WKAR and American Public Media Reports present a new four-part series of education documentaries — topics of interest to educators, parents, students, and anyone concerned with our country’s future. WKAR NewsTalk at 105.1FM and AM870 present the series Sundays at noon in October.
APM Reports is a collection of investigative journalists and documentary producers, editors, researchers and digital producers dedicated to producing high-quality reporting on issues that are often shrouded from public view. WKAR and APM explore a different topic every October Sunday from noon-1pm.
Program Topics:
October 7: Changing Class: Are Colleges Helping Americans Move Up
When it comes to helping kids from poor families move up the income ladder, America’s colleges could be doing much better. A new project by a group of economists shows that some colleges are accomplishing more than others in the promotion of social mobility. In fact, some colleges are doing more to exacerbate class divides. This APM Reports documentary explains what’s going on.
October 14: Still Rising: First-Generation College Students a Decade Later
Mario Martinez and Katy Sorto — both from low-income circumstances — were the first in their families to go to college. They started at community college in 2008 and hoped to earn degrees. But the odds were against them. This APM Reports documentary tells their remarkable stories 10 years later and provides a rare window on the personal experience of trying to move up through education.
October 21: Old Idea, New Economy: Rediscovering Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships can provide a ticket to the middle class for people who’ve been left behind by “college for all.” Supporters on both the right and the left say the “earn while you learn” approach can help create a more skilled workforce, provide a path to solid, middle-class careers, and serve as a needed corrective to the “college for all” push that has left some students with piles of debt and no obvious career.
October 28: Hard Words: Why American Kids Aren’t Being Taught to Read
More than half of American kids can’t read very well because schools are failing to provide effective reading instruction. Now, there is definitive evidence from neuroscience on how the brain learns to read, and it suggests very different approaches. This APM Reports documentary explores why the reading science is not making its way into American classrooms — or teacher preparation programs — and what can be done about it.
Host Stephen Smith is the executive editor and host of APM Reports. His work has received many national journalism awards, including the duPont-Columbia University Gold and Silver Batons, the Robert F. Kennedy, the Edward R. Murrow, and more.
