A recent report from Penn State's Population Research Institute indicates minority students in Pennsylvania are leaving public schools of diversity for charter schools populated by like - minority students. Plainly put, black students are leaving for charter schools with other black students, Latino students are leaving public schools for primarily Latino charter schools.

That research also points to an unparralleled value to attending schools in a diverse atmosphere; that "Minority students in more diverse school settings have higher short-term and long-term academic outcomes than those who attend racially isolated minority schools."

Smart Talk will parse out this study with lead researcher, Erica Frankenberg, an associate professor of education at Penn State. We'll also be joined by Tim Eller, Executive Director of the Keystone Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

Also, Earth Day is a week from Saturday on April 22nd. There will be hundreds - maybe thousands - of events focusing on the environment but there is something new this year in cities across the country. They are called March for Science which is described as the first step of a global movement to defend the vital role science plays in our health safety economies and government. Among the places where there will be a March for Science in downtown Lancaster.