Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

Community Colleges

Tuesday, September 14th, 2004

Community Colleges: With manufacturing jobs leaving North Carolina, former employees are seeking re-training. That has led to enrollment at the state’s community colleges growing by 25% since 2000. Some of the schools have been overwhelmed and had to turn students away. Host Melinda Penkava speaks with Scott Ralls, President of Craven Community College; George Vaughan, Editor of the Community College Review; Laura Leslie, reporter at WUNC; and Valerie Jones, Chair of Arts and Sciences Department at Pamlico Community College, about the future of North Carolina’s community colleges. (56:00)

Essay: Writer Sarah Dessen got a new car. Fancier then she expected, it includes a personal navigation system. At first she was skeptical, but eventually she came around. Here’s how she learned to love her car’s personal navigation system. (3:00)

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The State Of Teaching

Monday, September 6th, 2004

The teaching profession has undergone a great deal of change over the years. The pressures have increased, as have the number of teachers who leave the profession after only a few years. Host Melinda Penkava talks with Barbara Chapman, the principal of New Hope Elementary School in Orange County; Kenneth Parker Dobyns, an English teacher at West Johnston High School in Benson, NC; and Jason Lengberg, a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate who is starting his first teaching job, about how the profession of teaching has changed. Listener call-in. (59:00)

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Charter Schools

Thursday, August 26th, 2004

Charter Schools: North Carolina opened its first charter schools less than 10 years ago. Today, there are nearly 100 schools and 20,000 charter school students in the state. New studies show students at charter schools may have more trouble meeting academic standards than their counterparts in traditional public schools. Melinda Penkava hosts a discussion on the growth of charter schools in North Carolina, and the challenges these schools face. Listener Call-in. (57:00)

Summer Reading Series: Retired Raleigh internist Charles Merwarth tells us what he’s reading this summer. (2:00)

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Homeschools/Roger McGuinn

Thursday, August 19th, 2004

Homeschooling: The rate of homeschooling in North Carolina is rising; 54,000 students in the state are currently being educated at home. Some parents choose homescholing for religious reasons, while others do so because of a perception of inadequate public schools. Host Melinda Penkava speaks with Hal Young, President of North Carolinians for Home Education; Karen Palasek, Education Analyst with the John Locke Foundation and a homeschool parent; Dr. Marcia Herman-Giddens, Senior Fellow at North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute; and Dorothy Bailey, a sophomore at Duke University. (32:00) (SH)

Roger McGuinn: Roger McGuinn is best-known as the front man for the 1960’s folk-pop-rock group The Byrds. Now, he’s a well-respected solo performer who will play a concert at the North Carolina Museum of Art on Saturday, August 21. Host Melinda Penkava speaks with Roger McGuinn about his career, his upcoming performance, and his new CD “Limited Edition.” (17:30)

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Campus Security

Monday, August 9th, 2004

Campus Security: North Carolina’s universities go to great lengths to protect students, but recent tragedies have caused colleges to re-think security issues. Should universities do background checks on all students? Just where is the line between creating a safe learning environment and infringing on personal freedoms? Rusty Jacobs hosts a discussion on campus security. Guests include: Sue Wasiolek, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Duke University; Terry Curran, Dean of Students at UNC Wilmington; Daniel Carter, Vice President of Security On Campus, Inc.; and Julie Hutchinson, rising senior at Duke.

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