Tell Me More

Jalyn Brown is a graduating honors student and a varsity basketball player at Riverhead High School in Long Island, New York. She's looking forward to a well-deserved chance to sleep in after a 13-year streak of perfect attendance. Brown tells host Michel Martin about what pushed her to get to school every morning.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Sunday is Father's Day and we bet that a lot of kids are still trying to find that perfect Father's Day gift for their dads. We know the moms are helping. Well, here at TELL ME MORE, we are also looking for the perfect gift for the fathers out there and, this year, we think we found it. A collection of essays from dads to dads.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Throughout the program today, we've talked a lot about tough times for college students and jobseekers, but now we want to turn it around and talk about people who are finding job satisfaction in what might be unexpected places.

Teach for America has been touted for its success in bringing talented people into the field of education. But it has also been drawing criticism, even from former supporters, about whether the program is effective. Host Michel Martin talks with Gary Rubenstein, a Teach for America alum, a veteran teacher and a critic of the program.

The number of people living in poverty is the highest it's been since the U.S. Census Bureau started tracking poverty estimates. Plus, the gap between those earning the most and the least continues to grow. Host Michel Martin discusses the current state of poverty and income inequality with two experts on the subject, Timothy Noah and Peter Edelman.

Teach for America is drawing criticism from some education policy observers who say its training for new recruits is rushed and incomplete. The organization, however, vigorously defends its record. Host Michel Martin speaks with Heather Harding of Teach for America about the program's challenges and its future.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin, and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. These days, when people talk about the leading names in R&B and soul, a certain big-voiced British woman is often the first name to come to mind, but there's an American in the house whose name is being mentioned in the same sentence as some of the leading voices in soul. His name is Ryan Shaw.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU DON'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT LOVE")

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Now it's time for our weekly visit to the Barbershop where the guys talk about what's in the news and what's on their minds.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Switching gears now, Father's Day is a little over a week away and we try to take the day to appreciate the dads in our lives, but if you think you had some tough times with your dad, you've got nothing on this famous film father and son.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "STAR WARS: EPISODE V - THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK")

JAMES EARL JONES: (as Darth Vader) Obi Wan never told you what happened to your father.

MARK HAMILL: (as Luke Skywalker) He told me enough. He told me you killed him.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up, you know the line, Luke, I am your father, but what if Darth Vader was the purveyor of evil in the galaxy and trying to raise his four-year-old son at the same time? As we get ready for Father's Day next week, we'll take a look at this very funny graphic novel with that premise in just a few minutes.