When New Orleans' failing public school system got washed away with the flood waters, the city embarked upon an ambitious and controversial overhaul with an emphasis on charter schools. Charter schools are publicly funded but independently managed schools that proponents hail for innovation, and opponents argue have not yet proven themselves. This week, NOW returns to Lafayette Academy, a charter school where students and teachers have struggled in the past school year with mismanagement and a lack of resources. NOW also visits the fifth graders at KIPP Believe College Prep, part of a successful national charter school network called the "Knowledge Is Power Program." "I think the great thing about being a charter school in New Orleans right now is that we have the autonomy and the power to create the school that we want to create," KIPP School Director Adam Meinig tells NOW's David Brancaccio. Also on the show, a moving "Enterprising Idea" profile of a novel program that makes new cars watch
Vaccine DebatePaid | Amazon Video on Demand
Length: 27:00
Posted: 1/24/2008
A new cancer-fighting vaccine holds life-saving promise for young women, but debate over its use is raising tough questions at the crossroads of medicine and morality. NOW investigates the controversy over Gardasil, a new vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical giant Merck that blocks certain high-risk strains of the sexually-transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) which cause 70% of cervical cancers. Just weeks ago, Texas Governor Rick Perry issued a controversial executive order requiring all girls entering sixth grade to be vaccinated with Gardasil, with opt-out exceptions. Some 20 other states are considering similar action. But many critics feel that mandating these vaccinations infringes on parental rights and may encourage risky sexual behavior among young people. Others argue that the rush to inoculation is too hasty, and that more medical review is required. Some also wonder if state government decisions were inappropriately prejudiced by Merck's powerful political influence. N watch
Gibbs picks Ducky's memory to better understand what happened during his war days watch
