Excerpt
SUMMARY: How does violence affect students' ability to learn? That's what eighth-grader De'Qonton Davis and his classmates set out to investigate as part of the NewsHour's Student Reporting Labs project in partnership with PBS station WEDU in Tampa. The students produced a unique video report that they hope President Obama will see.
JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour): Now to our series on the dropout problem in America.
Personal experiences outside of pure academics often contribute to whether a student may leave school. Tonight, we visit Saint Petersburg, Florida, where one eighth-grader's enthusiasm for journalism has helped shine a light on problems in his school, while at the same time brightening his future.
Ray Suarez reports for our American Graduate project.
RAY SUAREZ (Newshour): This is how 14-year-old De'Qonton Davis starts every school day in Saint Petersburg, Fla. He wakes up early and walks his 12-year-old sister, Terrijana, six blocks to the bus stop.
To the casual eye, his family's neighborhood seems pleasant and sunny. But on closer look, the scars of poverty and a lingering recession become apparent, high unemployment, foreclosures and some of the highest crime rates in the city.
Last month, De'Qonton says he began making it a point to walk with his sister, after a man she didn't know repeatedly tried to get her into his car. Terrijana refused and got away unharmed.
No comments:
Post a Comment