Need to Know Rochester Special: A Challenge for Rochester Schools

This week on Need to Know Rochester, an encore presentation of our special program on the plight of black male students in the Rochester City School District.

The program profiles of young men who are facing significant challenges as they try to beat the odds. Black males make up a significantly disproportionate number of the students being expelled or referred to special education and they're much more likely than other students to dropout before earning their diplomas.

WXXI News Director Julie Philipp is joined by reporter Helene Biandudi who, along with videographer and editor Marty Kaufman, conducted interviews for this special edition of the program.

Watch Need to Know Rochester Friday at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. only on WXXI Television. You can watch the program in two parts in the video boxes below.

For more info on the dropout crisis nationwide, check out this NPR special series.

PBS NewsHour also focused on the problem looking at New York City high schools labeled dropout factories.