After our recent examination of why American kids aren't being taught to read well, we received a ton of questions, mostly from parents. So we went to the experts to get answers.
A recent APM Reports documentary showed how schools aren't adequately complying with a decades-old federal law but new state laws are failing to help struggling readers, too.
Guinevere Eden directs the Center for the Study of Learning at Georgetown University Medical Center. In this interview with APM Reports correspondent Emily Hanford, she explains what scientists are learning about what happens in the brain when a child learns to read — and what's different in the brain of someone with dyslexia.
President Trump is ending a program that allowed some young, undocumented immigrants to stay and work in the United States. For some, that may mean the end of a dream of going to college. APM Reports tells the stories of young immigrants fighting for a piece of the American Dream and examines the historical events that brought us to this moment.
As in many parts of the country, remote McDowell County in West Virginia is having a hard time finding and keeping teachers. Vacancies are often filled by substitutes unqualified for the roles they must assume, and the isolated location deters many new hires.
Only 2 percent of the nation's teachers are black men. Increasing their numbers would benefit students of all backgrounds. In Philadelphia, a group forms to double the number by 2025.
Four immigrant families sued the Tyler, Texas school district in 1977 after their children were kicked out and required to pay for a public education. Five years later the court ruled in favor of the families, citing equal protection. It allowed generations of undocumented children to learn next to American-born peers and have a fair chance in life, say experts. And their journeys contributed to a presidential order in 2012 that protected undocumented immigrants from deportation and allowed them to work.
The federal government sets immigration policy, but states decide how much access undocumented immigrants have to their public colleges and universities. Georgia has some of the strictest policies in the country.
California's San Quentin State Prison north of San Francisco is one of few prisons in the nation to offer a college education to inmates. Here's a look at the Prison University Project behind the prison walls.
When inmates at Indiana Women's Prison got an assignment to write the institution's history, the project dug up unknown details and instilled a love of research in inmates.
Schools facing dilemmas over disparities in discipline policies are turning to an approach known as restorative practices, focusing on how to repair harm done.
In St. Paul, administrators dealt with disparities in discipline by reducing suspensions and expulsions. In the end, the superintendent was fired and few were happy with the result.
In 2008, Denver schools abandoned their zero-tolerance approach to discipline and opted for other ways to deal with school behavior. Suspensions and expulsions are way down and the racial gap in discipline has narrowed.
Police officers have been in schools for years, initially brought in as a means of student protection. But some say they have become too involved in school discipline.