The National Teachers Initiative
This 18-month Initiative celebrated the work of public school teachers across the country. By recording, sharing, and preserving these stories, we called attention to the invaluable contributions teachers have made to this nation, honored those who have embraced the profession as their calling, encouraged teaching as a career choice, and helped to unify the country behind its teachers. The National Teachers Initiative placed special attention on the work of teachers striving to increase the number of students who graduate prepared for college and careers.
Listen to stories
John Cruitt speaks with his former third grade teacher, Cecile Doyle, about how she helped him through his mother's death. Read more...
Recorded in Monroe, NY
Special education teacher Ken Rensink tells his friend Laurel Hill-Ward how surviving a near-fatal car crash has influenced his teaching. Read more...
Recorded in Chico, CA
Twenty-three-year-old Tierra Jackson talks to John Horan, the president of her high school, about what her life was like when they first met. Read more...
Recorded in Chicago, IL
Three stories about student mentors called "Chasers" who do whatever it takes to get their kids to class. Read more...
Recorded in Pasadena, CA
Tyrese Graham remembers his first day as a teacher at John Marshall Metropolitan High School in Chicago, IL. Read more...
Recorded in Chicago, IL
Two stories about teachers who went beyond the classroom to help their kids. Read more...
Recorded in Hampton, VA
Raul Bravo tells his former high school automotive teacher, Clairene Terry, how she inspired him to stay in school. Read more...
Recorded in Chicago, IL
16-year-old Jamie Marks interviews her former kindergarten teacher Ron Cushman about choosing his career after being wounded in Vietnam. Read more...
Recorded in Bothell, WA
Antero Garcia talks to his former student Roger Alvarez who dropped out during his senior year of high school. Read more...
Recorded in Culver City, CA
John Hunter talks with two former students about what they learned playing the World Peace Game, which he created. Read more...
Recorded in Charlottesville, VA
Ayodeji Ogunniyi remembers how the murder of his father led him to a new career. Read more...
Recorded in Chicago, IL
Neurosurgeon Lee Buono and his eighth grade science teacher, Al Siedlecki, remember reconnecting after more than 15 years. Read more...
Recorded in Medford, NJ
Author Walter Dean Myers talks about his father in an interview with his son Christopher Myers. Read more...
Recorded in Brooklyn, NY
Nineteen-year-old Noe Rueda (R) talks to his high school economics teacher, Alex Fernandez (L), about growing up poor in Chicago. Read more...
Recorded in Madison, WI
Major funding for the National Teachers Initiative is provided by:
With additional funding provided by:
The National Teachers Initiative is part of American Graduate, a public media initiative supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities across America address the dropout crisis.
