WAMU 88.5FM American University Radio

Strangers to the Classroom

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As more low-income immigrant families arrive in the Washington region, more kids come to the public schools with special needs. Many of the children need help with English. And a small subgroup needs help understanding the concept of school itself. That's because schooling back home may have been interrupted by war, violence or complications caused by extreme poverty. There are at least several hundred such kids in the region. Montgomery County is responding by placing these students in classrooms that offer plenty of extra support. WAMU's Sarah Hughes visited one class in progress and has this story.

Young Playwrights

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Every day in Washington, teachers work with children on reading and writing skills. But school essays and poems rarely find their way past the classroom bulletin board or the family refrigerator. Well, the refrigerator crowd just got a lot bigger. This fall, Smithsonian's Discovery Theatre is staging a play written by dozens of schoolchildren, using professional actors in a production that will be seen by over a thousand area kids. Gail Wein has more.

Commentary by Fred Fiske

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Fred talks about how new medicine might change the shape of the abortion debate.

Smart Growth Alliance

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"Smart growth" is a concept embraced by some, criticized by others, and known, at least in name, by nearly everyone. Smart growth has been at the center of heated debates over neighborhood development, sprawl, and property rights. But one group has been trying to take a cooler approach. It's called the Smart Growth Alliance, and it's made up of people who, once-upon-a-time, were at each others' throats: environmentalists, developers and business leaders. OK, sometimes they still are at each others' throats. But somehow they've managed to come up with a model of smart growth they can agree on and a system for giving a "smart growth" seal of approval on proposed developments. WAMU's Sidsel Overgaard traveled to one of the developments that received the recognition - - along Route 1 in Hyattsville - - and spoke with John Bailey who heads the alliance. He explained how it all came to pass.

Look What They've Done To My Town

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Songwriter Scott McKnight has his own idea of what DOESN'T represent smart growth. He offers the first in an occasional series of musical commentaries today. With apologies to "What Have They Done To My Song Ma" by Melanie and "What The World Needs Now Is Love" by Burt Bacharach and Hal David...Scott performs his song, "Look What They've Done To My Town."

Scott McKnight is a life-long resident of Northern Virginia.

Countryside Artisans Autumn Studio Tour

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Apple orchards and pumpkins, painting and pottery. It has become one of the events that lets Montgomery County residents know that autumn is in full swing - - the Countryside Artisans Autumn Studio Tour. This group of craftspeople and artists in rural Montgomery open their studio doors to the public three times a year - and you can use the tour as a chance to see all of the artwork, or just as an excuse to drive through some beautiful countryside. There are some twelve locations on the tour this time and we're joined today by one of the artists today, Tina Thieme Brown.

Takoma Park's Low-tech Blog

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Philippe Duverger grew up in Bordeaux, France. But in 2003, he bought the Savory Cafe in Takoma Park, and dared to ask his customers how to run his business - - he put out a clipboard by the register and asked for suggestions. Takoma Park has a reputation for activism and debate, and the coffee shop clipboard has become a lively forum for dialogue. Duverger says he reads it for reasons both professional AND anthropological. And as producer David Schulman found out, sometimes the comments even have to do with the food.

Three Videos - No Waiting

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Every few weeks our video critic Bari Biern joins us to highlight three films we might not be aware of or we might not think about renting when we're at the video store. Today she's back with a group of documentaries.