During American Graduate week, WAMU 88.5 spotlights high school dropout crisis in D.C.

Special programming includes WAMU 88.5 News documentary focused on local efforts to curb dropout rates;
June town hall with area teachers in partnership with WHUT-TV and WETA

WAMU 88.5 today unveiled a weeklong schedule dedicated to American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen, a public media initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — working with national partners, such as America's Promise Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — to help local communities across America find solutions to address the dropout crisis.

American Graduate week, which runs April 30-May 4, will feature special rebroadcasts of reports from WAMU 88.5 News education reporter Kavitha Cardoza’s nine-part series exploring the region’s dropout problem. The reports will air daily during Morning Edition and All Things Considered. At 9 p.m., Thursday, May 3, the WAMU 88.5 News documentary Fighting the Odds follows one of the lowest-performing schools in the District and explores the city’s dropout crisis through the eyes of students, teachers, administrators, and parents.

The week’s programming also includes specials focused on how schools in other parts of the nation are faring. At 9 p.m., Monday, April 30, American RadioWorks’ Put to the Test examines high-stakes testing at a high school in Greensboro, N.C. Airing at 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, Mind The Gap: Why Good Schools are Failing Minority Students takes a look at how one New Jersey high school is working to bridge the divide between the performance of black and Latino students and that of whites. Oakland, Calif., where fewer than half of public school students earn diplomas, is the subject of The Drop Out Dilemma, airing at 9 p.m., Wednesday, May 2.

WAMU 88.5, WHUT-TV, and WETA will also bring together 100 local teachers for a candid conversation about the challenges they face as educators in the region’s public schools. Moderated by WAMU 88.5’s Morning Edition host Matt McCleskey, the discussion will air on WAMU 88.5 at noon, June 7.

For more information on WAMU 88.5’s American Graduate series and the teacher town hall, or related news and public service announcements and links to local educational resources, visit the American Graduate series page.