As a leader in educational media for children and students and a key partner with parents and educators across America, PBS today announced SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION, a special week of primetime programming examining the challenges facing today’s students and America’s education system.
SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION features eleven films and documentaries on local PBS stations September 12-17 (check local listings) and includes special episodes of NOVA, FRONTLINE and PBS NEWSHOUR, a new film from POV, the premiere of TED TALKS, “The Education
Revolution,” and concludes with the 5th annual AMERICAN GRADUATE DAY, a special broadcast celebrating individuals and non-profit organizations dedicated to helping youth stay on track to high school graduation.
SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION also kicks-off of a year-long teacher support campaign—“Teach Boldly”—led by PBS and local member stations across the country. The “Teach Boldly” teacher support initiative will include a series of virtual and community training events and the launch ofthe new PBS Teachers’ Lounge, a creative digital space where teachers can share ideas, learn from peers, find daily inspiration and access the tools and resources they need to enhance their work in the classroom.
SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION is funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) as part of American Graduate: Let’s Make it Happen, a long-term public media initiative to help all students graduate from high school ready for college and careers.
“SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION highlights public media’s focus on education and our role in convening conversations around how to improve outcomes for students,” said Paula Kerger, President and CEO, PBS. “With special on-air programming and resources to support teachers, PBS and our local stations are committed to supporting education—at home, in the classroom and in communities.”
“Public media is committed to providing Americans of all ages with educational content for free and commercial free.” said Pat Harrison, President and CEO, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “Our Spotlight Education week affirms the importance of local stations working in partnership with more than 1,700 community and business organizations through the American Graduate Initiative to help young people move toward graduation and career success.”
Short-form and full episodes from the week, interactive content modules and a social hub for SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION will be available on PBS.org and Americangraduate.org. In addition, previews, clips and full episodes will be available on the PBS apps for iOS and Android devices
and via station-branded digital platforms. For updates on the programming, follow #SpotlightEduPBS and #amgrad on Twitter.
The full primetime SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION line-up follows below:
POV | All The Difference
Monday, September 12 at 10pm on WMHT-TV
Trace the paths of two teens from the South Side of Chicago who dream of graduating from college. Statistics predict that Robert and Krishaun will drop out of high school, but they have other plans. The intimate film follows the young men through five years of hard work, sacrifice,
setbacks and uncertainty. As they discover, support from family, teachers and mentors makes all the difference in defying the odds.
FRONTLINE | A Subprime Education
Tuesday, September 13 at 9pm on WMHT-TV
In a one-hour special, FRONTLINE presents two films that build on its education reporting. “A Subprime Education,” a fresh look at the troubled for-profit college industry, examines reports of predatory behavior and fraud and the implosion of the education chain, Corinthian Colleges;
and “The Education of Omarina” shows how an innovative program to stem the high school dropout crisis has affected one girl’s journey, from a public middle school in the Bronx to an elite New England private school, and now on to college.
TED TALKS | Education Revolution
Tuesday, September 13 at 10pm on WMHT-TV
Explore innovative approaches to education with hosts Baratunde Thurston and Sara Ramirez. Speakers, including Anna Deavere Smith and Sal Khan, discuss the school-to-prison pipeline, the impact of micromanaging kids and transforming struggling students into scholars.
NOVA | School of the Future
Wednesday, September 14 at 9pm on WMHT-TV
In a new age of information, rapid innovation and globalization, how can we prepare our children to compete? Discover how the new science of learning can help us reimagine the future of education for all children.
American Graduate Day
Saturday, September 17 starting at 2pm on WMHT-TV
Many PBS stations will extend SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION by airing the fifth annual American Graduate Day live from Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City. American Graduate Day is a live, four-hour multiplatform broadcast, presented by WNET, that leverages
the power and reach of public media to focus on those organizations and individual champions keeping kids on the path to graduation.
PBS Newshour Weekend
Saturdays and Sundays at 5:30pm on WMHT-TV
A special edition of the show with Hari Sreenivasan from Nine Network in St. Louis focuses on the various ways schools and teachers are trying to improve student performance and engagement.
Across the Week:
During this special week of programming, PBS NEWSHOUR will broadcast original stories focused on the state of education. The annual “Rethinking College” series takes a critical look at how higher education is evolving to provide a better post-secondary learning experience,
especially for people in underserved communities with underrepresented populations. The segments range from a closer look at the low college graduation rates among Latino males on campus and possible solutions, to second-chance Pell grants for prisoners and how coding boot camps are challenging the traditional college degree model.
