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Education We've been to school. We know how education works. Right? In fact, many aspects of learning — in homes, at schools, at work and elsewhere — are evolving rapidly, along with our understanding of learning. Join us as we explore how learning happens.

Education

For-Profit Colleges Under Senate Microscope

Are for-profit colleges taking low-income students to the cleaners or helping them improve their lives? That question found its way to a Senate hearing on Thursday. One whistle-blower testified that schools mislead students about job prospects.

For-Profit Colleges Under Senate Microscope

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For-Profit Colleges Hold Rally Against Loan Rules

Colleges that are run for profit are rallying against a proposal to limit how much money their students can borrow. With the Senate holding a hearing on the for-profit colleges, several schools bused in students for a rally at the Capitol.

For-Profit Colleges Hold Rally Against Loan Rules

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Television

Ex-Sitcom Star Tony Danza Turns To Teaching

One of the most striking reality shows this fall features Tony Danza -- the actor from Taxi and Who's the Boss -- teaching 10th grade English in a Philadelphia public school.

Ex-Sitcom Star Tony Danza Turns To Teaching

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National

Leaders Tackle Challenges Of Education Reform

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, discusses challenges of education reform as part of the Tell Me More series on education. Host Michel Martin speaks with Randi Weingarten about education reform as well as her role in the widely acclaimed documentary "Waiting for Superman."

Leaders Tackle Challenges Of Education Reform

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RFK's Son Blocks Ayers From Getting Emeritus Status

WBEZ Chicago

University of Illinois professor Bill Ayers co-wrote a book in 1973 and dedicated it in part to Sirhan Sirhan, Robert F. Kennedy's assassin. Kennedy's son now chairs the university's board, and when the soon-to-retire Ayers requested emeritus status, it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the request was denied.

RFK's Son Blocks Ayers From Getting Emeritus Status

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Is $100M Gift Enough To Save Newark Schools?

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced Friday he is giving $100 million to improve the public schools in Newark, N.J. The Newark schools are among the nation's worst. They've been under state control for 15 years, and millions of public and private dollars have already been poured into them. Yet student test scores and graduation rates remain low. What can Zuckerberg's gift do to change that?

Is $100M Gift Enough To Save Newark Schools?

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Facebook CEO's Gift: Image Control Or Philanthropy?

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during a news conference in August at company headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Business

Facebook CEO's Gift: Image Control Or Philanthropy?

Some industry insiders question the timing of Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million donation to public schools in Newark, N.J. It was announced just ahead of the opening of an unflattering film about the tech wunderkind's rapid rise.

Opinion

Barbershop

'Shop Talk': It's All About Education

As part of Tell Me More's month-long back-to-school focus on education, host Michel Martin talks education with the guys in the barbershop. Included in the discussion are the movie “Waiting for Superman,” and the travails of embattled DC Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, and the angry dad who faced down his daughter’s bullies. Joining the conversation are Jimi Izrael, a freelance journalist and Presidential Fellow at Case Western Reserve University; Lester Spence, a professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University and home schooled his children; Claudio Sanchez, NPR’s education correspondent and former schoolteacher; and Jay Mathews, education columnist for The Washington Post.

'Shop Talk': It's All About Education

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Opinion

BackTalk

Listeners Relate To Discussion On Moms In College

Host Michel Martin and producer Lee Hill, the program's "digital media guy," comb through listener feedback and offer important news updates to recent conversations heard on the program. Hear listeners relate their own personal stories to a recent conversation on the challenges faced by parents who juggle pursuing their delayed college dreams with raising a family. Also, a New Orleans police officer is headed to prison for his role in covering up a 2005 shooting that left two people dead in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Listeners Relate To Discussion On Moms In College

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Politics

Critics Call Child Nutrition Bill Counterproductive

The legislation would be paid for in part by cutting future food stamp benefits. But critics note that defeats the purpose of a bill intended to help low-income children get healthier meals. The White House backs the Senate bill, which has bipartisan support.

Critics Call Child Nutrition Bill Counterproductive

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Davis Guggenheim, Looking For A Hero At Your House

Her Answer, Due: Daisy, one of the five students profiled in Davis Guggenheim's documentary Waiting for Superman, has her college and career plans already mapped out. Paramount Vantage hide caption

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Paramount Vantage

Movie Interviews

Davis Guggenheim, Looking For A Hero At Your House

The director of An Inconvenient Truth sets out to challenge audiences on the topic of our educational system the way he challenged them on climate change. The solution, his film argues, will come only when everyone stands up to make a change.

Davis Guggenheim, Looking For A Hero At Your House

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World

Has The U.N. Made The World A Better Place?

The United Nations set an ambitious goal for 2015 -- to end extreme poverty and improve the lives of billions worldwide. Melinda Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, U.N. special advisor Jeffrey Sachs, and Amina Az-Zubair, advisor to the president of Nigeria, provide a status check on the U.N. Millennium Development Goals.

Has The U.N. Made The World A Better Place?

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Politics

Critics, Activists Await Congressional Vote On DREAM Act

This week the U.S. Congress votes on the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors bill, or DREAM Act. Host Michel Martin talks with NPR education correspondent, Claudio Sanchez, about the topic. The legislation would permit students meeting certain guidelines to enroll in college although they are not legal U.S. residents. Opposition to the bill is profound, but advocates say the act is beneficial to the students and the colleges they attend.

Critics, Activists Await Congressional Vote On DREAM Act

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