AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIAíS MARKETPLACE RECEIVES GRANT FOR POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION NEWS COVERAGE & PROGRAMMING
Contact: Jacqueline Cartier
(651) 290-1113
jcartier@americanpublicmedia.org
www.americanpublicmedia.org
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIAíS MARKETPLACE RECEIVES GRANT FOR POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION NEWS COVERAGE & PROGRAMMING
St. Paul, Minn. & Los Angeles, Calif., February 2, 2010 ó American Public Media today announced it has received a $300,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to add reporting capacity to cover todayís most pressing postsecondary education issues. The grant enables the Marketplace portfolio of programs to enhance coverage of critical education issues in America by focusing on a central guiding question: "What kinds of education are needed for people and communities to thrive in the 21st century?"
Media can play a key role in addressing the top issues confronting postsecondary education, and Marketplace's content stream of radio segments and digital features seeks to take on that role through the exploration of many topics:
- Do current degree programs adequately prepare graduates to earn a living and participate in society?
- What is the implication and causes for the relative decline in educational outcomes from this generation? Does this compare with other developed countries; and what are the proposals to reverse this trend?
- How do higher education institutions respond to meet demands from employers regarding the quality of graduates? What makes some institutions more/less responsive than others?
In 2004, then U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley said, "None of the top ten jobs that will exist in 2010 exist today." As we enter 2010, his prediction is materializing, and the decades to come will inevitably bring more job growth in fields we can't yet imagine. Marketplace's postsecondary education coverage will explore how to educate today's students for tomorrow's jobs.
Marketplace's postsecondary education coverage will seek dialogue with the stakeholders in postsecondary education issues ñ students, parents, practitioners, policymakers and business leaders - who are experiencing different facets of postsecondary education issues firsthand. Marketplace will utilize APM's Public Insight Journalism network, and its growing resource of more than 70,000 voluntary members, to find both themes and sources to help drive this coverage.
"American Public Media considers postsecondary education among the top issues impacting our country and its future" said Bill Kling president and CEO of American Public Media Group. "The Gates Foundationís grant increases our capacity to deeply research those issues and bring the results, illustrating the impact and opportunities of our current educational system to the largest audience in America for a business related program through Marketplace. We hope that APMís coverage will stimulate new substantive, original and engaging discussions of education in America."
American Public Media is the largest owner and operator of public radio stations, and produces top programs reaching more than 16.5 million listeners weekly. National programs include A Prairie Home CompanionÆ, MarketplaceÆ, Marketplace Morning ReportÆ, Marketplace MoneyÆ, The Splendid TableÆ, BeingÆ, Performance TodayÆ, and the national documentary unit, American RadioWorks. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services from the American Public Media national network can be obtained at www.americanpublicmedia.org.