Education reform. Words that confuse a lot of people. Eye on Education, WGBH's multi-year, multimedia collaboration with The Boston Globe, WILD 1090am, El Mundo Newspaper, and dozens of community groups, looks at how education reform and standardized testing are shaping Boston's schools. The issue is tackled from all angles: via TV, radio, print, and the Web. New to the Eye on Education Web site this year is a section on grade-by-grade curriculum standards, which tells parents within the Boston public schools exactly what their child needs to know before moving on to the next grade.

As part of this initiative, WGBH explored the realities of high school in 2002 with A Day in the Life, a one-hour documentary that takes viewers inside Dorchester's Jeremiah E. Burke High School for a snapshot of daily life. Special programs providing ongoing, in-depth reports and intimate profiles also aired on La Plaza, Basic Black, Greater Boston, and WGBH 89.7. "Research shows that parental involvement is critical to the success of individual students -- and to our schools," says Denise DiIanni, head of WGBH's Local Productions unit. "We're already seeing our programs spark a dialogue among educators and parents about how education reform is affecting the lives of students, families, and teachers right here in Boston."

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