AirTalk for Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Contact: Producers Joel Patterson, Jasmin Tuffaha, Anny Celsi, Fiona Ng

626-583-5100

SCHEDULE FOR AIRTALK WITH LARRY MANTLE

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

 

11:06 –11:20

OPEN:  

 

11:20 -11:40

Topic: Should film crews be charged tens of thousands to use Grand Park?:

REQUESTED

Guest: Gloria Molina, L.A. County Supervisor

Guest: FilmL.A.Representative

Guest: Jon Regardie, Executive Editor, Los Angeles Downtown News

 

11:40-12:00

Topic: Ability grouping and tracking make a return to U.S. schools: The concepts of ability grouping and tracking are familiar even to those who haven’t experienced them firsthand. Ability grouping is the practice of splitting a versatile classroom of children into groups based on skill level – advanced and lower-level reading groups or fast and slow math groups are common in elementary school classrooms, though they may go by different age. Tracking, which builds whole classes based on ability, is more common in middle and high school, where honors courses and AP and IB programs are popular. Even though ability grouping and tracking are part of modern U.S. education, they have been less popular in recent decades than they were at the outset. Ability grouping and tracking fell out of favor in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s after being stigmatized as racist and classist. But these programs have had a resurgence of late, as new studies reveal that students who are grouped by ability test better than their peers – regardless of whether they are placed into upper or lower level performance groups. What are the benefits of ability grouping and tracking? What are the potential drawbacks? How do programs that rely on ability grouping work in LAUSD?

 

Guest: Tom Loveless, former sixth-grade teacher and Harvard policy professor, expert on student achievement, education policy, and reform in K-12 schools and author of the Brooking Institute study

BY PHONE

 

2^nd Guest: TBA

 

12:06 – 12:20
Topic:  Cell phone radiation emission standards under review by FCC:  In the last 15 years, as the number of Americans who own cell phones has increased radically, the way we use them has changed as well.  From keeping track of appointments to keeping up with friends, playing Angry Birds to playing cat videos,  today’s mobile device is more than a way to bypass pay phones -- it’s an essential component of our identity, almost part of our DNA.  But is it safe to spend so much time cozying up to your smartphone?  Health scientists, environmental activists and industry groups have long locked horns over whether cell phones emit enough radiation to cause cancer.  The FCC announced last week that it will be reviewing its safety standards with respect to cell phone radiation emissions, which haven’t been updated since 1996.  The FCC’s inquiry was launched in response to a 2012 report by the Government Accountability Office, which urged it to update its standards based on the recommendations of federal and international health organizations.  In 2011 the World Health Organization listed mobile phones as a possible carcinogen and contributor to brain cancer. And their increasing use by teens and children as young as 5 or 6 has led to further concerns about the long-term effects.  Do you worry about the effects of constant cell phone use, or do you think the fears are overblown?  Do today’s cell phones pose a greater risk than in the past? How much radiation is too much? Are there precautions we can take to minimize the danger?

 

Guest: Devra Davis, Ph.D., Founder and President of Environmental Health Trust and Author of Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide it, and How To Protect Your Family (Penguin, 2010)

BY PHONE

 

Guest: TBD

 

12:20 - 12:30

OPEN

 

12:30 – 12:40

Topic:  Angels season: [temp]

Guest: TBA

 

12:40 – 1:00

Topic: “Two Presidents are Better than One”

Guest: David Orentlicher [pronounced: OR-ent-Licker], author of “Two Presidents are Better than One: The Case for a Bipartisan Executive Branch;” a professor of constitutional law at Indiana University; and a former state representative in Indiana.

BY PHONE

 

Warm regards,

Jasmin Tuffaha    office: 626.583.5162 

Producer, “AirTalk with Larry Mantle” 

 

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