http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-977386.mp3
Albany, NY – OPENING BILLBOARD & EDUCATION HEADLINES - Glenn Busby (1:30)
SPECIAL THREE PART SERIES: LESSONS FOR AMERICAN EDUCATION
DOCUMENTARY: "THE FINLAND PHENOMENON: INSIDE THE WORLD'S MOST SURPRISING SCHOOL SYSTEM"
Part Two: How Finland's Education System Differs from America's -
Education in Finland continues year after year to score first, or no worse than top three, when measured against all other countries using the same benchmark. This is the PISA, or Program for International Student Assessment, which comes from the OECD, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The exam is given to all 15-year olds around the world. U.S. students were in the middle of the pack for science and literacy, but below average in math. And this, even though according to the OECD, Finnish children spend the fewest numbers of hours in the classroom in the developed world. So how do they do it?
We begin to answer some of those questions with Bob Compton, Executive Producer of a new documentary called, "The Finland Phenomenon: Inside the World's Most Surprising School System."
In this documentary, Compton collaborates with Dr. Tony Wagner, who Co-Directs the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Wagner has worked for more than 35-years in the field of school improvement. He's the author of the best-selling book "The Global Achievement Gap." Wagner is highly regarded as one of the leading thinkers on how America needs to completely re-design its K - 12 education system to prepare U.S. children for 21st century global competition.
Glenn Busby reports. (13:50)
**(Attention listeners. The website mentioned at the conclusion of the above story is: www.2mminutes.com. And for those who would like to learn more about Harvard's Dr. Tony Wagner and his vision of education, that link is -http://tinyurl.com/TWagner.
CHARTER SCHOOLS -
Our previous story mentioned charter schools. That topic often comes up when people talk about education reform. For example, Massachusetts is significantly increasing the number of charter schools in that state. This is all part of a Massachusetts education reform strategy to close achievement gaps, which are especially acute in urban school districts.
Paul Tuthill reports. (4:03)
THE ACADEMIC MINUTE
"GIRLS AND VIOLENCE" -
This week's Academic Minute professor examines the underlying causes for a recent increase in violent behavior in schools among young girls.
Dr. Horace Hall is Associate Professor, College of Education's Department of Educational Policy Studies and Research and Founder and Co-Director R.E.A.L. - Respect, Excellence, Attitude and Leadership, a youth mentoring program.
The Academic Minute is hosted by Dr. Lynn Pasquerella, a celebrated philosopher and medical ethicist, and President of Mount Holyoke College.
Segment Run Time: (2:30)
*(Attention Listeners! For more Academic Minutes, we invite you to visit our archives at: http://www.wamc.org/academic-minute.html .)*
SHOW CLOSE - Glenn Busby. (1:30)