Professional Development. 60 minutes
This program, hosted by Judy Woodruff, examines the major challenges for U.S. schools in the face of global competitiveness. Topics addressed in its five segments include teacher training; measuring student progress; preparing students for a future in a rapidly changing world; ensuring that all students achieve; and the current school funding system. Shot primarily in Ohio, which encompasses considerable geographical and socioeconomic variety, the program will feature schools in urban Cincinnati, suburban Columbus, rural Belpre and the rust belt city of Youngstown. These examples will be contextualized by an array of nationally recognized educational experts and leading proponents of educational reform, including Geoffrey Canada, CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone; Diane Ravitch, education historian; Wendy Puriefoy, president of Public Education Network; Chester Finn, senior fellow at the Hoover Institute; and others.