Audio Documentaries

The APM Reports documentary unit, formerly American RadioWorks, produces programs about education, history, justice and more.

August 28, 2017

Keeping Teachers

There may be nothing more important in the educational life of a child than having effective teachers. But the United States is struggling to attract and keep teachers.

February 17, 2017

Historically Black, Part 3

The Question of Black Identity, Black Love Stories

February 10, 2017

Historically Black, Part 2

Tracking Down a Slave's Bill of Sale, The Path to Founding an HBCU, The Fiddler who Charmed Missouri

February 3, 2017

Historically Black, Part 1

NASA's Human Computers, Harlem Through James Van Der Zee's Lens, The Spirit of the Million Man March

September 8, 2016

Rewriting the Sentence: College Behind Bars

After an abrupt reversal 20 years ago, some prisons and colleges try to maintain college education for prisoners.

September 1, 2016

What It Takes: Chasing Graduation at High-Poverty High Schools

The nation's high school graduation rate is at an all-time high, but high-poverty schools face a stubborn challenge. Schools in Miami and Pasadena are trying to do things differently.

August 25, 2016

Spare the Rod: Reforming School Discipline

A get-tough attitude prevailed among educators in the 1980s and 1990s, but research shows that zero-tolerance policies don't make schools safer and lead to disproportionate discipline for students of color.

August 18, 2016

Stuck at Square One: The Remedial Education Trap

A system meant to give college students a better shot at succeeding is actually getting in the way of many, costing them time and money and taking a particular toll on students of color.

May 12, 2016

Thirsty Planet

In much of India, getting enough water is a low-tech affair. In some places, women draw water by hand; in others suicide rates among farmers have risen because drought and dropping water tables make their lives difficult.

May 12, 2016

Bought and Sold: The New Fight Against Teen Sex Trafficking

The nation is changing the way it thinks about teen sex trafficking. States have decriminalized it for teens and offered help, and some are attacking the demand for commercial sex.

September 10, 2015

Beyond the Blackboard: Building Character in Public Schools

This documentary explores the "Expeditionary Learning" approach, traces the history of ideas that led to its inception, and investigates what American schools could learn from its success.

September 3, 2015

From Boots to Books: Student Veterans and the New GI Bill

The longest war in American history is drawing to a close. Now, the men and women who served are coming home, and many hope to use higher education to build new, better lives.

August 27, 2015

Teaching Teachers

Research shows good teaching makes a big difference in how much kids learn. But the United States lacks an effective system for training new teachers or helping them get better once they're on the job.

August 20, 2015

The Living Legacy: Black Colleges in the 21st Century

Before the civil rights movement, African Americans were largely barred from white-dominated institutions of higher education. And so black Americans, and their white supporters, founded their own schools, which came to be known as Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

November 13, 2014

The First Family of Radio: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's Historic Broadcasts

When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932, he and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt both used the new medium of radio to reach into American homes like never before.

September 11, 2014

Ready to Work: Reviving Vocational Ed

Vocational education was once a staple of American schooling, preparing some kids for blue-collar futures while others were put on a path to college. Many experts say it's time to bring back career and technical education.

September 4, 2014

The New Face of College

Just 20 percent of college-goers fit the stereotype of being young, single, full-time students who finish a degree in four years. College students today are more likely to be older, part-time, working, and low-income than they were three decades ago.

August 28, 2014

Greater Expectations: The Challenge of the Common Core

The United States is in the midst of a huge education reform. The Common Core State Standards are a new set of expectations for what students should learn each year in school.

August 21, 2014

The Science of Smart

Researchers have long been searching for better ways to learn. In recent decades, experts working in cognitive science, psychology, and neuroscience have opened new windows into how the brain works, and how we can learn to learn better.

September 1, 2013

Second-Chance Diploma: Examining the GED

Most test-takers hope the GED will lead to a better job or more education. But critics say the GED encourages some students to drop out of school. And research shows the credential is of little value to most people who get one.

August 1, 2013

One Child at a Time: Custom Learning in the Digital Age

Learning with a personal tutor is one of the oldest and best ways to learn. Hiring a tutor for every student was never a realistic option. Now, new computer programs can customize education for each child.

September 13, 2012

Keyboard College: How Technology is Revolutionizing Higher Education

Digital technologies and the Internet are changing how many Americans go to college. From online learning to simulation programs to smart-machine mentors, the 21st-century student will be taught in fundamentally new ways.

September 6, 2012

The Rise of Phoenix: For-Profit Universities Shake Up the Academy

For-profit colleges have deep roots in American history, but until recently they were a tiny part of the higher education landscape. Now they are big players.

August 30, 2012

Grit, Luck and Money: Preparing Kids for College and Getting Them Through

More people are going to college than ever before, but a lot of them aren't finishing. Low-income students, in particular, struggle to get to graduation.

September 3, 2011

Don't Lecture Me: Rethinking the Way College Students Learn

College students spend a lot of time listening to lectures. But research shows there are better ways to learn. And experts say students need to learn better because the 21st century economy demands more well-educated workers.

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