2004
NOVEMBER
November 30, 2004
Disappearing Dropouts
Special correspondent on education John Merrow reports from Florida on the changing numbers of high school dropouts.

November 23, 2004
Abstinence Education
Fred de Sam Lazaro of Twin Cities Public Television looks at the debate over abstinence-only sex education programs in schools.

November 17, 2004
Cabinet Choice
Margaret Warner leads a discussion with Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House Education Committee, and Diane Ravitch, the assistant secretary of education during the first Bush administration, about the nomination of Margaret Spellings to replace Rod Paige as the secretary of education.

AUGUST
August 24, 2004
Joy of Reading
Jeffrey Brown examines whether Americans are reading enough in a conversation with Dana Gioia, head of the National Endowment for the Arts.

August 18, 2004
Charter Schools
The American Federation of Teachers released an analysis this week of a Department of Education study, which found that fourth-grade students in public schools are more proficient in reading and math than their counterparts in privately run charter schools. Gwen Ifill speaks with Bella Rosenberg, special adviser to the president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Department of Education Undersecretary Nina Rees.

August 17, 2004
Turning Around
The St. Louis School District turned to a New York firm for help after an audit revealed it was spending around 40 percent more than the national average per pupil and only 5 percent of its high-school juniors could read at a proficient level. Correspondent John Merrow examines St. Louis' experiment to allow a private firm to run its public schools.

JULY
July 19, 2004
Underfunded Schools
Decreased funding has caused many public schools across the nation to struggle to stay afloat. Spencer Michels reports on the detrimental effect budget cutbacks have on schools located in lower income areas in California.

JUNE
June 24, 2004
Students Stay Home
Graduate programs at several U.S. universities have seen a considerable decline in the number of applications from foreign students after stricter post-9/11 regulations for student visas were enforced. Betty Ann Bowser examines the impact at some Colorado universities.

June 22, 2004
The Best and the Brightest
One of the most difficult exams at some of the nation's elite colleges is the initial admissions process. Education correspondent John Merrow takes a behind-the-scenes look at the admissions process at Amherst College.

MAY
May 25, 2004
Gifted Education
John Merrow continues his series on the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act with a look at the law's effects on school programs for gifted students.

APRIL
April 20, 2004
Testing Matthew
President Bush's education initiative No Child Left Behind introduced standardized testing to all American classrooms. John Merrow looks at the impact of the act on students in special-education classes.

MARCH
March 15, 2004
School Rules
The Department of Education relaxed some of the new standards in the No Child Left Behind program as part of a series of steps to make the law more palatable in schoolrooms around the country. Gwen Ifill speaks with Deputy Education Secretary Gene Hickok and Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa.

FEBRUARY
February 25, 2004
Saving Black Colleges
Many of America's esteemed black colleges are increasingly running in the red. John Merrow looks at the financial crises at some of these historic institutions.

JANUARY
January 8, 2004
Reading, Writing and Politics
President Bush's No Child Left Behind education reform act passed with broad bipartisan support two years ago, but many Democrats say the bill has not delivered what it promised. Margaret Warner gets two perspectives on the No Child Left Behind Act from Gov. Tom Vilsack, D-Iowa, and acting Deputy Secretary of Education Eugene Hickok.