Education – PBS NewsHour

Child care for U.S. military families is among the best in the country and is significantly less expensive than the average civilian care. Special correspondent Kavitha Cardoza of Education Week traveled to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina to see how the military invested in quality care that builds brains and emotional security.

Students from 21 schools across the U.S. and Canada competed for the chance to have their science experiments sent to the International Space Station. One of the student teams selected, from East High School in Rochester, New York, designed an experiment on the process of photosynthesis. Special correspondent Sasha-Ann Simons from PBS station WXXI reports.

Historically black colleges and universities are the focus of President Trump's new executive order, which will move the government's program for coordinating HBCUs back directly to the White House. Hari Sreenivasan speaks with Johnny Taylor, president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and journalist Sophia Nelson about how Mr. Trump’s plans for HBCUs.

As anxiety increases within the immigrant community over stepped-up enforcement along the U.S.-Mexican border, one small bi-national community in New Mexico is working hard to keep families connected through education and schooling. Special correspondent Simon Thompson reports from public media’s Fronteras Desk and PBS station KRWG.

Federal guidelines advising schools to let transgender kids use the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity are being withdrawn by the Departments of Justice and Education. What will the Trump administration’s change mean for schools and students? William Brangham talks to Evie Blad of Education Week.

Violent crime and unemployment rates are nearly twice the national average in Baltimore. Educators say factors like these add significant stress to children, causing emotional and behavioral problems, so several public schools are working to reduce that stress with mindfulness and meditation. Hari Sreenivasan reports.

If a homeless student is worrying about where he is spending the night, it’s likely he’s not going to be thinking much about his homework. And in one of the poorest districts in Kansas, educators have realized that to help homeless students they needed to do more to help homeless families. Special correspondent Lisa Stark of Education Week traveled to Kansas City to explore their unique program.

The Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as as education secretary Tuesday, but not without significant political division and an outpouring of public opposition. Audie Cornish talks with Lisa Desjardins about the confirmation battle that DeVos faced, then discusses what her confirmation means for policymakers and schools with Emma Brown of The Washington Post.

Liberia has had more than its fair shares of challenges, and is trying to rebuild after enduring a devastating Ebola epidemic and civil war. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro meets an American woman who has made her home in Liberia, started her own school and now provides education and scholarships for girls.

President Donald Trump’s temporary ban from seven majority-Muslim countries is not only causing anxiety among travelers and policymakers. Students are also being affected, and across the nation and abroad, various protests continue on college campuses. Angel Cabrera, president of George Mason University, joins Miles O'Brien to discuss what President Trump’s policy could mean for higher education.

Since the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, there's been an increased police presence at schools. But that presence has also sparked concerns. According to a recent analysis, black students are more likely to be arrested on campus than their white counterparts. Special correspondent Kavitha Cardoza of Education Week reports on how the Saint Paul public schools are changing their approach.

Education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos has neither taught nor worked in a school system, but she and her family have used wealth and influence to create more charter schools and champion vouchers. As educators watch her hearing for an understanding of her views, William Brangham talks to Frederick Hess of American Enterprise Institute and Randi Weingarten of American Federation of Teachers.

Students who attend for-profit college and training programs are more likely to borrow, borrow more and struggle to repay their loans. Not only that, but the overall graduation rate at for-profit institutions is just 27 percent. Meanwhile, a number of schools have shuttered, leaving former attendees with debt and no way to pay it back. Special correspondent Lizzie O'Leary reports.

At ReNEW Cultural Arts Academy, students put their multiplication tables to song, while eighth graders use the musical “Hamilton” to study debate. The public charter school’s curriculum is a product of a federal effort to use arts education to boost achievement in the nation’s lowest performing schools. Jeffrey Brown reports.

Why are there so few black male teachers? Chris Emdin of Columbia University suggests that a cycle of failure haunts students and their teachers. Students act out, so teachers tighten the rules; more restrictions combined with dull and irrelevant curricula cause students to fail, and teachers quit -- thinking it’s their fault. Emdin raps his Humble Opinion on why the system needs to be changed.