APM Reports: Focus on Education

Series produced by American Public Media

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From preschool to the post-secondary years, this series of documentaries explores the question, "What kinds of education are needed for people and communities to thrive in the 21st century?"

From preschool to the post-secondary years, this series of hour-long documentaries explores the question, "What kinds of education are needed for people and communities to thrive in the 21st century?" Stephen Smith and Emily Hanford pursue meaning behind research in how we learn and teach, and what's being done across the country to strengthen our systems of education.


30 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Keyboard College: How Technology is Revolutionizing Higher Education
From: American Public Media
Series: APM Reports: Focus on Education
Caption: Gary Hotsfall, a student at Western Governor’s University Washington. WGU is a network of nonprofit online universities., Credit: Stephen Smith
Digital technologies are changing how many Americans go to college - from online courses to robo-tutors. Can these innovations make college cheaper...

Bought by WMUU-LP, WUFT, KZYX, KMXT, and KOSU


  • Added: Nov 14, 2012
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 5
Grit, Luck and Money: Preparing Kids for College and Getting Them Through
From: American Public Media
Series: APM Reports: Focus on Education
Caption: YES Prep students at an informational session at the University of Oklahoma. YES Prep is a charter school network that serves a low-income population in Houston, Tex. and focuses on getting all of its students accepted into 4-year colleges. , Credit: YES Prep Public Schools
Why are so many low-income students quitting college, and what leads a few to beat the odds and make it through? (8/30/2012)

Bought by WMUU-LP, KPIP-LP, KERA, and New Hampshire Public Radio


  • Added: Nov 14, 2012
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 4
Who Needs an English Major? The Future of Liberal Arts Education
From: American Public Media
Series: APM Reports: Focus on Education
Caption: The campus of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., founded in 1874. , Credit: Steve Woit, courtesy of Macalester College.
The most popular college major in America these days is business. Does it pay to study liberal arts? (9/8/2011)

Bought by WMUU-LP, WHRV, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, WTIP, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio and more


  • Added: Sep 08, 2011
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 6
Don’t Lecture Me: Rethinking the Way College Students Learn
From: American Public Media
Series: APM Reports: Focus on Education
Caption: College students in a Maryland science class. Some professors are abandoning the traditional lecture because research suggests it's not very effective, but lecture classes are still common. , Credit: Emily Hanford
Most college students spend a lot of time listening to lectures. But research shows there are better ways to learn. (9/1/2011)

Bought by WUFT, WMUU-LP, KPIP-LP, WTIP, KZYX and more


  • Added: Sep 01, 2011
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 7
Some College, No Degree: Why So Many Americans Drop Out of College, and What to Do About It
From: American Public Media
Series: APM Reports: Focus on Education
Caption: A student picks up new job skills at the Tennessee Technology Center in Murfreesboro, a technical school where many people who have quit college go to improve their chances in an increasingly competitive economy. , Credit: Doug Strickland
37 million Americans are college dropouts. What wlll it take to get them back? (8/25/2011)

Bought by WMUU-LP, WTIP, KWIT, and NPR Illinois


  • Added: Aug 26, 2011
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 4
Testing Teachers
From: American Public Media
Series: APM Reports: Focus on Education
Caption: Teacher Joe Curtis working with a student at Hardy Elementary School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Credit: Emily Hanford
Kids need good teachers. It’s something people know instinctively. But experts disagree over how to measure teacher quality. (8/26/2010)

Bought by WMUU-LP, C89.5 - KNHC Seattle, KPIP-LP, KMUZ, WTIP and more


  • Added: Mar 17, 2011
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 10
Rising by Degrees
From: American Public Media
Series: APM Reports: Focus on Education
Caption: Students on their graduation day from Montgomery College, a community college in Maryland. Most young Latinos looking for a way up through higher education choose community college, but a lot of them never make it to graduation day. , Credit: Emily Hanford
Young Latinos are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, and they are among the least likely to graduate from college. (11/5/2009)

Bought by WESM 91.3 FM, KPIP-LP, KQED, KZYX, Nevada Public Radio and more


  • Added: Mar 17, 2011
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 7
Early Lessons
From: American Public Media
Series: APM Reports: Focus on Education
Caption: A student in a preschool classroom at River Breeze Elementary, a public school in Palatka, Florida. Preschool used to be a radical idea, but now the majority of American children go to preschool. , Credit: Stephen Smith
There’s been a quiet revolution in America’s schools over recent decades. We’ve added an extra grade to a child’s education: Preschool. (10/29/2009)

Bought by WMUU-LP, C89.5 - KNHC Seattle, WSKG, KPIP-LP, KMUZ and more


  • Added: Mar 17, 2011
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 9
Put to the Test
From: American Public Media
Series: APM Reports: Focus on Education
Caption: Students take a standardized test at a high school in Greensboro, North Carolina., Credit: Billy Barnes
There’s been a dramatic change in public education over the past 10 years and it’s all about numbers. (9/6/2007)

Bought by C89.5 - KNHC Seattle, KPIP-LP, NPR Illinois, WTIP, KERA and more


  • Added: Mar 17, 2011
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 10
The Rise of Phoenix: For-Profit Universities Shake Up the Academy
From: American Public Media
Series: APM Reports: Focus on Education
Caption: A class at the University of Phoenix's Hohokam campus in Arizona. Phoenix is the nation's largest for-profit university and largely serves working adults. , Credit: Brian Pobuda/University of Phoenix
The rapid rise of career-oriented, for-profit colleges and universities has provoked heated debate about the costs, quality and purpose of higher e...

Bought by WTIP


  • Added: Nov 14, 2012
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 1

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