Charter & Alternative Education

Although intended to promote academic success for all, the traditional public school system in the U.S. has not always been able to measure up to its own high standards. In districts characterized by sagging test scores and dilapidated buildings, many parents are having second thoughts about enrolling their children. This provocative two-part series contends that homeschooling, charter schools, and vouchers may be viable ways to truly democratize the American education experience. 2-part series, 30 minutes each.

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Clarence Page hosts this in-depth look at a grassroots revolution in American education: charter schools. Reasons for the movement's emergence, as well as different philosophies and methodologies, are seen in visits to several charter schools, including North Star Academy in Newark, KIPP Academy in Houston, and the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in Los Angeles. The video offers interviews with a wide array of teachers, administrators, parents, and students, as well as commentary from leading education experts, including Sandra Feldman, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Dr. Bruno Manno, co-author of Charter Schools in Action. (60 minutes, color)

In theory, America's public schools provide an equal-opportunity education for children of all walks of life. Unfortunately, in practice it does not always work out that way. For many families, charter schools and voucher systems are providing what they feel are the keys to better education. This program looks at these alternatives at the Countryside Charter School and elsewhere, demonstrating how they allow concerned parents the option to bypass public schools in favor of institutions with stronger programs and better reputations. (30 minutes)

Recent statistics indicate that more than two million students in the U.S. are taught at home. Why are so many parents opting to educate their children themselves? Are they wary of violence in public schools? Do they lack confidence in what they perceive as a one-size-fits-all approach to learning? Or are they intent on adding a fourth R, religion, to the traditional three? This program examines the homeschooling phenomenon with Chris Klicka, director of the Center for Home Schooling; two pairs of parent-teachers; and two students, currently in college, who were homeschooled. (30 minutes)