Produced with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, program will look at impact on Hispanic students
By: Jon Lafayette
Univision News says it will air a special program on the Common Core education standards on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. ET.
The special, entitled, Puente al Futuro (Bridge to the Future) is being produced with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The program will explore the educational challenges faced by many Hispanic students and highlight how the Common Core standards adopted in 42 states are affecting their ability to succeed.
After its on-air broadcast, Puente al Futuro will be available online, along with an extensive report on the topic, in both Spanish and English, at “La Huella Digital” (The Digital Footprint).
Viewers will be able to join the conversation around Puente al Futuro across social media using the hashtag #EducaciónHispanos.
Univision says the special will have five stories highlighting specific issues:
- Children of migrant workers – Univision News follows a migrant family for months as they move from Florida to North Carolina, giving viewers an inside look at the challenges children face as they move from school to school, following the crop seasons.
- English-language learners – Many studies show that bilingual or dual language academic programs can help close the achievement gap for English-language learners by allowing them meet the strong language skills required by the CCSS through their native language.
- Access to technology – Seven out of 10 teachers currently assign homework that requires internet access, and CCSS standardized tests must be taken on a computer. With this growing emphasis on technology in education, the special explores what can be done to provide broadband access for all students as well as some of the solutions being implemented for millions of school-aged children who have no internet connection at home.
- College completion – A recent Univision News poll showed that over 40% of recent high school graduates must take remedial courses while attending postsecondary institutions, and Pew Research reports that only 15% of Hispanics between 25 and 29 years of age successfully graduated from college. This portion of the program explores this dire situation and how initiatives like CCSS, which aim to raise U.S. schools’ academic standards, may help better prepare students for college programs and ultimately change those statistics.
- Math proficiency – The CCSS have dramatically changed the way math is taught in schools, requiring students to use advanced critical thinking skills, in place of memorization. The documentary profiles a dedicated teacher who is determined to make her students fall in love with math.
Source: Broadcasting & Cable