Saying Goodbye To The Kojo Nnamdi Show
On this last episode, we look back on 23 years of joyous, difficult and always informative conversation.
Former Frank W. Ballou Senior High School teacher Monica Brokenborough holds a program from last year's graduation.
A recent WAMU report found high rates of absenteeism among seniors at D.C.’s Ballou High School –the same class that received national attention for having 100 percent of its graduates accepted to college. The report again brought national attention to Ballou and spurred swift action. Within days, the school’s principal was reassigned from her position and an internal investigation began. But some familiar with Ballou say the broader academic and societal challenges students face in the low-income community were left out of the story. Kojo talks to the 2017 class valedictorian and and the head of a nonprofit that works with students about their perspective on the scandal.
WAMU Education coverage is supported in part by American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, a public media initiative made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Guests
- Mark Hecker Executive Director, Reach Incorporated; @MDHecker
- Litzi Valdivia-Cazzol Class of 2017 Valedictorian, Ballou High School, D.C. Public Schools; Presidential Scholar, the University of the District of Columbia
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