Education

November 19, 2021

Influential authors Fountas and Pinnell stand behind disproven reading theory

The education professors double down on a flawed approach that encourages pictures and context to read words. Heinemann — their publisher — faces harsh criticism.

August 19, 2021

Inside the college mental health crisis

Colleges are struggling to meet the surging demand for mental health services on campus, and some schools are wrestling with how much care they owe students.

August 3, 2021

The U.S. may never regain its dominance as a destination for international students. Here's why that matters.

Colleges and universities in the United States attract more than a million international students a year. Higher education is one of America’s top service exports, generating $42 billion in revenue. But the money spigot is closing. The pandemic, visa restrictions, rising tuition and a perception of poor safety in America have driven new international student enrollment down by a jaw-dropping 72 percent.

July 28, 2021

Texas company fuels rise of for-profit teacher training programs

Texas Teachers of Tomorrow has become the largest teacher training program in the nation, offering a low-cost online program. While it’s lowered barriers and helped diversify the workforce, this approach to training hasn’t solved chronic teacher shortages.

October 16, 2020

Influential literacy expert Lucy Calkins is changing her views

In a major shift, the controversial figure in the fight over how to teach reading now says that beginning readers should focus on sounding out words, according to a document obtained by APM Reports.

August 6, 2020

Many kids struggle with reading – and children of color are far less likely to get the help they need

A false assumption about what it takes to be a skilled reader has created deep inequalities among U.S. children, putting many on a difficult path in life.

July 29, 2020

On the Navajo Nation, college students navigate a curfew and digital dead zones

The pandemic is making getting through college harder for students on the wrong side of the digital divide. In rural Arizona, when campuses closed, some students couldn’t log on from home, because they had no access to the internet. A local sheriff flew laptops and hotspots to community college students on the Navajo Nation.

July 29, 2020

Some colleges that weathered the Great Depression and two world wars won't survive Covid-19

The long tradition of students attending small, residential liberal arts colleges around the country was already shaky before the pandemic. Students are choosing less expensive options and more practical degrees. Experts warn that 10 percent of American colleges — about 200 or more institutions — are on the verge of going under. The pandemic is accelerating that trend.

July 29, 2020

A Florida university plans to reopen with a mandatory screening app, fewer people in classrooms, and a pilot study of virus-sniffing dogs

Colleges and universities are under pressure to reopen, but bringing students back on campus safely means dealing with dizzying logistics. As the virus surges in Miami, a large commuter campus gets ready.

May 15, 2020

Michigan reaches settlement in landmark right-to-literacy case

The governor won't contest a court ruling that found students have a constitutional right to learn to read and agrees to more funding for Detroit schools.

April 30, 2020

Is learning to read a constitutional right?

A federal court recently ruled that underfunded schools in Detroit violated students' right to a basic education. Advocates hope the case is the beginning of a trend.

October 8, 2018

What to do if your child's school isn't teaching reading right?

After our recent examination of why American kids aren't being taught to read well, we received a ton of questions, mostly from parents. So we went to the experts to get answers.

August 27, 2018

She was a first-generation college student looking for a different life

For Katy Sorto, college seemed like the way to a different life. But she had no idea how hard it would be.

August 20, 2018

Did going to college change your social class?

We asked some of our readers and listeners to tell us about their experiences with college and social mobility. Here are a few of their stories.

October 24, 2017

States' laws to support dyslexic children mostly lack funding, accountability, training mandates

A recent APM Reports documentary showed how schools aren't adequately complying with a decades-old federal law but new state laws are failing to help struggling readers, too.

September 11, 2017

College dreamers in Trump's America

President Trump is ending a program that allowed some young, undocumented immigrants to stay and work in the United States. For some, that may mean the end of a dream of going to college. APM Reports tells the stories of young immigrants fighting for a piece of the American Dream and examines the historical events that brought us to this moment.

September 11, 2017

In Ohio, parents demand change for dyslexic kids

The school district needed a new approach. The teachers needed training.

September 11, 2017

What is dyslexia? An interview with neuroscientist Guinevere Eden

Guinevere Eden directs the Center for the Study of Learning at Georgetown University Medical Center. In this interview with APM Reports correspondent Emily Hanford, she explains what scientists are learning about what happens in the brain when a child learns to read — and what's different in the brain of someone with dyslexia.

September 4, 2017

History shows slavery helped build many U.S. colleges and universities

As more schools begin to confront their participation in slavery, they also consider how to make amends.

August 28, 2017

Schools in poor, rural districts are the hardest hit by nation's growing teacher shortage

As in many parts of the country, remote McDowell County in West Virginia is having a hard time finding and keeping teachers. Vacancies are often filled by substitutes unqualified for the roles they must assume, and the isolated location deters many new hires.

August 28, 2017

A fellowship of the few: Black male teachers in America's classrooms are in short supply

Only 2 percent of the nation's teachers are black men. Increasing their numbers would benefit students of all backgrounds. In Philadelphia, a group forms to double the number by 2025.

August 28, 2017

Why are there so few black male teachers?

Only 2 percent of teachers in American public schools are black men. Why so few? Here's what the data show.

August 21, 2017

A Supreme Court case 35 years ago yields a supply of emboldened DACA students today

Four immigrant families sued the Tyler, Texas school district in 1977 after their children were kicked out and required to pay for a public education. Five years later the court ruled in favor of the families, citing equal protection. It allowed generations of undocumented children to learn next to American-born peers and have a fair chance in life, say experts. And their journeys contributed to a presidential order in 2012 that protected undocumented immigrants from deportation and allowed them to work.

April 10, 2017

Undocumented students learning lessons from civil rights era

The federal government sets immigration policy, but states decide how much access undocumented immigrants have to their public colleges and universities. Georgia has some of the strictest policies in the country.

September 8, 2016

College behind bars: Keeping an idea alive

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

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