Education Podcast with John Merrow | PBS

A college football championship special. Sociologist and civil rights activist Dr. Harry Edwards on the problematic college sports system that deserves to be saved. Duration: 37:00 AUDIO

One of the country's top education researchers discusses the federal law known as No Child Left Behind at a meeting of Phi Delta Kappa in Washington, D.C. AUDIO Duration: 21:42

What does it take to turn around a failing school? John Merrow talked to three so-called turnaround specialists hired by the state of Virginia to save its underperforming schools. AUDIO Duration: 36:38

When veteran principal Parke Land signed up to become a Turnaround Specialist, he fully expected to transform the failing middle school to which he was assigned. In Part IV of our serial coverage, the surprising conclusion to our story. VIDEO

The U.S. Department of Education has decided to support single sex public schools, classrooms and activities, removing the legal ambiguity created by two apparently conflicting laws, Title IX and No Child Left Behind. In this week's podcast we report on a public school's experiment with single sex classrooms. As you will see, this experiment began accidentally, the result of a computer glitch. VIDEO Duration: 11:31

A roundtable discussion with superstars of urban education. John Merrow moderates a symposium with the finalists for the Broad Prize for Urban Education. Which district comes out on top? The envelope, please . . . Broad Symposium Duration: 1:01:08

The current system of public school funding is plagued by inequity. Is the weighted student formula education's silver bullet or a smoke screen? John Merrow moderates a debate about a controversial new proposal. Cynthia G. Brown, Director of Education Policy, Center for American Progress provides an overview. The panelists were Arlene Ackerman, former superintendent, San Francisco; Rod Paige, former secretary of education; John Podesta, President and CEO, Center for American Progress; and Michael Rebell, executive director, the Campaign for Educational Equity. AUDIO Duration: 53:24

One year after the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer profiled five rookie teachers assigned to an underperforming school in Brooklyn, New York, we revisited them with a special guest: the man who created their Teaching Fellows program, Schools Chancellor Harold Levy. The Fellows got their chance to 'sound off' on all the issues they faced in their first year of teaching. See what happens when they meet in our final installment of Making the Grade. VIDEO Duration: 11:10

Over the course of a school year, five NYC Teaching Fellows have tackled every classroom challenge that's come their way, including disruptive students, violence, high pressure testing, and the reality of becoming teachers with almost no training. We've watched them overcome the jitters of their first day of school and struggle to maintain control of their classrooms. Two of their colleagues at PS 25 in Brooklyn quit early in the year, and one of our rookies, Renee Cason, came close. She admits I hate this year but also promised she would not throw in the towel. In this NewsHour episode, the sixth of seven, you'll find out if she makes it and hear the rookies reflect on all they've faced. VIDEO Duration: 11:36

This week's podcast is the fifth of seven NewsHour pieces that follow several first year Teaching Fellows assigned to one of the worst public schools in New York City. In our fifth installment, the Fellows learn how to teach to the test, preparing their students for high stakes testing that could get them off the list of lowest performing schools. VIDEO Duration: 11:49

This week's podcast is the fourth of seven NewsHour pieces that follow several first year Teaching Fellows assigned to one of the worst public schools in New York City. In our fourth installment, we visit the Fellows at their local college, where they are taking classes aimed at improving their teaching techniques. Are these classes actually helping them in their own classrooms? VIDEO Duration: 14:05

This week's podcast is the third of seven NewsHour pieces that follow several first year Teaching Fellows assigned to one of the worst public schools in New York City. In our third installment, two Teaching Fellows drop out and another struggles to maintain control of her classroom. VIDEO Duration: 12:53

This week's podcast is the second of seven NewsHour pieces that follow several first year Teaching Fellows assigned to one of the worst public schools in New York City. In our second installment, the realities of being an inexperienced teacher sets in, the Fellows get a visit from the principal and the district superintendent, and one teacher gets assaulted in class. VIDEO Duration: 12:11

The first of seven NewsHour pieces that follow several first year teachers assigned to one of the worst public schools in New York City. In our first installment, you will meet Teaching Fellows Dana, Scott, Renee, and Jack, who are assigned to PS 25 in Brooklyn, a K-8 school known for its low academic performance. (VIDEO) Duration: 14:49

The US Army's struggles to meet its recruiting quotas are well known. Less publicized is the Army's efficient recruiting machine that visits high schools. Two years ago the US Army granted us complete access to its high school recruitment process, and we followed the team to a large San Diego high school. (VIDEO) Duration: 11:40