A podcast series commissioned by The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Filmed, directed and produced by Tory Read.
Students at Challenge Foundation Academy, a new elementary charter school in inner-city Indianapolis, Indiana, talk about what they’ve learned at the school, what makes them feel safe and their dreams for the future.
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Three teachers at Challenge Foundation Academy, a new charter elementary school in Indianapolis, Indiana, talk about the risks and benefits of teaching in a charter school.
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Two seniors at Decatur Discovery Academy, a charter high school in Decatur, Indiana, talk about their transformation as students at the school. They also describe why the school works for them, and they discuss their plans for the future.
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Teachers at a small charter high school in Decatur, Indiana, talk about project-based learning and what it has to offer students in the 21st century.
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A forward-looking school district superintendent in Decatur, Indiana, describes the benefits of organizing a charter school in his district. His experience calls into question the assumption that charter schools undermine traditional district schools.
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High school students in Indianapolis, Indiana, talk about the impact of College Summit, a program that helps low-income students go to college. According to IPS Superintendent Dr. Eugene White, the number of Emmerich Manual High School students applying to college has increased by 50 percent since College Summit came to the school.
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The superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) describes his district’s efforts to improve education for low-income students by recruiting new teaching talent to the city through Teach for America and New Teachers Project. IPS serves 35,500 students. Roughly 80 percent of them qualify for free or reduced price lunch.
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Students at Parks talk about what they contribute to success at Parks and what inspires them to achieve at school. They also demonstrate the results of Parks’ success through their reflections on how they have changed in their time at the school and their descriptions of their plans for the future.
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Karate is one of many before- and after-school enrichment programs at Parks Middle School in inner-city Atlanta. Teachers and students talk about how karate contributes to the school’s efforts to improve results for kids and families at Parks, which went from chronically failing school to best in the district.
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A parent at Parks Middle School in Atlanta describes her involvement at the school and how it contributes to improved results for students. Engaged parents helped Parks change from a chronically failing school to best in the district.
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