DC Public Library Podcast

1 Aug 2026 06:00

Back to School: Vision, Books, and Model Schools

In this episode, we’re getting ready to go Back to School!

In our newest segment, Stacks in the City, Donna Arrendell sits down with Damian Carroll and Ramiro Hernandez from Vision to Learn, an organization that provides free eye exams and glasses to students in grades four through twelve.

In our Get Lit segment, host Chris Stevenson chats with Elaine Pelton, Assistant Manager at the Northeast Library and a children’s literacy expert. She shares her top reading recommendations for kids and their families.

And finally, in All Things Local, Olubunmi Bakare speaks with Dr. Amber N. Wiley about her book Model Schools in the Model City: Race, Planning, and Education in the Nation’s Capital, which explores the history and evolution of education in Washington, DC, and how architecture and urban planning have been used in efforts to fight racism.

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Elaine's picks:

We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

School's First Day of School by Adam Rex

Teacher's Pet by Anica Mrose Rissi

Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson

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Credits:

All music is from Pixabay and is used in their content license.

LoFi Relax by Kulakovka

https://pixabay.com/music/lofi-lofi-relax-570489/