Education – PBS NewsHour

In Oakland, not far from Silicon Valley, a small group of teenagers are glued to their computer screens, learning a new language. The Hidden Genius Project is a small non-profit that’s working to teach computer coding to young African-American men and bring them into the high tech sector -- one of the few parts of the economy that’s booming and aching for diversity. Aarti Shahani of KQED reports.

At Cesar Chavez Academy in East Palo Alto, Calif., 7th graders are learning yoga as a way to cope with the stress of life in a community rife with homelessness, shootings and gang war trauma. By teaching these children to pay close attention to their breathing and movements, Stanford University researchers are hoping they will focus better in school and beyond. Jeffrey Brown reports.

At P.S. 333 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, students are studying science in their very own rooftop greenhouse -- one of 12 built as part of an initiative to put 100 greenhouse labs in New York City schools by 2020. These labs allow students to experiment with hydroponic techniques, and schools donate the extra produce to local charities.

Some states now allow students who entered the U.S. illegally as children to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities, but they are not eligible for federal financial aid. Jeffrey Brown talks to Carlos Gutierrez of Republicans for Immigration Reform and Henry Munoz of the Democratic National Committee about a private sector effort to help these scholars.

At Hinkley High School in Aurora, Colo., students, parents and administration are meeting face-to-face to resolve student conflict with conversation. The number of physical altercations has taken a nosedive as this new type of disciplinary action, called “restorative justice,” replaces suspension. Hari Sreenivasan has the story.

As high school students gear up to take the SAT or ACT as part of the college application process, a new study claims that these standardized test scores don’t predict academic success as well as grade point average. William Hiss, the former dean of admissions at Bates College and lead author of the paper, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss why some institutions have dropped them as requirements.

North Carolina mandates that all elementary school students have equal access to art instruction, but enforcement of the law appears inconsistent across the state. Special correspondent for education John Merrow reports on two elementary schools' different approaches to arts education and the effects on student performance.

Tight budgets and high-stakes tests can lead schools to cut time for the arts, physical education and even recess to make more room for academics. But taking away exercise may be counterproductive. The NewsHour’s April Brown reports on how nonprofit Playworks helps schools reincorporate play into their day.

For American industry, finding employees who have all the requisite skills is a big challenge, and hiring people who don't stack up can cost businesses a great deal of money. Special correspondent John Tulenko from Learning Matters reports on a certification test that aims to boost U.S. students' workforce readiness.

The Education and Justice Departments released new guidelines on school discipline, urging schools to ensure that punishments comply with civil rights laws. Hari Sreenivasan gets debate on the recommendations from Sherrilyn Ifill of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Chester Finn of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

For more than 70 years, the General Educational Development exam, or the GED, has been an important tool for those who didn't complete high school and for immigrants looking to make inroads into higher education or secure better jobs. An overhaul of the exam is set to take effect in January.

Pakistani student Malala Yousafzai, 16, rose to international fame when she was shot in the head for speaking out against the Taliban's ban on girl's education. Malala made a remarkable recovery, becoming the youngest nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. Margaret Warner talks to Yousafzai about her mission.

During his time as chancellor of the University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, Robert Khayat made moves to repair the university's segregated past, drawing backlash for his efforts. Judy Woodruff talked to Khayat about his memoir, "The Education of a Lifetime," and what he learned about human nature along the way.

One of the most significant and controversial changes in U.S. education this year was the growing adoption of new academic standards known as the Common Core. Jeffrey Brown talks to Claudio Sanchez of NPR, Amanda Ripley, author of "The Smartest Kids in the World," and NewsHour Special Correspondent for Education John Merrow.

One year after the shooting at Sandy Hook, Kevin Quinn, president of the National Associate of School Resource Officers, talks about the growing practice among some schools of assigning police officers to guard schools full-time and what techniques and practices some schools are implementing to make their students safer.