Schooled
School funding in Pa. has to change. Does N.J. have the answers?
In a landmark court decision, Pa.'s school funding system was ruled unconstitutional. Now, lawmakers have to address its underlying inequities.
Schooled gives the insider’s story of America’s public schools, through the eyes of the students, parents, and educators.
All Episodes
A look at the trial — and ruling — that could change Pa.’s school funding system forever
Pennsylvania’s constitution says the legislature has to provide for a “thorough and efficient” system of schools. But what does that really mean?
Air Date: June 20, 2023
Listen 32:11
What two starkly different Philly-area high schools tell us about how Pa. funds education
Two neighboring public schools show the inequity of school funding. “Schooled” looks into the forces at play, and how a lack of resources affects everyday life.
Air Date: June 13, 2023
Listen 27:21
'Schooled' returns with a deep dive into funding and equity in public education
Public education in America is still divided between the haves and have-nots, and the problem doesn’t get much worse than in Pennsylvania. But change could be coming.
Air Date: June 6, 2023
Listen 1:59
From COVID to censorship: How a right-wing book ban took hold in Bucks County
In exactly one year, a relatively large and diverse school district went from debating masks to targeting LGBTQ books. Here’s how it happened.
Air Date: July 7, 2022
Listen 37:37
After the spotlight: How a book ban fight changed one Pa. community
A book ban put the Central York School in the national spotlight. Meet the people who defeated it — and discover how it changed them.
Air Date: June 30, 2022
Listen 23:43
Red tape: The untold stories of Philadelphia’s 1950s teacher purge
New tapes shed light on an old story: the suspension of 32 Philly teachers during the 1950s. We explore what happened, and what it tells us about ourselves.
Air Date: June 16, 2022
Listen 49:32
Philly’s prodigal son: The making — and near breaking — of a Black male teacher
Shakoor Henderson is back in the city that nearly destroyed his parents — doing a job no one would have expected. All thanks to a teacher in his past.
Air Date: June 29, 2021
Listen 41:00
Education lost and found: Lessons of the COVID year of schooling in the Philly area
Students parents and educators showed resilience and strength, but big questions remain about learning loss and interrupted social and emotional development.
Air Date: June 28, 2021
Listen 55:30
Philly’s homicide crisis through a year of virtual school: A memorial to three student lives lost
In this edition of Schooled, we are telling the stories of three students who were killed in the past year during the nation’s other public health crisis: gun violence.
Air Date: March 18, 2021
Listen 34:55
The class of 2020: Three students come of age as pandemic meets racial reckoning
The class of 2020 is bound for the history books. Here, we tell the stories of three students coming of age in a moment where the world feels both 'on hold' and 'on fire.’
Air Date: June 25, 2020
Listen 34:11
Hope, love and basketball: Summer at North Philly’s Hank Gathers Rec Center
A summer at the Hank Gathers Rec Center will tell you everything about North Philadelphia that the headlines leave out.
Air Date: August 28, 2019
Listen 45:44
Don’t eat the marshmallow: Students from a ‘no excuses’ charter grow up to tell the tale
"If you actually said, 'We’re gonna hold you accountable to setting up your students for life.' Then how does that change the work of that school?”
Air Date: August 21, 2019
Listen 43:06
Last Chance High: Beautiful band of misfits fight to graduate — part two
What do we really mean when we say students are ready to graduate high school? Is there a baseline that we’re really willing to enforce?
Air Date: August 14, 2019
Listen 24:32
Last Chance High: 'Beautiful band of misfits' fight to graduate
How one student fought to go from drug dealer who dropped out to high school diploma.
Air Date: August 7, 2019
Listen 24:55