John Merrow
Encyclopedia
John Merrow is a broadcast journalist
who has reported on education
issues for more than three decades. He serves as the education correspondent for the PBS NewsHour program. These features - often under the umbrella heading of "The Merrow Report" - have become a staple of education reporting on public broadcasting. Additionally, he is currently the executive producer, host and president of Learning Matters, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that creates television, radio and online segments and documentaries
, focusing primarily on education.
Merrow earned an A.B. from Dartmouth College in 1964, and received an M.A. degree in American Studies from Indiana University in 1968. In 1973, Merrow graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with a doctorate in Education and Social Policy. He began his career as an education reporter in 1974, when National Public Radio began airing his first investigative reports on the nation's schools. Merrow quickly developed a devoted following with his program "Options In Education," which aired for eight years. The weekly radio broadcast received the prestigious George Polk Award in 1981.
Merrow later produced a seven-part television series for PBS
along the same lines, entitled "Your Children, Our Children." This program received an Emmy nomination in 1984. He also served as education correspondent for the MacNeil
/Lehrer
Newshour
for five years (1985–1990), and briefly occupied a similar position with The Learning Channel before returning to the PBS program in 1993.
In 1995, Merrow established Learning Matters, which produces his NewsHour reports, along with other media content. In 1998, he created Listen Up! - a project which trains disadvantaged youth and their teachers in broadcast production skills and techniques. He received the George Foster Peabody Award
in 2001 for "School Sleuth: The Case of an Excellent School," and won a second Peabody Award for Listen Up's production, "Beyond Borders," in 2006. In 2005 and 2007, Learning Matters' programming received Emmy nominations. Merrow is also a published book author: he wrote "Choosing Excellence" (2001) , "Below C Level" (2010), and "The Influence of Teachers" (2011). He also co-edited, with Richard Hersh, "Declining by Degrees" (2005). Merrow is also a Trustee of Teachers College, Columbia.
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
who has reported on education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
issues for more than three decades. He serves as the education correspondent for the PBS NewsHour program. These features - often under the umbrella heading of "The Merrow Report" - have become a staple of education reporting on public broadcasting. Additionally, he is currently the executive producer, host and president of Learning Matters, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that creates television, radio and online segments and documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, focusing primarily on education.
Merrow earned an A.B. from Dartmouth College in 1964, and received an M.A. degree in American Studies from Indiana University in 1968. In 1973, Merrow graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with a doctorate in Education and Social Policy. He began his career as an education reporter in 1974, when National Public Radio began airing his first investigative reports on the nation's schools. Merrow quickly developed a devoted following with his program "Options In Education," which aired for eight years. The weekly radio broadcast received the prestigious George Polk Award in 1981.
Merrow later produced a seven-part television series for PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
along the same lines, entitled "Your Children, Our Children." This program received an Emmy nomination in 1984. He also served as education correspondent for the MacNeil
MacNeil
MacNeil can have a number of different meanings and spellings:Clan MacNeil is a Scottish clan.- Notable people :*Al MacNeil, Canadian hockey player*Angus MacNeil, Scottish politician*Carole MacNeil, Canadian television journalist...
/Lehrer
Lehrer
- Surname :Potentially recorded in various spellings including: Lehr, Lehrer, Lehrian and Lehrmann.The Lehrer surname can be either Germanic or Hebrew, and it also has several possible origins. The first two possible origins are:- Teacher :...
Newshour
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
PBS NewsHour is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States. The show is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, a company co-owned by former anchors Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil, and Liberty Media, which owns a 65% stake in the...
for five years (1985–1990), and briefly occupied a similar position with The Learning Channel before returning to the PBS program in 1993.
In 1995, Merrow established Learning Matters, which produces his NewsHour reports, along with other media content. In 1998, he created Listen Up! - a project which trains disadvantaged youth and their teachers in broadcast production skills and techniques. He received the George Foster Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
in 2001 for "School Sleuth: The Case of an Excellent School," and won a second Peabody Award for Listen Up's production, "Beyond Borders," in 2006. In 2005 and 2007, Learning Matters' programming received Emmy nominations. Merrow is also a published book author: he wrote "Choosing Excellence" (2001) , "Below C Level" (2010), and "The Influence of Teachers" (2011). He also co-edited, with Richard Hersh, "Declining by Degrees" (2005). Merrow is also a Trustee of Teachers College, Columbia.