Back to School

September is the second cruelest month...

Table of Contents

Drop-Ins

Image by Sharat Ganapati
The Singing Substitute Teacher
Vermont Folklife Center Media, 04:06
Interview with substitute teacher in Middlebury, Vermont.
One Teacher's Story
Tina Antolini, 04:55
Mary Cowhey may be the kind of teacher students remember years after being in her second grade classroom.
This I Believe - Michael Oatman
This I Believe, 03:27
Ohio writer Michael Oatman believes education gave him a better life than his street-corner youth.
Commentary: Our Undervalued Teachers
Dick Meister, 03:36
Despite the great importance of teachers, they are by far the most poorly paid of all professionals.
"Fitting in" by Team Oak Park-River Forest High School
WBEZ, 02:44
Peer expectations in a teenage world are strong, and being confortable with who you are is a hard lesson to learn.
SERIES School Scenes
David Green, two drop-ins, one segment
Third Graders take listeners on a memory tour of their lives at school, recalling events from kindergarten to third grade.
Spelling Bee
Paul Sullivan, 05:19
A middle school spelling bee described as a boxing match.
Diary of a Football Mom
Katie Bausler, 05:30
A mother's unexpected angst over her son's last football season.
Backpacks Roadshow
Oregon Public Broadcasting, 04:46
A humorous exploration of an everyday school item. Perfect for back-to-school or education shows.
Making It Out of High School
Youth Noise Network/Center for Documentary Studies, 04:08
High school senior Lena Eckert-Erdheim explores making it out of high school and making a decision about what to do next.
Prom 2006
Youth Noise Network/Center for Documentary Studies, 05:53
A vox pop piece about the wonders of senior high school prom.
Making It To School
Youth Noise Network/Center for Documentary Studies, 05:39
Anya Sippen almost never makes it to school on time. This piece explores why.
We Need More Teachers Like This
David Greenberger, 02:44
David Orosco left school after third grade to work supporting his family. Here he recalls the importance of his elementary school teacher.
Where Were You Fifth Period?
Curie Youth Radio, 02:03
Why we cut class and where we go, really.
Image by Beau Wade
The Teacher by Billy Collins
Curtis Fox, 01:42
Contemporary poems read by actors.
Hopeless in High School
Blunt Youth Radio Project, 02:20
Some kids joke about dropping out, but when Sarah Smith's family started to fall apart, she saw it as her only option.
Starting College...Again
WAMU, 04:45
Andre, a graduate of WAMU's Youth Voices, agonized over his college choice and finally picked one...in New Orleans.
Back to School
Eve Abrams, 02:59
Kids starting junior high school share their excitements and anxieties.
A MOMbo MOMent: Back To School
Nanci Olesen, 05:00
A MOMbo MOMent is an interstitial piece from the "ZONE" of motherhood... this one is a conversation about going back to school.
Back To School List, by Cheryl-Anne Millsap
03:18, Patrick Klausen
This time of year my list of back to school promises goes up on the refrigerator door.
Back to School in a Garbage Can
01:48, Curie Youth Radio
A collage of love notes, tardy slips, and other high school detritus collected from high school garbage cans.
On the Tip of Aggravated: Homeless Students and School
04:58, Sarah Elzas and Sarah Kramer
Homeless students share their experiences and frustrations of being in school while moving from shelter to shelter.
Crayola
02:58, Adam Allington
A Portland, Maine kindergarten class and illustrator Judy Labrasca explain why crayons might be the perfect object.
School for Little Wanderers
04:29, Sarah Elzas
A day at a school for teen moms is not exactly like one at a regular high school.
College-Bound
04:03, Andre Rosario
College-bound WAMU Youth Voices reporter Andre knows he's lucky to be scratching his head over a choice between schools, but the stakes are high, so he also knows he needs to choose wisely.
Grad Student Discos for Dollars
04:55, Hillary Frank
A grad student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago pays for his living expenses by disco dancing on the street.
A New (school) Year
04:18, Spokane Public Radio
Essay by Cheryl-Anne Millsap. No matter what the calendar says, for some of us, the New Year begins in September.
In the Gym, Trying to Fit In
01:14, Brandi Kneedly and Curie Youth Radio
Sitting in the gym, watching the girls play b-ball, and trying to pretend you belong.
In a Bubble
03:22, Hillary Frank
Four teens talk about what it's like to be quiet in school.

Segment

Image by Spencer Boegeman
SERIES Daily Lessons: Inside Western Guilford High School
WUNC, 11 segment length pieces
Series about challenges facing a public high school in North Carolina.
Tracking
Radio Rookies, 08:17
Jaimita Haskell takes listeners inside the problems of academic tracking.
Prom
Youth Noise Network/Center for Documentary Studies, 08:14
Is this really what I thought about at 15? Man, no wonder I flunked Chemistry...
Teacher
Radio Rookies, 08:10
A teenage boy deals with the death of a beloved teacher.
Earl Pappy
Youth Noise Network/Center for Documentary Studies, 07:36
Kiah profiles her high school principal Earl Pappy.
The Freshman Cycle
Youth Noise Network/Center for Documentary Studies, 07:09
Two interviews with high school students on sex and dating in high school.
The Inner Workings of a High School Marching Band
Youth Noise Network/Center for Documentary Studies, 08:30
One organism in celebration of life!...and music...etc.
Friday Night Bites
Long Haul Productions, 11:03
A high school football team attempts to break an 17 game losing streak.
Dressy Girls
Youth Noise Network/Center for Documentary Studies, 08:10
An investigation of self-esteem, skanks, and the clothing of high fashion high school girls.
SERIES The Language of Learning
KQED, 5 segment-length pieces
An in-depth study of how well California is doing at teaching English to children.
Only Shooting Stars
Outfront, 13:20
A disillusioned teacher is about to meet one little boy who will change everything.
Teeth (scored by teeth)
Michael Kraskin, 10:55
Teaching and learning from pre-schoolers.
School Lunch
13:48, Jess Milton for Vinyl Cafe
Getting ready for the first day of school, Morley makes a nasty discovery when she unearths last year's still-packed lunch bags.
Thinking Outside the box in Catholic School
06:56, Stasia DeMarco
One definition of an american melting pot.
School Front Office
06:36, Richard Paul
You're going to the Principal's office. But don't worry. There's a nice lady down there.
Homeschooling Dance Party
07:52, Hillary Frank
Hillary Frank goes to a homeschooling dance party to investigate the social skills of teens who don't spend much time around their peers.
Back to School Immunizations
07:36, Eric Whitney
Colorado boosts child immunization rates.
I've Seen That
06:15, Owen Agnew
Blind teen Alex Hall shows us around his life.

Half-hour

Image by Aaron Harmon
In Search of the American Dream: Primary Education
KALW, 29:00
Education is supposed to be the great equalizer, but is public education actually failing our children?
In Search of the American Dream: Higher Education
KALW, 29:00
Considering community colleges as a pathway to the American Dream.
B-Side: One of Us
B-Side Radio, 29:00
B-Side's Tamara Keith visits a high school to talk about the things that bring us together, the things that separate us, what makes someone in, or out. We're calling this edition of the show "one of us."
Mediating Conflict in Middle School (Peace Talks Radio Series)
Good Radio Shows, Inc., 29:00
Life can be a challenge in middle school. Youth mediation programs that are designed to help middle school youngsters handle conflict are the topic of this half hour.
Prom Queens
Outright Radio, 29:21
A Gay Prom: gay and lesbian youth have a regional dance and the adults who protect them from protesters.
SERIES Education Series
Soundprint, 6 half-hour pieces
A special documentary series on education and technology that explores current issues surrounding today's schools.
Preventing Bullying at School (Peace Talks Radio Series)
29:00, Paul Ingles
Two school counseling experts and a 9 year old discuss what both children and adults can do to prevent or stop bullying.
Invisible Ink: Note to Sixth-Grade Self
29:00, Roman Mars
Julie Orringer's amazing story about a young girl who is ostracized by the popular girls in school.
The High Stakes of Today's Testing
28:30, Katie Gott
Standardized tests have been around for years in the United States. What's different now is that schools and teachers are being held accountable for the results of these tests.
Lessons Learned: Preventing School Violence
23:45, Rebecca Cressman
This 24 minute radio documentary reveals a first person experience with school shootings and new research on the prevention of school violence.
Bullies and Their Victims
29:32, Sarah McConnell
A father tells the heartbreaking story of his son's role as a bullying victim, and two experts discuss warning signs of violence in children and the community's role in addressing them.
The Tale of Two Computer Labs
28:30, Richard Paul
A look at the digital divide between two schools, Herndon High School in wealthy Fairfax County, Virginia which has 800 computers, and Cesar Chevez High School in the District of Columbia which has 50 computers.
Aprendemos Juntos (We Learn Together)
30:40, Jenn Blair
Not a single Latino student has ever graduated from the high school in Long Prarie, Minnesota. We went to these Mexican youths to ask them why.

Hour+ Specials

Image by Adrian Sampson
The One-Room School in the Twenty-First Century
Neenah Ellis, 59:00
Veteran producer Neenah Ellis travels to rural communities in the US to visit some of the last remaining one-room schools.
The Drop Out Dilemma
KALW, 59:00
In Oakland, California, less than half of public school students graduate from high school. Why is that, and what can be done?
Has America Failed Public Education?
59:00, Kathleen Turner and Charline Spektor
Beyond No Child Left Behind
The Wild Child: Coping with a Bipolar Youth
57:59, Karen Brown
This documentary follows three young people as they navigate puberty and adolescence with bipolar disorder.

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