(March 29, 1999) CER President Jeanne Allen will participate in a LIVE webcast of The Merrow Report, National Public Radio’s series on youth and education: Charter Schools: Hope or Hype? It will be broadcast live on April 14, 1999 at 4:00 PM EST on The Merrow Report’s website and can be heard there until July 14th. The show will be repeated in September on NPR stations around the country.

        In addition to Jeanne Allen, other guests will be: Joe Nathan, author of "Charter Schools: Creating Hope and Opportunity for American Education"; Bruce Fuller, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Education at U.C. Berkeley, and author of forthcoming book "Charter Schools and the Paradox of Radical Decentralization"; Irasema Salcido, founder and principal of the Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy in Washington, D.C.; and Lynn Schnaiberg, Staff Writer for Education Week.

        You can listen to the LIVE discussion on your computer using RealPlayer software. The software is free and can be downloaded from The Merrow Report’s website (www.pbs.org/merrow). Participate in the discussion by calling (887) 844-8557, or e-mail your questions in advance to: merrow@pbs.org.

        The Merrow Report will be broadcast weekly on National Public Radio beginning in September 1999.

        John Merrow, the series host, is a former teacher and education correspondent for the "MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour."

Link to: Transcript.
Link to: Audio On-Line.