New education docs from APM Reports

We’re here to help your back-to-school program planning with three new documentaries from our award-winning APM Reports team. All are included in your APM affiliation fee.

This year’s programs explore the challenges of students who regularly relocate, how colleges are using big data to boost student success, and why schools continue to ignore the cognitive science of effective reading instruction.

Visit our program page for details and marketing tools to promote your broadcasts.

Students on the Move: Keeping uprooted kids in school

Available now through June 30, 2020

Moving frequently takes a toll on kids – and millions of children in the U.S. face housing challenges.

A growing body of research says children with unstable housing are more likely to struggle in school and to drop out. “Students on the Move” focuses on two groups that often change addresses – those who are homeless and whose parents are migrant farm workers – and explores efforts to help these students do well in school.

Under a Watchful Eye: How colleges are tracking students to boost graduation

Available now through June 30, 2020

As colleges look to increase their graduation rates, many areembracing the big data used by corporations and social media companies to track the clicks and movements of their customers. Colleges collect a trove of student information, and work with private companies to predict who’s likely to drop out or succeed in a major, so they can offer students extra help or steer them to different subject areas.

The Hechinger Report’s Jill Barshay teams up with APM Reports to examine the growing use of predictive analytics to boost graduation rates and revenue, and how student data is reshaping the college experience.

At a Loss for Words: What’s wrong with how schools teach reading

Available August 22, 2019–June 30, 2020

There’s a long-standing belief about how people read words that’s deeply embedded in teaching practices and curriculum materials used in most elementary school classrooms. The idea has been disproven by cognitive scientists, yet it continues to be taught in teacher preparation programs, promoted in professional development sessions, and marketed by publishers.

This documentary – a follow-up to last year’s “Hard Words: Why aren’t kids being taught to read?” –  investigates where the idea comes from, why it endures, and how it harms kids.

These hour-long documentaries are available at no additional charge. APM Reports’ award-winning journalism is included in your affiliation fee. Air the programs as a series, or individually to meet the needs of your audience.

Questions? Please contact your Station Representative.