Education

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.

August 22, 2019

How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers

For decades, schools have taught children the strategies of struggling readers, using a theory about reading that cognitive scientists have repeatedly debunked. And many teachers and parents don't know there's anything wrong with it.

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

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 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 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.