WAMU 88.5FM American University Radio

A Year in the Life of a DC School - Part 4

This week, we come to the end of our four-part series on DC's Webb/Wheatley Elementary School - and the attempt to transform it. The thing that everyone wants to know, of course, is - is it working? How much is the school changing? Dan Charles has the final story in our series, 'A year in the life of a DC School.'

'Turnaround' Schools

The epicenter of the school reconstitution movement may well be Chicago. When Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, he took several of the city's chronically underperforming schools and handed them over to the Academy for Urban School Leadership. The AUSL calls them 'Turnaround Schools.' We're joined by the Executive Director of the AUSL, Dr. Don Feinstein.

Fred Fiske: Same-Sex Marriage

Former president Bill Clinton and former vice president Dick Cheney both spoke about same-sex marriage in the last few weeks... and senior commentator Fred Fiske says he had trouble telling them apart.

(Later in the show, writer Reuben Jackson talks about the DC Council decision to recognize same-sex marriages.)

A Month of Gardening Tips - Part 1

June is gardening month. Well, at least that's what we're calling it here on Metro Connection. As we head into heat and humidity season, we'll have tips and planting ideas to help you have a successful summer in the garden. We'll be joined every week in June by Kathy Jentz, editor and publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine.

What Counts as Green Collar?

From green thumbs... to green collars. At the heart of President Obama's economic recovery plan is the promise of new 'green collar' jobs. Workers concerned about being laid off from their blue collar gigs are starting to wonder what those new jobs will look like. Julie Grant reports.

Our feature comes courtesy of The Environment Report.

SilverDocs Preview

We're enjoying some of the longest days of the year in the DC region - with sunrise at 5:42 am and sunset after 8:30. What better time to sit in a darkened theatre for a week? Now in its seventh year, the 8-day SilverDocs documentary festival will present over a hundred films from over 60 countries... and it all begins on Monday, June 15th. From a documentary about the 'Best Worst Movie'... to a film about New Orleans residents searching for missing pets after Hurricane Katrina... Critic Bari Biern brings us a preview of three of the films.

Reuben Jackson: Words Like Punches

The DC City Council vote to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions has sparked debate across the city. Writer Reuben Jackson had a front row seat to one neighborhood discussion.

Reuben Jackson is a writer living in the District.