Jun 03 In Mississippi, Growing Vegetables in a ‘Food Desert’ By Lea Winerman Mississippi has the highest rate of childhood obesity in the country -- 44 percent of kids ages 10 to 17 are obese or overweight. Recently, the NewsHour health unit traveled to the state to look at some causes of --… Continue reading
Jun 03 Watch States Grapple With Funding Education Amid Budget Shortfalls Classroom cuts are looming, as the school year winds down for many states facing budget shortfalls. Jeffrey Brown reports on the potential layoffs and the new contract ratified by teachers unions in Washington D.C. Continue watching
May 20 Watch In Detroit Schools, State Takeover Leads to Leadership Dispute Correspondent John Merrow reports on the progress of Detroit's public school system, following last year's tumultuous takeover by the state of Michigan, following allegations of corruption, a $316 million hole in its budget and tumbling enrollment. Continue watching
Apr 29 Conversation: Winner of the 2010 Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest By Molly Finnegan Earlier this week, 53 students from around the nation gathered in Washington for the 2010 Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, an annual event that encourages the love of spoken word among young people. Continue reading
Apr 29 Crist’s Independent Bid Opens New Political Frontier in Florida By Quinn Bowman Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to announce Thursday afternoon that he will run as an independent in the race to fill an open Senate seat. How would Sunshine State voters react to a three-way race? We ask two political… Continue reading
Apr 28 Wednesday on the NewsHour: Tim O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried’ Turns 20 By Molly Finnegan Thursday on the NewsHour, a book about war that has stood the test of time. Jeffrey Brown talks to Tim O'Brien about his landmark work, "The Things They Carried," a piece of fiction based on the author's experience serving in… Continue reading
Apr 20 Watch New Community College Standards Could Hike Graduation Rates Community colleges are playing an increasing role in the country's higher educational system, but a high percentage of their students never finish their coursework. Jeffrey Brown talks to experts about a new national accountability standard aimed at bolstering graduation rates. Continue watching
Apr 07 D.C. Schools Chancellor, Teachers Union Reach Tentative Deal Washington, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has reached a tentative deal with the city's teachers' union for a new five-year contract. Rhee came to Washington in 2007 with an ambitious plan to reform the city's troubled schools, but has… Continue reading
Apr 07 Watch New Orleans Schools See Progress Despite Troubles In his ongoing look at efforts to turn around ailing schools in New Orleans and Washington, D.C. John Merrow reports on the use of alternative school programs in Louisiana and progress on negotiations between a teachers union and public schools… Continue watching
Mar 31 Jaime Escalante, Inspiration for ‘Stand and Deliver,’ Dies at 79 Jaime Escalante, the former Los Angeles mathematics teacher whose work with low-income students inspired the 1988 film "Stand and Deliver," died Tuesday after a battle with bladder cancer. He was 79. Escalante was a strong advocate for education reform,… Continue reading