Storify
March 13, 2012
Written by Ian Hill
That’s a question KQED is asking as part of the American Graduate, an innovative new program designed to combat the dropout crisis. This question was posted at Spotify before the event, follow these responses. Which one of these comments did you most agree with?
Storify
March 13, 2012
Written By Ian Hill
Young people throughout our country are dropping out of school in high numbers. On March 13 KQED hosted a town hall meeting at Laney College in Oakland with teachers, students and others to discuss the dropout crisis. Follow the play by play on Storify.
EdSpace Blog
March 14, 2012
Written by Matthew Green
On March 13, teachers, education advocates, and a number of students filled the theater at Laney College in Oakland to address the problem, ask important questions, and share thoughts on how best to tackle this ongoing crisis in American education. The forum was part of American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, an initiative spearheaded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), in partnership with America’s Promise Alliance and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Moderated by Snap Judgement host Glynn Washington, Tuesday’s event centered around a panel of seasoned Oakland educators who spoke passionately about the extent of the crisis from their unique perspectives. While specific opinions and suggested courses of action varied widely, all participants were united in their insistence that a whole generation of young people are being left behind, and that urgent change is desperately needed.
Learn about the overarching themes discussed that night.
Watch Live! KQED Invites you to watch the Teacher Town Hall
March 13, 2012 from 5:40-8:00pm
Free live streaming by Ustream
Free live streaming by Ustream
New York Times
Written By Tamar Lewis
March 6, 2012
Black students, especially boys, face much harsher discipline in public schools than other students, according to new data from the Department of Education.
Although black students made up only 18 percent of those enrolled in the schools sampled, they accounted for 35 percent of those suspended once, 46 percent of those suspended more than once and 39 percent of all expulsions. Read more
KQED has launched American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen — a local initiative to help combat the dropout crisis in Oakland. KQED and Oakland’s Promise Alliance will address the issue by working with local schools, businesses and community organizations to raise awareness of the crisis and its impact on our communities.
We will be hosting a series of community events, including a Teacher Town Hall seeking to elevate teacher voices and opinions on the topic of drop out. Young people throughout our country are dropping out of school in high numbers and teachers are on the front lines of this national and local crisis. Bring your expertise and share what works for engaging and supporting urban youth at the American Graduate Teacher Town Hall.
Here are three easy ways to connect online:
Eventbrite: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/282989128
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/291728290885350/
This is a regional event- please share this invitation with friends and colleagues throughout the Bay Area!
Newshour American Graduate
February 1, 2012
Written By: Kelly Chen
This week, the NewsHour’s American Graduate team takes a look at juvenile justice and gang violence as it relates to the dropout crisis, with reports starting Wednesday on our broadcast and website.
Join us for a live chat* with two people featured in our series — Victor Rios, a former gang member and high school dropout turned sociology professor, and Richard Ross, a photographer who documents what life is like for young people in prison.
To participate in our live chat, join us here this Friday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. ET*. You can also leave your questions in the comments section below or tweet them to @NewsHourAmGrad using the hashtag #AmGrad.
The participants scheduled to join the chat (subject to change) include:
KQED Mind/Shift Blog
January 6, 2012
Written by Tina Barseghian
For Ebony Green, a career as a scientist might have seemed unlikely just last year.
The stereotypical outcome for girls like Ebony, an eighth-grader at Frick Middle School in a rough part of East Oakland, isn’t necessarily a high-paying job in science, math, engineering or technology. In fact, 40 percent of Oakland Unified School District students drop out.
Still, despite her surroundings and the legacy of her race, gender, family background, and income bracket, Ebony sees a different future for herself. She wants to be a pediatrician, or maybe a vet, and she’s starting to take steps to get there.
Last fall, without her mother knowing, Ebony enrolled herself in Techbridge, an after-school science and math program geared specifically to girls. She signed up for math tutoring at school because she’s struggling in the subject. And her science teacher, Ken Eastman, says she even came to his science class twice a day for a while.
Read more about Ebony and Techridge.
MindShift Blog
January 6, 2012
Written By Tina Barseghian
For Ebony Green, a career as a scientist might have seemed unlikely just last year.
The stereotypical outcome for girls like Ebony, an eighth-grader at Frick Middle School in a rough part of East Oakland, isn’t necessarily a high-paying job in science, math, engineering or technology. In fact, 40 percent of Oakland Unified School District students drop out.
Still, despite her surroundings and the legacy of her race, gender, family background, and income bracket, Ebony sees a different future for herself. She wants to be a pediatrician, or maybe a vet, and she’s starting to take steps to get there. To read the rest of this compelling article go to: MindShift
As part of the PBS American Graduate Program, I produced a segment for the PBS NewsHour on Ebony Green and Techbridge with correspondent Spencer Michels. Here’s the segment.
Originally Aired November 17, 2011
Albany, N.Y. currently reports a high school graduation rate of only 47 percent, and some other communities in the region are also struggling to see many of their students through to graduation. Elaine Houston moderates a discussion with an esteemed panel of education experts from New York’s Capital Region to consider what’s behind this alarming trend and what can be done to reverse it.
Watch American Graduate Town Hall on PBS. See more from WMHT SPECIALS.