America's Education Revolution: A Report From The Front

Former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean is the host for this anthology-format look at four regions which have implemented sweeping educational changes, and the results. The first segment examines the effects of KERA, the Kentucky Education Reform Act, as practiced in the small community of Stanton, KY. Here, lumping grades 1-3 together, and emphasizing active cooperative learning--as opposed to rote learning--plus the benefits accruing from the State Supreme Court's ruling to equalize funding among school districts, have paid off in better educated students. Further north, in East Harlem, active cooperative learning, coupled with allowing parents to choose which school their children will attend, has brought measurable improvements. Over in Rochester, NY, on the other hand, increased pay for teachers and a new program involving teachers periodically visiting students in their homes, has not shown much success. Finally, in Alachua County, educators work with preschool children and parents in a community coalition building effort to help prepare kids for entering school. While there seem to be a million books and even quite a few videos on the subject of educational reform, America's Education Revolution is a reasonably good overview of some current efforts. Recommended. (Available from: PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314-1698; (800) 344-3337.)