180 DAYS: HARTSVILLE

For Julie Mahn, Hartsville is not just her hometown; it’s the best place to live in America. For Pierre Brown, Hartsville is a new adventure. Pierre developed a passion for education as a young boy, in part to fill a void in his life for a male role model and the kind of teacher he never had. But there’s also the other side – the one with the crime rate three times the state average, the rising levels of unemployment, and the reputation as “Killerville.” 

 

These adults and others are hoping that Hartsville’s public schools can become a model for all schools across the country – not just by preventing kids from dropping out, but by inspiring them to reach for the highest levels of success. 

 

Closed captioning has been provided for the broadcast programs.

180 DAYS: HARTSVILLE (Part 1 of 2
Episode 1

Video

Experience a year of a Southern town’s efforts to address the urgent demand for reform in American public schools, and watch what happens when the systems that can either fuel or diffuse that reform —...
180 DAYS: HARTSVILLE (Part 2 of 2
Episode 2

Video

Experience a year of a Southern town’s efforts to address the urgent demand for reform in American public schools, and watch what happens when the systems that can either fuel or diffuse that reform —...
Boy Scouts | 180 DAYS: HARTSVILLE
Episode 4

Video

Rashon is a member of his school's Boy Scout troop and it seems to keep him out of trouble, for the most part. Here, teachers provide insight into what works when dealing with Rashon.
Generational Poverty | 180 DAYS: HARTSVILLE
Episode 5

Video

Generational poverty can be a big hindrance to self-evolution, particularly if educators tend to write these students off,. This is what Principal Julie Mahn has learned over all of her years, and she...
Mr. Brown | 180 DAYS: HARTSVILLE
Episode 6

Video

Where do role models come from? What effect does it have on a young black boy to have a young male teacher who looks like him, early in his schooling? Mr. Brown connects with his students.
Rashon's Expulsion | 180 DAYS: HARTSVILLE
Episode 7

Video

After a series of disciplinary actions seems fruitless in changing Rashon's behavior, the school educators and his mother are faced with a tough reality.
Rural Education | 180 DAYS: HARTSVILLE
Episode 10

Video

Multiple jobs, late nights for parents and students, minimum wage: what effect do all these realities have on the future of rural education in America? Monay and her young sons are an example of this...