2012 MAY
May 21, 2012

Helping High School Youth Learn by Doing
Since 1994, YouthBuild has trained 110,000 high school dropouts around the country to put up houses for their community and think critically in the classroom while earning their GEDs or diplomas. As part of the American Graduate series, Paul Solman reports on a program designed to keep kids learning inside and outside of class.

  

May 18, 2012

Chronic Absenteeism -- Not a 'Casual Decision'
There's an assumption that in order to do well in school, you have to be in school. But new data suggests that 5 to 7.5 million students, especially from low-income areas, are missing more than one month of school a year.

May 17, 2012

Florida Journalism Program Gives Students Reason to Stay in School
Student Leon Tomlinson joined Journeys in Journalism in third grade and said that the program was one of the main reasons he now excels in the classroom.

May 17, 2012

Young Journalists at Work
Over the course of reporting a story on a communications magnet program in St. Petersburg, Fla., the NewsHour met many students going through the K-12 "Journeys in Journalism" program. View a slideshow of their work.

May 16, 2012

8th-Grade Journalist Spotlights Violence in School, Hopes Obama Will Notice
How does violence affect students' ability to learn? That's what eighth-grader De'Qonton Davis and his classmates set out to investigate as part of the NewsHour's Student Reporting Labs project in partnership with PBS station WEDU in Tampa. The students produced a unique video report that they hope President Obama will see.

  

May 16, 2012

What Does a First-Grade Journalist Look Like?
On a cool April morning the first graders from Teresa Scott's class silently make their way into a multimedia classroom where they gather once a week to learn the ins and outs of journalism.

May 10, 2012

'I Am an American Graduate' - Presenting the Class of 2012
As graduation season approaches, we invite you to share your graduation story with the American Graduate project. We will curate them on our "I Am an American Graduate" Pinterest board, in partnership with other public media partners across the country.

May 7, 2012

Ndegeocello Credits Arts Education With Redefining Path to Success
With nine studio albums under her belt and a world tour under way, bass player Meshell Ndegeocello was in her hometown of Washington, D.

May 2, 2012

Ask Melinda Gates Your Question About Education Reform
Next week, Melinda Gates will sit down with Hari Sreenivasan to talk about the Gates Foundation's work in the field of education, and we'd like to hear your suggestions.

APRIL
April 25, 2012

In Indiana School District, Dropouts Have Tech Alternative to Regular Classroom
In Shelbyville, Ind., Melissa Lakes and the Student Achievement Center provide at-risk students with technology-enhanced hands-on learning. But it wasn't always like that. Part of the American Graduate project, Learning Matters' John Tulenko profiles one school district that wholly responded to its "dropout nation" epithet.

  

April 25, 2012

An American Graduate in New Mexico
As part of the American Graduate project, Ray Suarez visits a school in New Mexico, where he talks to teenagers about the value of education.

April 25, 2012

'Dropout Nation' Turnaround: How Shelbyville Fixed its Dropout Problem
In 2006, TIME Magazine featured Shelbyville, Indiana under the headline "Dropout Nation." With a graduation rate of 75 percent, Shelbyville was the poster child for the dropout crisis in America. Since then, the community has dramatically shifted its strategy and attitude when it comes to helping students get their diploma.

April 17, 2012

'Reclaim Your Future': Vegas Aims to Change Odds for High School Dropouts
Trying to entice wayward students back to class in Las Vegas, Chaparral High School Principal David Wilson led teams into communities to knock on doors in search of dropouts. Ray Suarez reports on an offbeat approach starting to show some signs of success in a city that ranks near the bottom in the nation for graduation rates.

  

April 17, 2012

Hoping to Change Odds, Las Vegas Gambles on Once-Failing School
Fist bumps and high-fives -- it's how principal David Wilson interacts with students as he walks down the halls of Chaparral High School in Las Vegas. The unconventional style is a trademark of Wilson, who was brought to the high school in 2010 as part of a turnaround effort by the Clark County School District.

April 17, 2012

In Sin City, Out-of-Work Adults Double Down on Education
The recession hit many Las Vegans very hard. That, in turn, has led to many of the unemployed or under-employed to re-evaluate their skills. Some have chosen to try to earn a GED. And that desire has led to a surge in enrollment in the Community Multicultural Center's GED program.

April 13, 2012

As 'Bully' Opens, the Bullied, Bullies and Bystanders Weigh In
Video editing by Thaisi Da SilvaA 12-year-old is harassed on the school bus, a 16-year-old lesbian is ostracized by her community and a young girl brings a gun to school to face her bullies.

April 6, 2012

Need to Know: Philadelphia's 'Project U-Turn' Aims to 'Recapture' Dropouts
On Friday's "Need to Know," our public media colleagues tell the story of Justin Rudd, a high school dropout who lived on the streets of Philadelphia -- a city where roughly 40 percent of ninth-graders don't mange to graduate in four years.

April 5, 2012

The Education Conversation
In this week's Education Conversation, we take a a look at campus tragedies, increasing student loan debt, and more.

MARCH
March 26, 2012

Join a Live Chat Friday at 2 p.m. ET on Learning Differences
The NewsHour Health team recently looked at the challenges students with learning differences face as part of our ongoing American Graduate series.

March 22, 2012

Learning Differences and the Arts
Many students with learning disabilities lack confidence in some of the typical classroom activities but shine in the arts. At Henderson Inclusion Elementary School in Boston, a third of the students are disabled and the curriculum is filled with things like dancing, theater and visual arts.

March 21, 2012

Engaging Students With Learning Differences Early On
Students with learning differences are twice as likely as their peers to drop out of high school, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities. Betty Ann Bowser visited an elementary school that practices early intervention -- engaging students with technology and art to improve their chances of earning a diploma.

  

March 21, 2012

6 Tips for Parents of Students With Learning Differences
After being diagnosed with ADHD and multiple learning disabilities, Daniel Paris was able to move from high school dropout to Harvard graduate student. Read Paris' advice for parents of children with learning differences.

March 21, 2012

From High School Dropout to Harvard University Graduate Student
Frustrated by his struggles in school, Daniel Paris dropped out of high school during his sophomore year. But after being diagnosed with ADHD and other learning disabilities, Paris finished high school, graduated from the University of Southern California and is now a graduate student at Harvard University.

March 19, 2012

Poetry from a 'Neurologically Impaired' Life
This is the story of a now-successful poet who once found it hard to write. A businessman who couldn't add. LeDerick Horne's learning disability almost caused him to become part of the U.S. dropout statistic. Almost.

March 19, 2012

Report: Graduation Rates Improve, but Hurdles Remain
A new report reveals progress is being made in the effort to curb the dropout rate among U.S. high school students, but some states have been more effective at keeping students in school than others.

March 16, 2012

Five Misconceptions About Learning Differences
Nearly 50 percent of special education students in the U.S. struggle with learning disabilities, but most Americans still struggle to define exactly what they are -- and just as importantly, what they aren't. Here's your 101.

March 13, 2012

Driver's License Incentives Used in Some States to Keep Teens in School
A growing number of state legislatures are using driving privileges as an incentive to keep students from dropping out of high school. States' laws vary, but the general premise is the same: If a student wants to stay on the road, he or she must stay in school. Hari Sreenivasan reports.

  

March 13, 2012

Can Lure of Driver's License Keep Kids in School?
For many teenagers, getting behind the wheel is a rite of passage. It's a step into adulthood that brings new freedoms and responsibilities. For a growing number of state legislatures, however, the driver's license is being used as an incentive to keep students from dropping out of high school.

FEBRUARY
Feb. 22, 2012

'Why I Go to School': An Antidote For Dropping Out
Every year, more than 1.3 million students drop out of high school. In our new project, we are asking students to choose an image that illustrates their motivations to stay in school. We'll "pin" them up on our Pinterest board "Why I Go to School."

Feb. 10, 2012

Schools Look to Holistic Approach to Improve Attendance
When it comes to lowering the high school dropout rate, many school leaders have found that something fairly basic works: the ABCs -- Attendance, Behavior and Class.

Feb. 8, 2012

In California, Some Students Rethink Dropping Out
Santa Barbara High School covers 40 acres in tree-lined hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a few miles away.

Feb. 2, 2012

California Photographer Captures Young Faces of Juvenile Detention
Photographer and University of California, Santa Barbara professor Richard Ross has spent five years documenting juvenile detention facilities throughout the nation. In his own words, Ross explains what he's seen. This report is part of NewsHour's American Graduate series on the U.S. dropout crisis.

  

Feb. 2, 2012

Juvenile Education: Inside a Confined World
Photographer and professor Richard Ross has spent the last five years documenting juvenile detention facilities throughout the nation. The NewsHour recently spoke with him in his studio at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Feb. 1, 2012

Gang Member-Turned-Ph.D. Mentors Youth on the Fringes
Victor Rios says he has lived two lifetimes. In his first, he was a gang member, juvenile delinquent and high school dropout. Now, he's a sociology professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who tries to help adolescents avoid the same mistakes he made and get second chances like he did. Ray Suarez reports.

  

Feb. 1, 2012

Join a Live Chat Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET on Dropouts and Delinquents
This week, the NewsHour's American Graduate team looks at juvenile justice and gang violence relating to the dropout crisis. Join a live chat Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET with Victor Rios, a former gang member turned sociology professor, and Richard Ross, a photographer who documents what life is like for young people in prison.

Feb. 1, 2012

One Man's Journey From Gang Member to Academia
Victor Rios says he has lived two lifetimes. In his first, he was a gang member, juvenile delinquent and high school dropout. Today, he's a sociology professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who studies at-risk youth.

JANUARY
Jan. 31, 2012

Mentoring Focuses on Building Relationships in Addition to Grades
Mentor Joytrease George and mentee Tianie Hazel's relationship did not begin with big smiles and jokes. Hazel reluctantly joined College Bound at the urging of her mother.

Jan. 20, 2012

The Education Conversation - South Carolina Edition
In this week's Education Conversation, we look at how GOP candidates score on education and why South Carolina's graduation rates are so low.

Jan. 20, 2012

Airman, Actors Seek to Inspire Youth with 'Red Tails'
"Nothing's difficult. Everything's a challenge. Through adversity to the stars. From the last plane to the last bullet to the last minute to the last man - we fight. WE fight! We FIGHT!"