Education Podcast with John Merrow | PBS

Michelle Rhee continues her sweeping changes with a teachers union contract that aims to rid the system of ineffective teachers. But the union itself has to approve it. What will happen to happen those deemed ineffective? AUDIO Duration: 6:45

George Parker is charged with negotiating the two-tiered contract that Michelle Rhee has proposed. But the union seems divided and Parker has 4,000 teachers that he has to answer to. The rest of the education world is watching as well. AUDIO Duration: 6:45

Bob Compton is a venture capitalist and entrepreneur whose documentary film, 2 Million Minutes, takes a look at how six high school students from United States, China and India spend their high school years (two million minutes in total). We talked with Compton at the Republican National Convention where he was screening his film. AUDIO Duration: 6:45

Deborah Meier has spent more than four decades working in public education. A MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius,” she founded Central Park East Elementary school and, later, Central Park East Secondary School. Deborah Meier is currently on the faculty of NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education as senior scholar and adjunct professor. We spoke with her about the U.S. educational system and what advice she has for the next President. AUDIO Duration: 10:53

Urban education expert Michael Casserly explains why New Orleans' Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas deserves an 'A-' for his first year on the job. AUDIO Duration: 9:56

Paul Vallas talks about his successes, challenges and strategies for making change in the New Orleans Recovery School District. AUDIO Duration: 18:58

Michelle Rhee talks with John Merrow about her controversial first year as DC Public Schools Chancellor and what she has planned for year two. AUDIO Duration: 16:29

George Parker, president of Washington DC's Teachers Union, shares some astonishing confessions about the lack of accountability in the union and how it's affecting competition between public and charter schools. AUDIO Duration: 13:07

Michelle Rhee has the full support of DC Mayor Adrian Fenty in her quest to overhaul the DC Public School System. What do DC parents, community activists and attorneys have to say abou her tactics? AUDIO Duration: 16:22

Are alternatively certified teachers changing the face of teaching in the New Orleans’ Recovery School District? It seems like it: nearly 30 percent of the teachers in Paul Vallas’ Recovery School District have not been trained in traditional programs, which can last as long as 4 years. We talk with one such teacher who just completed her first year as a second grade teacher. AUDIO Duration: 13:47

William Lockridge served as an elected official on the DC school board for over 9 years. Now through mayoral control, the school board has been dissolved leaving Mr. Lockridge and other community members with little say in what is happening in DC schools. AUDIO Duration: 11:56

When Wendy Kopp was a college senior she had an idea: what if, as she believed, some of America’s top college students chose teaching over higher-paying professional jobs? She decided to put her idea into action and at 21 years old, Kopp raised 2.5 million dollars and started Teach for America in 1990. Today, Teach for America (TFA) is the country’s largest provider of teachers for America’s low-income communities. Wendy Kopp sat down with us to talk about TFA’s core values, some bright alums (including Michelle Rhee) and how TFA is influencing DC and New Orleans school districts. AUDIO Duration: 9:54

Last month the Education Writers Association (EWA) held its 61st national seminar in Chicago. We went and had the chance to interview D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee in front of national press. In this podcast, Rhee addresses some tough questions and speaks candidly about her work and the recent controversy that her proposals have stirred up. AUDIO Duration: 21:12

"Democracy at Risk" is a new report that documents where we are with education today, and it’s not good news. Last week we attended an event at the National Press Club that highlighted the release of this new publication. This podcast features George Miller's talk at that event. AUDIO Duration: 12:09

"Democracy at Risk" is a new report that documents where we are with education today, and it’s not good news. Last week we attended an event at the National Press Club that highlighted the release of this new publication. This podcast features John Deasy's talk at that symposium. AUDIO Duration: 7:24