P.O.V. The Principal Story

Airs Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV

“The Principal Story” paints a dramatic portrait of the challenges facing America’s public schools –– and of the great difference a dedicated principal such as Tresa Dunbar (pictured) can make. Dunbar is a second-year principal at Chicago’s Nash Elementary, where 98 percent of students come from low-income families.

Credit: Tod Lending

Above: “The Principal Story” paints a dramatic portrait of the challenges facing America’s public schools –– and of the great difference a dedicated principal such as Tresa Dunbar (pictured) can make. Dunbar is a second-year principal at Chicago’s Nash Elementary, where 98 percent of students come from low-income families.

Friday, September 11, 2009

By

“The Principal Story” tells two stories, painting a dramatic portrait of the challenges facing America’s public schools — and of the great difference a dedicated principal can make. Tresa Dunbar is a second-year principal at Chicago’s Nash Elementary, where 98 percent of students come from low-income families; in Springfield, Illinois, Kerry Purcell has led Harvard Park Elementary, with similar demographics, for six years. Tod Lending (P.O.V. “Omar & Pete,” 2005) and David Mrazek followed both women over the course of a school year, discovering each one’s unique style yet similar passions. “The Principal Story” takes the viewer along for an emotional ride that reveals what effective educational leadership looks like in the 21st century.

Video

Video Excerpt: P.O.V. The Principal Story

Above: "The Principal Story" tells two stories, painting a dramatic portrait of the challenges facing America's public schools — and of the great difference a dedicated principal can make. Tresa Dunbar is a second-year principal at Chicago's Nash Elementary, where 98% of students come from low-income families; in Springfield, Illinois, Kerry Purcell has led Harvard Park Elementary, with similar demographics, for six years.

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