WYPR: Midday with Dan Rodricks Podcast

In gentrified city neighborhoods across America, including Baltimore, many middle-class parents face a crucial question: Should we send our kids to a public school, a private school or a charter school -- or should we just move to the suburbs? Where can children get a good education in a racially and economically diverse setting, and how important is that? Education policy expert Michael J. Petrilli faced that question and has written a book about what he calls The Diverse Schools Dilemma. Petrilli, a former education official under George W. Bush, is executive vice president at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education think tank. He lives in Maryland.

From monuments with smart phone apps to flameless cremation and video-streaming services, a look at trends in funeral practices in the 21st Century.

A new report from the Abell Foundation says human trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced labor is on the rise in the Baltimore area -- so much so that it’s spreading beyond the control of police, prosecutors and social work agencies. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that more than 250,000 youths are at risk of becoming victims of the practice nationwide. We survey the problem with Melissa Snow, head of the anti-trafficking program at TurnAround Inc., the Baltimore non-profit that provides services to the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault; Sgt. Sean Harrison, who investigates human trafficking for the Baltimore police; and Lisa Phelps, who prosecutes sex crimes for the Baltimore state’s attorney's office.

From delivering ultimatums to shopping with brand loyalty, a conversation about the many irrational ways we try to rationalize our decisions -- with journalist, blogger and psychology nerd David McRaney, author of You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself.

The 2013 Maryland General Assembly convenes Wednesday with the president of the Maryland Association of Counties calling for legislators to give local jurisdictions a break from spending mandates and to provide more funding for roads. On the day before the legislative session begins, we speak with three executives about the financial burdens their counties face as the O'Malley administration tries to balance the state budget. Our guests: Ken Ulman of Howard County, David Craig of Harford County, and Kevin Kamenetz of Baltimore County.

Back to School, Monday, January 7, 12-1

Young Men, Mental Illness and Violence, Monday January 7, 1-2

Another in our series of discussions about the Newtown massacre, the focus this time on the link between mental illness, particularly among young men, and violence. In the wake of the nation's latest mass killing, there have been calls for more access to mental health services and more intervention. But are such incomprehensible tragedies predictable and preventable? And what disorders are at their root? Our guests: Midday contributors Dr. John Cmar, of Johns Hopkins University and Sinai Hospital, and Dr. Mark Komrad, a psychiatrist on the teaching faculty of Sheppard Pratt and Johns Hopkins hospitals. Dr. Komrad is also the author of You Need Help: A Step-by-Step Guide to Convince a Loved One to Get Counseling.

Almost half of high school graduates do not enroll in college directly. Later in life, these students want a second chance to get an education to ensure their economic future and self-respect in a world with little room for the unskilled and uneducated. Community colleges provide those second chances, but UCLA professor and author Mike Rose argues that not enough of them do it well. Rose is the author of Back to School – Why Everyone Deserves a Chance at Education.

Ty Burr, film critic for The Boston Globe and author of "Gods Like Us: On Movie Stardom and Modern Fame," explores the evolution of celebrity with Midday on Film contributors Linda DeLibero, associate director of film studies at The Johns Hopkins University, and filmmaker Christopher Llewellyn Reed, chair and associate professor of the Department of Film and Video at Stevenson University. Burr is also the author of "The 50 Movie Starter Kit."

This hour, we continue our coverage of gun control and mental health policy following the December gun massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

Just in time for the new year and New Year's resolutions, author Jeremy Dean discusses his book "Making Habits, Breaking Habits: Why We Do Things, Why We Don't, and How To Make Change Stick."

Midday on American culture commentator Sheri Parks discusses the status of conservative media following President Obama's re-election.

Part 2 of our two-hour special on the Newtown tragedy.

The holidays are an emotional time, with expectations running high for many and low for others, bringing on feelings of anxiety, disappointment, even depression. Beyond the holidays, human expectations often present hazards. If too high, they can be overwhelming or oppressive. Keeping expectations low, commonly advised, can be problematic, too. Columbia-based psychologist Brad Sachs has some advice on establishing realistic expectations for ourselves and others, and responding well when we, or they, fail to meet them. Original airdate 12/6/12