the Southern Education Desk are kicking off a four-part series on language-minority education in the South. In Part One, we cross the border (into Georgia) to see an innovative school and a counterintuitive concept in action.
In case you missed this recent national story: Lots of young people who love animals want to be veterinarians, but vet school is demanding and expensive. And the work is less “cute and cuddly” than many realize. Even so, there are more vets than there’s work for them to do. Our Alabama reporter Dan Carsen starts this story from an Auburn University “vet camp” that may be part of the solution. *With previously unpublished photos. WARNING: Some viewers may photos disturbing.
When it comes to making cuts to pre-K – where is the nation making the deepest cuts? This interactive map shows what pre-K funding looks like across the nation and recaps recent developments in the South.
An education reform group in Tennessee has released findings on state evaluations based on statewide educator feedback. Reporter Christine Jessel in Knoxville shares her notes on the story.
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