Student Well-Being Video

Raising Kings: A Year of Love and Struggle at Ron Brown College Prep

October 16, 2017 1:11

The students at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School are “kings.” All freshmen. All young men of color. All determined to change the dominant narrative about young black men in Washington: too many read below grade-level and won’t graduate high school. This new public school in Washington D.C. opened its doors in August 2016 and is radically different. Not just because it is a public school for boys, but because it’s designed specifically to meet the needs of D.C.’s young men of color. The school’s principal and the majority of its teachers are black men. They begin each morning in a schoolwide circle, navigating conversations that include neighborhood violence and police shootings, protest and poverty. Many schools do one or two of these things, but few do them all – and with the conviction of Ron Brown’s staff. For the past year, through a partnership between Education Week and NPR, we visited Ron Brown weekly -- and some weeks, daily -- to witness the birth of this new school and to see how its staff tackles some of the toughest challenges in education today. We spent hundreds of hours there, from the earliest days to the last bell. Filmed by Swikar Patel and Erin Irwin Edited by Deanna Del Ciello Interviewed by Kavitha Cardoza and Cory Turner Photos by Jared Soares and Kavitha Cardoza

Video

School & District Management Video How Federal Cuts Are Affecting School Meals and Local Farmers
Elimination of the $660 million Local Food for Schools grant means less fresh food for students, and a financial hit for local farmers.
A delivery from Turner’s Dairy is dropped off at Yarnick's Farm in Indiana, Pa., on June 4, 2025.
A delivery from Turner’s Dairy is dropped off at Yarnick's Farm in Indiana, Pa., on June 4, 2025.
Nate Smallwood for Education Week
School & District Management Video This District’s Solution to Teacher Burnout? 4-Day School Weeks
A small Ohio district uses a four-day school week to recruit and retain teachers, while improving their work-life balance.
2:38
Teaching Video Teachers, Try This: Graphic Novels to Enhance Any Subject
By incorporating graphic novels in the classroom, students can see themselves reflected in the characters, while covering timely topics.
2:06
060525 TTT Graphic Novels BS
Courtesy of Tim Smyth
Student Well-Being Video How a School Has Changed Its Menu After Losing USDA Funds for Local Food
The loss of a USDA local food grant has forced menu changes at this rural Tennessee school district, and local farmers have lost business.