July 16, 2008

The Marc Steiner Show for 7/16/08 tackled two topics.

In the first half of the show, we learned about the Baltimore City Curfew Center and how it has changed under the administration of Mayor Sheila Dixon and Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld. The curfew center, which went into operation in 2006, is for the first time offering services and doing background checks on kids who are brought into the center. To learn more, Marc talked to:

• John Dixon, Deputy Secretary of Operations for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services
• Ginger Myers, Analyst for DJS
• Angela Johnese, Juvenile Justice Director for ACY (Advocates for Children and Youth)

In the second half, we took a look at Baltimore City Public School System. What are some of the reasons for the extraordinary gains accomplished by Baltimore City students in the 2008 Maryland State Assessment tests? Are some of our city-wide schools like Poly and City College being forced to keep students they would rather have gone? And does it make sense to fire great teachers because they haven't gotten their certification? Marc talks to:

• Dr. Andres Alonso, CEO of the Baltimore City Public School System

Links for further reading/listening:

• A Question of Curfew, from the Baltimore Sun
• An argument against curfew laws from the National Youth Rights Association
• City Schools post big gains from the Baltimore Sun
• WEAA Town Meeting with Dr. Alonso (produced by CEM)
• Dr. Andres Alonso on school violence