Weekend America Voices
Emily Hanford
Recent Stories
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Some College, No Degree
In an economy that increasingly demands workers with knowledge and skills, many college dropouts are being left behind.
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New ideas for better teachers and schools
Contrary to what you'd think, teacher development days don't help teachers that much. So, schools and school districts are employing new tactics to improve teachers and attract new talent to schools.
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Testing Teachers
Teachers matter. A lot. Studies show that students with the best teachers learn three times as much as students with the worst teachers. Researchers say the achievement gap between poor children and their higher-income peers could disappear if poor kids got better teachers.
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More Latinos filling community colleges
Increasing numbers of students are starting their pursuit of higher education at community colleges. Among them are minorities, Latinos especially, who see the schools as a good first step. Emily Hanford reports.
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A push for Latinos to pursue education
Latinos are the fastest-growing part of the U.S. population. But Latino students are the least likely to get college degrees, so they're getting special attention. Emily Hanford reports.
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Rising By Degrees
The United States is facing a dramatic demographic challenge: Young Latinos are the fastest-growing segment of the population, and they are the least likely to graduate from college. Experts say the future of the American economy is at stake, because higher education is essential in the 21st century economy. Rising by Degrees tells the story of Latino students working towards a college degree--and why it's so hard for them to get what they want.
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Early Lessons
The Perry Preschool Project is one of the most famous education experiments of the last 50 years. The study asked a question: Can preschool boost the IQ scores of poor African-American children and prevent them from failing in school? The surprising results are now challenging widely-held notions about what helps people succeed -- in school, and in life.
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Tuition costs hurting students, colleges
Many private colleges don't have big endowments, so they rely on student tuition to pay the bills. But in this bad economy, students and their families are struggling with tuition and financial aid. Emily Hanford reports.
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Weighing the costs of a college degree
As college admissions letters are sent out, high school seniors and their families must weigh the prospect of going deep into debt for a degree. Emily Hanford reports from one school in Maryland.
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The Business of Pre-K
Some of America's most powerful business leaders are on their way to the resort town of Telluride this weekend. They'll be fishing and hiking in the steep Colorado mountains, and then they'll get down to business. What they want is to convince politicians to spend more money on early childhood education. Hedge fund managers, CEOs and chamber of commerce presidents may not seem like obvious advocates for the expansion of social programs, but they see the issue of preschool in dollars and cents.
