The U.S. House could vote on a bill today that would overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act. Also, Facebook is rolling out resources to users who express potential suicidal thoughts. Then, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar talks about his new pre-teen book, “Stealing the Game” and his ongoing work with his Skyhook Foundation.
Debating the future of No Child Left Behind
The U.S. House decided not to vote today on a bill that would overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Supported by many House Republicans, the Student Success Act (SSA) seeks to roll back federal control over schools across the country, giving states the power to oversee school systems as they see fit.
Part of an eight-year effort to revamp former President George Bush Jr.’s NCLB, the bill would allow states to decide whether they wish to opt-out of Common Core testing benchmarks set up by the Department of Education. It would change the way that federal financial assistance is disbursed to low income families, allowing qualifying students to take funding to a school of their choice. In addition, the SSA would let states decide how much federal funding to spend on teacher training, recruitment and support.
The bill faces opposition from both sides of the political spectrum; some House Republicans argue the Act isn’t conservative enough, threatening to vote “no” unless states are given even more control over federal funds. Meanwhile, Democrats argue that the bill takes away support from low income and at-risk students and provides no accountability for federal funds.
Should states have more control over the use of federal education dollars? NCLB mandates that students take 17 tests between 3rd and 8th grade, but many state tests have added to the load. Should states be able to opt out of federal testing? What changes need to be made to NCLB?
Guests:
Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress, an independent policy institute
Rick Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative not-for-profit institution dedicated to research and education on issues of government, politics, economics and social welfare.
Gauging the effectiveness of Facebook’s new suicide prevention feature
Online chat has proven to be a surprisingly effective tool for suicide prevention. Now social media site Facebook wants to do one better, by offering resources to users who express potential suicidal thoughts.
The social media giant announced Wednesday that they've put together a team of mental health professionals to review posts that indicate their authors might want to harm themselves. The site asks users to report content they deem troubling and will send out notifications and suicide prevention resources, like hotline information, to the posters.
What kind of niche does this program fill? How effective would it be?
If you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1 (800) 273-8255
Guests:
Sandri Kramer, crisis line director at the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center in Los Angeles
Dr. Nancy Rappaport, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and she’s a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Cambridge Health Alliance. She is an expert in teen depression and suicide
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on life, basketball and new book 'Stealing the Game'
He’s a best-selling author, a film documentarian, a cultural critic and oh, he also won six NBA championships, six MVP awards, and is NBA’s all-time leading score.
In the realm of basketball, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is royalty. Since leaving the game in 1989 at the age of 42, “Captain Skyhook” has devoted his life to other pursuits, one of which is to bring education opportunities to kids from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds.
Larry speaks with Abdul-Jabber about his new pre-teen book, “Stealing the Game” (Disney / Hyperion Books, 2015), is second in the two-part “Streetball Crew” series Abdul-Jabbar has co-written with longtime collaborator and writer Raymond Obstfeld, and his ongoing work with his Skyhook Foundation.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be signing copies of “Stealing the Game” tonight from 6:00-8:00p at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena. For more information, click here
Guest:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lakers great and co-author of the new book, “Stealing the Game,” (Disney / Hyperion Books, 2015)
Filmweek: 'Focus,' '71,' 'The Lazarus Effect' and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Wade Major and Andy Klein review this week’s releases, including "Focus," "'71," "The Lazarus Effect," and more. TGI-Filmweek!
Guests:
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and host for IGN’s DigiGods.com
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and the L.A. Times Community Papers chain
Star Trek’s next generation remembers Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy, the ever-logical Mr. Spock in "Star Trek'' on TV and the big screen, died this morning at his Bel-Air home. He was 83. Nimoy had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis and emphysema. Nimoy revealed last year he was ill and blamed years of smoking. He was hospitalized last week. Today on AirTalk, we remember Leonard Nimoy. (You can read KPCC's full story on Nimoy here.)
Guests:
Ronald D. Moore, Writer & Producer of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Battlestar Galactica" among many other science fiction credits.
Armin Shimerman, actor who played the Ferengi bartender Quark on various Star Trek programming