WAMC: The Best of Our Knowledge # 918 (2008-04-21)

The Best of Our Knowledge

The Best of Our Knowledge # 918

(2008-04-21)

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ALBANY, NY (WAMC) - SERIES: THE LANGUAGE OF LEARNING/THE CALIFORNIA REPORT
TEACHING THE TEACHERS , Pt. 1 of 2 -
A new study finds that English proficiency is the biggest predictor of the
academic achievement of immigrant students. Called the Longitudinal
Immigrant Student Adaptation Study , it also found that how well students
learn English is very strongly correlated with the quality of schools they
attend. This week and next week, this special series focuses on the
debate over the best way to prepare teachers to educate California's
burgeoning English learner population. We visit programs at Sacramento
State University and San Jose State University where future teachers are
learning new skills and techniques to work with the state's changing population.
Kathryn Baron reports from California. (5:36)

SMALL SCHOOLS IN NEW YORK CITY -
From California, we shift our attention to New York and small schools.
New York City has opened about 200 new small schools in recent years.
The effort is part of a national movement to phase out large failing high
schools. Education advocates believe these smaller and more personalized schools are good environments for special education students. In this
special investigative report from WNYC public radio, some positive
changes are starting to appear in a number of small schools.
Beth Fertig reports from WNYC. (6:15)

ORIGINS OF LIFE - SCIENCE RESEARCH IN EDUCATION SERIES
IMPACT CRATERING AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ORIGIN AND EARLY EVOLUTION OF LIFE , Pt. 1 of 2 -
The origin of life is one of the great mysteries in the universe. Scientists
are investigating the question by several different methods. One way is
by studying cratering. Impact cratering is the dominant geologic process
in the solar system. It's affected all terrestrial planetary surfaces including Mercury, Mars, our Moon, and Earth itself. To get our story started, TBOOK spoke with one of the world's most knowledgeable researchers on the
subject. Dr. David Kring is a Professor of Planetary Sciences in the
Lunar and Planetary Lab at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Glenn Busby reports. (6:15)

The preceding material is supported by the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.

**(Attention Program Directors and Listeners. For more information
about this story, or any of the other 140 stories featured in this exclusive
radio series, or if you would like to hear them again via your computer,
the website mentioned at the conclusion of the above segment is:
www.origins.rpi.edu.)**

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