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CNN Live Today
A Mom's Devotion; Best High Schools
Aired May 09, 2005 - 10:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Still watching the situation as it develops in Liberty, Missouri, just northeast of Kansas City. A school bus accident, also involving, you see that red car, and there was also a black car that was severely damaged in this crash as well. Early reports saying about 30 kids have been taken to local hospitals. The extent of their injuries, or those in the cars, not known at this time. We'll get back to that.
Other news this Monday morning, Wayne Williams', who's defense attorney has filed a petition requesting a new trial for the convicted murderer. Police believes Williams is responsible for most of the 29 so-called Atlanta child murders between 1979 and '81. He was convicted in 1982 for the killings of two adults and is now serving two life sentences. After his conviction, Atlanta police closed the other cases. Now the Dekalb County, Georgia police chief is reexamining four of those cases. Chief Louis Graham believes that Williams is innocent, and Williams' attorney suggests there may be a conspiracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL LEE JACKSON, WAYNE WILLIAMS' ATTORNEY: I do think he was railroaded. And as to why, I mean, I can only guess as to the psychology of the people that were involved at the time, but I think nobody wanted to admit at that time in Atlanta, Georgia there was such a racial problem in that city. There was a lot of hatred, and we've got some very good evidence that the Klan was involved in these murders, not necessarily that they were involved in all of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: The prosecutor in the Williams case dismisses the idea that Williams was railroaded. He said Williams was convicted on strong evidence, and that there's no new evidence to warrant reopening the case.
And now other stories making news coast to coast. New Mexico police issued an Amber Alert for an 18-month old boy believed to be with this man. They also want to question Ivan Villa in the death of his wife, the toddler's mother. Villa is described as 5'11", black hair, brown eyes and a goatee. Authorities think he may be headed to Texas in a silver or gray 2000 Ford Mustang. The New Mexico license plate is GBN805.
In Ohio, lawyers will meet tomorrow with the judge presiding over the Columbus-area Ohio shooting case. We'll discuss what happens now that a jury deadlock forced yesterday's mistrial. Jurors couldn't decide whether Charles McCoy Jr. was insane when he shot at vehicles, houses and a school, killing one person.
Washington police have charged this man with last week's brutal beating of an elderly woman. A surveillance camera captured the attack on the 83-year-old street vendor, who is known as "grandma." The woman is recovering from her injuries.
Around the country, Americans showered praise and presents on their mothers on Mother's Day, but for one mom in Arizona, every day is a gift for her three children who beat long odds simply to survive, our senior correspondent Allen Chernoff has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How can you measure a mother's love? In Shannon Goldwater's case one spoonful at a time, because for Lee (ph) every bite is a challenge, every swallow an accomplishment. The same is true for Lee's brother Will, and their sister Meaghan (ph). Yes, Shannon is mom to triplets, all three of whom have severe feeding disorders.
SHANNON GOLDWATER, MOTHER OF TRIPLETS: My life has felt very dominated by feeding three children four meals a day.
CHERNOFF: Lee, Will and Meaghan (ph) were born prematurely in May 2002, three months early, weighing less than two pounds each. It was a harrowing delivery for Shannon and her husband Bob when they learned their daughter's umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck.
GOLDWATER: At about four in the morning I woke up and in a matter of three minutes I had about 18 doctors and nurses all over my bed. Meaghan had a prolapsed cord and they were doing everything they could to hold the cord off of her neck. And they said to me, "What do you want to do?" And I thought what do you mean, what do I want to do. And they said, "We could still deliver Meaghan vaginally and she would die, but then we could stitch your cervix and allow the boys a better chance of survival or we can do an emergency C-section, but then all three must come out.
And I said well, I need to call my husband. And they said, "We don't have time for you to you're your husband." But I did reach over and picked up the phone anyway and did call Bob, and we quickly made the decision that the best thing to do was to give them all an equal chance of life.
CHERNOFF: Meaghan's brain was bleeding at birth. In neonatal intensive care she and her brothers had heart conditions and pneumonia, their lungs not yet fully developed. The odds of survival were slim.
(on-camera): Many would have made a different decision. They might have sacrificed one child for the others.
GOLDWATER: I know. I thought about that before, but I would never regret my decision. And I feel very confidant that we absolutely made the right decision. And the fact that none of these kids have brain damage or cerebral palsy or so many other long-term disabilities is really a miracle.
CHERNOFF: The triplets spent four months in intensive care before coming home. But the struggle for Shannon and Bob, a lawyer who is a great nephew of former presidential candidate Barry Goldwater was only just beginning. The kids would need a total of 19 surgeries to address complications resulting from early birth.
GOLDWATER: I'm proud of my kids. I'm proud every day of everything they've overcome, and the tremendous amount of will that they had to survive because there was more than one occasion that we were called in the middle of the night and told that somebody might not make it through the night due to pneumonia or staff infection or other complications.
CHERNOFF: The triplets are nearly three years old and as you can see, they're active and playful like almost any other kids their age. That's no accident though. Shannon coordinates a full curriculum of therapies. In fact, 18 appointments a week.
GOLDWATER: Meaghan, take a bit.
CHERNOFF: Getting the kids to eat, Shannon says, has been the hardest part of being a mother. Not only did all three refuse to eat they couldn't keep food down. Shannon and her mother, Diana, brought the triplets last year to Krieger Institute in Baltimore, which has one of the nation's top pediatric feeding programs, for two months the children were taught to eat.
GOLDWATER: Good job. Take a bite.
CHERNOFF: It takes Shannon and her mom, or her nanny more than an hour to feed the kids each meal of pureed food. And even then, Lee, Will and Meaghan are unable to consume enough for their needs. So at night their diet is supplemented with liquid nutrients pumped through feeding tubes directly into their tummies.
When nap time arrives there is no rest for mom. She prepares food, schedules therapies and doctor appointments and tracks insurance claims.
(on camera): You have so much happening every single day. How are you able to cope?
GOLDWATER: Well, I've certainly had periods where I've been down. I let those thoughts pass quickly, and remember that somebody always has it worse than you. Just when you think you've got it as bad as you can have it there's always going to be somebody else out there that's struggling even more than you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this Meaghan's lunch bag.
CHERNOFF: Shannon's mother, Diana, a 55 year young grandmother, quit her job to help five days a week.
DIANA STOCKETT, GRANDMOTHER: Maybe God throws things our way that we need to be there for and I have been able to be there for her. CHERNOFF: Motherhood shouldn't be this hard. Still Shannon has only thanks for what she calls her three little miracles. Part of the miracle though is that Lee, Will and Meaghan were born to an amazing mom like Shannon Goldwater.
Allan Chernoff, CNN, Scottsdale, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: A happy mother's day to her.
Well, they've made their list and all parents need to check it twice. Still to come, "Newsweek" named the nation's top public high schools. Find out if you need to switch your child and where your child is enrolled.
Plus, get ready to pay a little extra for that Big Mac. We'll tell how to plan to take a bigger bite out of your fast food bill.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
KAGAN: Well, you know the old adage about real estate. It's all about location, location, location. Turns out your zip code says a lot more about your area than you might think.
CNN's Veronica De La Cruz looks at the nation's hottest zip codes from the dot-com desk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM CORRESPONDENT: When it comes to the nation's hottest zip codes, forget Beverly Hills, 90210. Some of the most desirable five digits across the country may surprise you. CNNmoney.com takes a look at why certain real estate in certain cities is sizzling.
First off, forget the glitz and glam. Some of the most alluring zip codes exist where yoga studios and martini bars are few and far between. The reason, well -- analysts say it's the following three trends driving up home prices. Number one, affordability. In the priciest cities, buyers are searching far and wide for something they can't afford. Number two, urban trumps suburban. It used to be buyers would head for the suburbs, but all that is changing, with more and more buyers opting to revitalize older neighborhoods. Number three, home buyers are going coastal. Not only are they buying closer to the city, but now, nabbing a waterfront home is becoming more and more popular.
So, where are the hottest zip codes across the country? This chart breaks down the top zips in ten metro areas. And what do they look like? This interactive gallery spotlights what's on the market. And you find it all online at CNNmoney.com/zipcodes.
From the dot-com newsdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Are you sending your kids to the right high school? Are they getting the best education? Still to come, "Newsweek" magazine ranks the top 100 high schools in America. Find out if your child's school is at the head of the class.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We want to go back to our breaking news story, taking place in Liberty, Missouri, this school bus crash involving a number of children, also two other vehicles.
On the phone with us now, Jim Hammen, a personnel director with the Liberty school district.
Jim, thanks for calling in.
JIM HAMMEN, MO. SCOOL DIST.: Thank you.
KAGAN: What can you tell us about what took place this morning there in your school district?
HAMMEN: At approximately 8:00, right around 8:00 hour today, we had a bus going to an elementary school on a normal route and there was a collision at the intersection of two highways with another vehicle.
Approximately 30 students, we believe, right at this time, are injured, and they have been taken and getting the proper medical attention, and we're moving from that point forward.
KAGAN: Do we know the extent of the injuries on the kids?
HAMMEN: No, we do not at this time. We're still getting information in on that, but nothing that I can report to you at this time.
KAGAN: and I'm seeing from the wire service, that is Ridgeview Elementary School?
HAMMEN: That is correct, that was the destination of the bus.
KAGAN: So these would be younger children then?
HAMMEN: Grades K through 5, kindergarten through fifth grade.
KAGAN: Now as we look at the live pictures from your town, from your city, there seems to be two severely damaged other vehicles there, like a black pickup truck and a red car. Do you know anything about what happened to the people in those cars?
HAMMEN: No, I do not, not at this time.
KAGAN: And it's unclear, too early to see, what happened and who was at fault or any of that? HAMMEN: Right, you know, just speculation at this point.
KAGAN: OK, I also heard reports that a number of parents actually came to the scene to pick up their own kids.
HAMMEN: That is correct. But we are doing our best to keep the scene of the accident free from people so we have set up a command post in our administrative center as a part of our crisis-management plan, and we have several parents who have reported here, and we are moving from that point forward.
KAGAN: I would imagine several very concerned parents.
Well, we wish you well in getting the proper attention to those children. We'll look to get more information about exactly what happened earlier today. That's Jim Hammen from the Liberty school district in Liberty, Missouri. Once again, a school bus accident involving two other vehicles earlier today about 8:00 a.m. Central Time. Thirty students, young students, elementary school students, taken to the hospital there in Liberty, Missouri.
Which U.S. high schools best prepare students for the next level of education? "Newsweek" magazine annual 100 best high schools issue is out this week. Joining me now from New York, the education specialist who devised the formula for the rankings. He is "Newsweek" contributing editor Jay Matthews.
Jay, good morning.
JAY MATTHEWS, "NEWSWEEK": Hi, Daryn.
KAGAN: Class in session. What did you -- what kind of criteria did you use to decide which were the top 100 high schools?
MATTHEWS: This is a measure of which high schools are trying hardest to prepare their students for college by making sure that every graduating senior who is even thinking about college gets at least one college level exam and course. They're called international baccalaureate, or advanced-placement courses and exams.
And sadly, only four percent of the schools in the United States made our list. Most tell their B and C students who are going to go to college, sorry, we're not going to let you into these courses, we don't think you're good enough, whereas the research shows, the kids who take these courses, even if they struggle in them, are much better prepared for college and are more likely to graduate from college than if they're kept out of these high-level courses in high school.
KAGAN: Well, let's look at the top three schools, as you have named them. I think we have a graphic showing there. There they are. Number one, Jefferson County International, baccalaureate school in Irondale, Alabama, International Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Stanton College Prep in Jacksonville, Florida. Three very different parts of the country.
Let's focus on number one. What did you like about Jefferson County?
MATTHEWS: One of the great things about this list, is that it tells us about -- brings up schools we never heard of. This is entirely out of left field, a little school, 325 kids, outside of Birmingham. Alabama has had very few schools on the list before. But this school rose to the top because its teachers decided to embrace college-level courses. You can't take anything but college-level courses in this school, and so kids are getting out of high school, having taken 10 or 11 college-level courses and tests. They're just about as ready for college as you can be.
The school in -- outside of Detroit, international academy, again, has a very high concentration of I.B. (ph) courses.
And the school in Florida, in Jacksonville, Stanton College, is a terrifically diverse school, 30 percent African-American students, and again, they have shown that kids from all kinds of backgrounds can learn at this level if you give them enough time and encouragement.
KAGAN: Hey, Jay, let me ask you this. Critics will say standardized tests make them nuts, that you're focusing on the wrong thing. That's not the right way to prepare young people, and it's not the right way for them to learn. What do you say to that?
MATTHEWS: Well, actually, we're not focusing on the test results, but just the fact that the kid participates in the course and takes the test, and these are the best tests we've got going. Half of an AP test and all of an I.B. test are free-response questions. You have to think. You have to analyze. They're not multiple choice. This is, by far, and we've got research showing by far the best preparation for college is kids who've gone through this, had this taste of college trauma in high school, are going to be ready for college in a way no other kids are.
KAGAN: How lovely, a taste of college trauma. We all had it. Or many of us did. And people can see the full list and more about things that impressed you about these high schools in this week's "Newsweek."
MATTHEWS: Thanks, Daryn.
KAGAN: OK, very good.
Jay Matthews, contributing editor to "Newsweek." Thanks for the information on the public high schools.
Got some Amazing video in this morning from Southern California, a car chase in South Central ending with police launching a barrage of gunfire against this white SUV. Hear how it ended. We'll be live from Compton coming up, as the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 9, 2005 - 10:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Still watching the situation as it develops in Liberty, Missouri, just northeast of Kansas City. A school bus accident, also involving, you see that red car, and there was also a black car that was severely damaged in this crash as well. Early reports saying about 30 kids have been taken to local hospitals. The extent of their injuries, or those in the cars, not known at this time. We'll get back to that.
Other news this Monday morning, Wayne Williams', who's defense attorney has filed a petition requesting a new trial for the convicted murderer. Police believes Williams is responsible for most of the 29 so-called Atlanta child murders between 1979 and '81. He was convicted in 1982 for the killings of two adults and is now serving two life sentences. After his conviction, Atlanta police closed the other cases. Now the Dekalb County, Georgia police chief is reexamining four of those cases. Chief Louis Graham believes that Williams is innocent, and Williams' attorney suggests there may be a conspiracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL LEE JACKSON, WAYNE WILLIAMS' ATTORNEY: I do think he was railroaded. And as to why, I mean, I can only guess as to the psychology of the people that were involved at the time, but I think nobody wanted to admit at that time in Atlanta, Georgia there was such a racial problem in that city. There was a lot of hatred, and we've got some very good evidence that the Klan was involved in these murders, not necessarily that they were involved in all of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: The prosecutor in the Williams case dismisses the idea that Williams was railroaded. He said Williams was convicted on strong evidence, and that there's no new evidence to warrant reopening the case.
And now other stories making news coast to coast. New Mexico police issued an Amber Alert for an 18-month old boy believed to be with this man. They also want to question Ivan Villa in the death of his wife, the toddler's mother. Villa is described as 5'11", black hair, brown eyes and a goatee. Authorities think he may be headed to Texas in a silver or gray 2000 Ford Mustang. The New Mexico license plate is GBN805.
In Ohio, lawyers will meet tomorrow with the judge presiding over the Columbus-area Ohio shooting case. We'll discuss what happens now that a jury deadlock forced yesterday's mistrial. Jurors couldn't decide whether Charles McCoy Jr. was insane when he shot at vehicles, houses and a school, killing one person.
Washington police have charged this man with last week's brutal beating of an elderly woman. A surveillance camera captured the attack on the 83-year-old street vendor, who is known as "grandma." The woman is recovering from her injuries.
Around the country, Americans showered praise and presents on their mothers on Mother's Day, but for one mom in Arizona, every day is a gift for her three children who beat long odds simply to survive, our senior correspondent Allen Chernoff has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How can you measure a mother's love? In Shannon Goldwater's case one spoonful at a time, because for Lee (ph) every bite is a challenge, every swallow an accomplishment. The same is true for Lee's brother Will, and their sister Meaghan (ph). Yes, Shannon is mom to triplets, all three of whom have severe feeding disorders.
SHANNON GOLDWATER, MOTHER OF TRIPLETS: My life has felt very dominated by feeding three children four meals a day.
CHERNOFF: Lee, Will and Meaghan (ph) were born prematurely in May 2002, three months early, weighing less than two pounds each. It was a harrowing delivery for Shannon and her husband Bob when they learned their daughter's umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck.
GOLDWATER: At about four in the morning I woke up and in a matter of three minutes I had about 18 doctors and nurses all over my bed. Meaghan had a prolapsed cord and they were doing everything they could to hold the cord off of her neck. And they said to me, "What do you want to do?" And I thought what do you mean, what do I want to do. And they said, "We could still deliver Meaghan vaginally and she would die, but then we could stitch your cervix and allow the boys a better chance of survival or we can do an emergency C-section, but then all three must come out.
And I said well, I need to call my husband. And they said, "We don't have time for you to you're your husband." But I did reach over and picked up the phone anyway and did call Bob, and we quickly made the decision that the best thing to do was to give them all an equal chance of life.
CHERNOFF: Meaghan's brain was bleeding at birth. In neonatal intensive care she and her brothers had heart conditions and pneumonia, their lungs not yet fully developed. The odds of survival were slim.
(on-camera): Many would have made a different decision. They might have sacrificed one child for the others.
GOLDWATER: I know. I thought about that before, but I would never regret my decision. And I feel very confidant that we absolutely made the right decision. And the fact that none of these kids have brain damage or cerebral palsy or so many other long-term disabilities is really a miracle.
CHERNOFF: The triplets spent four months in intensive care before coming home. But the struggle for Shannon and Bob, a lawyer who is a great nephew of former presidential candidate Barry Goldwater was only just beginning. The kids would need a total of 19 surgeries to address complications resulting from early birth.
GOLDWATER: I'm proud of my kids. I'm proud every day of everything they've overcome, and the tremendous amount of will that they had to survive because there was more than one occasion that we were called in the middle of the night and told that somebody might not make it through the night due to pneumonia or staff infection or other complications.
CHERNOFF: The triplets are nearly three years old and as you can see, they're active and playful like almost any other kids their age. That's no accident though. Shannon coordinates a full curriculum of therapies. In fact, 18 appointments a week.
GOLDWATER: Meaghan, take a bit.
CHERNOFF: Getting the kids to eat, Shannon says, has been the hardest part of being a mother. Not only did all three refuse to eat they couldn't keep food down. Shannon and her mother, Diana, brought the triplets last year to Krieger Institute in Baltimore, which has one of the nation's top pediatric feeding programs, for two months the children were taught to eat.
GOLDWATER: Good job. Take a bite.
CHERNOFF: It takes Shannon and her mom, or her nanny more than an hour to feed the kids each meal of pureed food. And even then, Lee, Will and Meaghan are unable to consume enough for their needs. So at night their diet is supplemented with liquid nutrients pumped through feeding tubes directly into their tummies.
When nap time arrives there is no rest for mom. She prepares food, schedules therapies and doctor appointments and tracks insurance claims.
(on camera): You have so much happening every single day. How are you able to cope?
GOLDWATER: Well, I've certainly had periods where I've been down. I let those thoughts pass quickly, and remember that somebody always has it worse than you. Just when you think you've got it as bad as you can have it there's always going to be somebody else out there that's struggling even more than you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this Meaghan's lunch bag.
CHERNOFF: Shannon's mother, Diana, a 55 year young grandmother, quit her job to help five days a week.
DIANA STOCKETT, GRANDMOTHER: Maybe God throws things our way that we need to be there for and I have been able to be there for her. CHERNOFF: Motherhood shouldn't be this hard. Still Shannon has only thanks for what she calls her three little miracles. Part of the miracle though is that Lee, Will and Meaghan were born to an amazing mom like Shannon Goldwater.
Allan Chernoff, CNN, Scottsdale, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: A happy mother's day to her.
Well, they've made their list and all parents need to check it twice. Still to come, "Newsweek" named the nation's top public high schools. Find out if you need to switch your child and where your child is enrolled.
Plus, get ready to pay a little extra for that Big Mac. We'll tell how to plan to take a bigger bite out of your fast food bill.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
KAGAN: Well, you know the old adage about real estate. It's all about location, location, location. Turns out your zip code says a lot more about your area than you might think.
CNN's Veronica De La Cruz looks at the nation's hottest zip codes from the dot-com desk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM CORRESPONDENT: When it comes to the nation's hottest zip codes, forget Beverly Hills, 90210. Some of the most desirable five digits across the country may surprise you. CNNmoney.com takes a look at why certain real estate in certain cities is sizzling.
First off, forget the glitz and glam. Some of the most alluring zip codes exist where yoga studios and martini bars are few and far between. The reason, well -- analysts say it's the following three trends driving up home prices. Number one, affordability. In the priciest cities, buyers are searching far and wide for something they can't afford. Number two, urban trumps suburban. It used to be buyers would head for the suburbs, but all that is changing, with more and more buyers opting to revitalize older neighborhoods. Number three, home buyers are going coastal. Not only are they buying closer to the city, but now, nabbing a waterfront home is becoming more and more popular.
So, where are the hottest zip codes across the country? This chart breaks down the top zips in ten metro areas. And what do they look like? This interactive gallery spotlights what's on the market. And you find it all online at CNNmoney.com/zipcodes.
From the dot-com newsdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Are you sending your kids to the right high school? Are they getting the best education? Still to come, "Newsweek" magazine ranks the top 100 high schools in America. Find out if your child's school is at the head of the class.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We want to go back to our breaking news story, taking place in Liberty, Missouri, this school bus crash involving a number of children, also two other vehicles.
On the phone with us now, Jim Hammen, a personnel director with the Liberty school district.
Jim, thanks for calling in.
JIM HAMMEN, MO. SCOOL DIST.: Thank you.
KAGAN: What can you tell us about what took place this morning there in your school district?
HAMMEN: At approximately 8:00, right around 8:00 hour today, we had a bus going to an elementary school on a normal route and there was a collision at the intersection of two highways with another vehicle.
Approximately 30 students, we believe, right at this time, are injured, and they have been taken and getting the proper medical attention, and we're moving from that point forward.
KAGAN: Do we know the extent of the injuries on the kids?
HAMMEN: No, we do not at this time. We're still getting information in on that, but nothing that I can report to you at this time.
KAGAN: and I'm seeing from the wire service, that is Ridgeview Elementary School?
HAMMEN: That is correct, that was the destination of the bus.
KAGAN: So these would be younger children then?
HAMMEN: Grades K through 5, kindergarten through fifth grade.
KAGAN: Now as we look at the live pictures from your town, from your city, there seems to be two severely damaged other vehicles there, like a black pickup truck and a red car. Do you know anything about what happened to the people in those cars?
HAMMEN: No, I do not, not at this time.
KAGAN: And it's unclear, too early to see, what happened and who was at fault or any of that? HAMMEN: Right, you know, just speculation at this point.
KAGAN: OK, I also heard reports that a number of parents actually came to the scene to pick up their own kids.
HAMMEN: That is correct. But we are doing our best to keep the scene of the accident free from people so we have set up a command post in our administrative center as a part of our crisis-management plan, and we have several parents who have reported here, and we are moving from that point forward.
KAGAN: I would imagine several very concerned parents.
Well, we wish you well in getting the proper attention to those children. We'll look to get more information about exactly what happened earlier today. That's Jim Hammen from the Liberty school district in Liberty, Missouri. Once again, a school bus accident involving two other vehicles earlier today about 8:00 a.m. Central Time. Thirty students, young students, elementary school students, taken to the hospital there in Liberty, Missouri.
Which U.S. high schools best prepare students for the next level of education? "Newsweek" magazine annual 100 best high schools issue is out this week. Joining me now from New York, the education specialist who devised the formula for the rankings. He is "Newsweek" contributing editor Jay Matthews.
Jay, good morning.
JAY MATTHEWS, "NEWSWEEK": Hi, Daryn.
KAGAN: Class in session. What did you -- what kind of criteria did you use to decide which were the top 100 high schools?
MATTHEWS: This is a measure of which high schools are trying hardest to prepare their students for college by making sure that every graduating senior who is even thinking about college gets at least one college level exam and course. They're called international baccalaureate, or advanced-placement courses and exams.
And sadly, only four percent of the schools in the United States made our list. Most tell their B and C students who are going to go to college, sorry, we're not going to let you into these courses, we don't think you're good enough, whereas the research shows, the kids who take these courses, even if they struggle in them, are much better prepared for college and are more likely to graduate from college than if they're kept out of these high-level courses in high school.
KAGAN: Well, let's look at the top three schools, as you have named them. I think we have a graphic showing there. There they are. Number one, Jefferson County International, baccalaureate school in Irondale, Alabama, International Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Stanton College Prep in Jacksonville, Florida. Three very different parts of the country.
Let's focus on number one. What did you like about Jefferson County?
MATTHEWS: One of the great things about this list, is that it tells us about -- brings up schools we never heard of. This is entirely out of left field, a little school, 325 kids, outside of Birmingham. Alabama has had very few schools on the list before. But this school rose to the top because its teachers decided to embrace college-level courses. You can't take anything but college-level courses in this school, and so kids are getting out of high school, having taken 10 or 11 college-level courses and tests. They're just about as ready for college as you can be.
The school in -- outside of Detroit, international academy, again, has a very high concentration of I.B. (ph) courses.
And the school in Florida, in Jacksonville, Stanton College, is a terrifically diverse school, 30 percent African-American students, and again, they have shown that kids from all kinds of backgrounds can learn at this level if you give them enough time and encouragement.
KAGAN: Hey, Jay, let me ask you this. Critics will say standardized tests make them nuts, that you're focusing on the wrong thing. That's not the right way to prepare young people, and it's not the right way for them to learn. What do you say to that?
MATTHEWS: Well, actually, we're not focusing on the test results, but just the fact that the kid participates in the course and takes the test, and these are the best tests we've got going. Half of an AP test and all of an I.B. test are free-response questions. You have to think. You have to analyze. They're not multiple choice. This is, by far, and we've got research showing by far the best preparation for college is kids who've gone through this, had this taste of college trauma in high school, are going to be ready for college in a way no other kids are.
KAGAN: How lovely, a taste of college trauma. We all had it. Or many of us did. And people can see the full list and more about things that impressed you about these high schools in this week's "Newsweek."
MATTHEWS: Thanks, Daryn.
KAGAN: OK, very good.
Jay Matthews, contributing editor to "Newsweek." Thanks for the information on the public high schools.
Got some Amazing video in this morning from Southern California, a car chase in South Central ending with police launching a barrage of gunfire against this white SUV. Hear how it ended. We'll be live from Compton coming up, as the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins after a quick break.
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