The ability of parents to send their children to schools of their choice is at the heart of modern-day school reform efforts. But increasingly, public school choice has become a divisive concept, splitting communities among those who want students to attend any school that fits their needs and interests, and those who want a return to neighborhood schools for children who live in the surrounding area.
In NPT Reports: Choice or Chance? – premiering Thursday, October 29, at 8 p.m. – NPT looks at school choice in Nashville, how it has evolved and what it means to students, parents and our community. The documentary will be followed at 8:30 p.m. by a town hall discussion recorded earlier this month in our studios.
Produced by veteran journalist LaTonya Turner, NPT Reports: Choice or Chance? grew out of conversations NPT held with parents, teachers, Metro Nashville Public Schools officials, education researchers and other stakeholders over the past several months. It is the latest project and our third documentary completed as part of the multiyear American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen public media initiative.
In this 30-minute program, we hear from a public school advocate who says having a choice is causing her to look at all options to find the best middle school for her daughter. Middle school principals discuss the challenges of retaining students when magnet schools, charter programs and private schools compete with zoned schools.
NPT Reports: Choice or Chance? also considers whether there is a positive correlation between school choice and student performance and how preferences for neighborhood schools sometimes leads to division among race and/or socioeconomic lines.
Additional broadcast times for NPT Reports: Choice or Chance? are Monday, November 2, at 8 a.m. and Tuesday, November 3, at 1 p.m. on NPT2; and Thursday, November 5, at 11 p.m. on NPT. The documentary will also be available for viewing on our website, wnpt.org.
About American Graduate: American Graduate: Let’s Make it Happen is public media’s long-term commitment to supporting community-based solutions to help young people success in school and life. Supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), more than 100 public television and radio stations have joined forces with over 1,400 partners across 40 states to elevate the stories of our youth and the supportive adults that help them succeed. Through American Graduate, public media, with its unique position as a trusted resource and important part of local communities, provides a critical platform to shine a light on pathways to graduation and successful student outcomes. National and local reporting, both on air and online is helping communities understand the challenges and community-driven solutions associated with the dropout crisis. Public forums, town halls, and community conversations are activating discussions between community leaders, educators, and more.
About CPB: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,400 locally-owned and -operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services.