With 93,000 individual public schools, America's primary educational system is one of the world's most ambitious experiments. Education was not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution of 1787, leaving the task of administering public schools to the states, and to numerous school districts within each state. Today, public schools are scattered across all 50 states and reflect local values and traditions as well as national standards of academic excellence.

VOA news has produced a ten-part series of radio-web features exploring some key issues in the intricate American public education system. At least three of these features will also be released as separate, stand-alone TV stories. Topics covered by the series include:

• "Language Classes Popular in America's Public Schools"
  
• "Fifty Percent of New Teachers Quit Profession within Five Years"
  
• "500,000 to 2 Million Children in U.S. Are Homeschooled"
  
• "Taming Largest US Public School System"
  

To view, hear and watch the stories go to the VOA news website feature on "Educating America's Children."