Overall, the United States has more top-performing students than any other developed nation. That’s according to new research by the Economics Policy Institute. Our problem, however, is a massive education gap.

Ross talks with Professor Hal Salzman from Rutger’s School of Planning & Public Policy about why this is and what should be done.

Last week, a task force made up of elected officials prepared to make the final decision on what to do with Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. They agreed they had to do something. After all, the building was full of the memories of the students killed there in December. But should they remodel it? Tear it down and build somewhere else?

For now, the students are crammed into other schools. But economic reality and the school district's space limitations have forced them to face the painful fact: Something had to be done with Sandy Hook.

In a packed meeting, parents, teachers and staff gave emotional testimony. In the end, the task force put off the decision. You just can't rush these things.

Sharing Advice

After the death of a loved one, many of us face the painful drudgery of picking up the pieces of a life. We arrange funerals. We read through the will. Sometimes, friends offer sympathy and advice -- and this helps.

This is also happening with Sandy Hook. Some of the other school administrators who've lived through shootings have stepped forward, to offer their experiences. They've shown that people can get through this, it just takes time. And it doesn't hurt to have a good architect.

Full list of stories from KUOW Presents, Thursday, May 9:

Scientists at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found a class of cells they think suppresses herpes. This could explain why some people have no symptoms or lesions when the virus is reactivated. It also changes the way scientists understand how the virus works.

Your Bike Helmet Isn't As Safe As You Think
You probably think your bicycle helmet keeps you safe getting a concussion. You’re wrong. It doesn’t. Most helmets only prevent skull fractures. As a result, bicycle deaths are down, but concussions and other brain injuries are on the rise as biking becomes more popular. Writer Bruce Barcott explains that some helmet manufactures have ignored the concussion problem because they believed it couldn’t be fixed. Others thought consumers would be unwilling to pay more for a protection they assume they already have.

Who's A Genius?
We often toss around the word “genius,” but what does it really mean? How does the definition of genius change depending on region or expertise? Eleven years ago, the staff at The Stranger weekly newspaper came up with the tongue-in-cheek Genius Awards for artists in the Seattle area. They were joking, but over the past decade, awards have gone to some people who would fit the dictionary description.

Radio Retrospective: From Live To Tape
During the early years of radio, performances were always live  — that is, until tape was invented and accepted by the industry. How did tape change radio?

A Lunch Recommendation
Food writer Sara Dickerman joins us with a lunch recommendation. Prefer to cook for yourself? She also has a pick for a great cookbook!

Seattle Parks Plan
Seattle officials want to hear from you about the future of the city’s parks. They're holding meetings this month to get public input on a parks plan that will guide where the city directs its resources in the years to come. We hear more from City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw.

Art Of Our City
A new live music and film project explores the line between ambition and bad luck as it applied to the Donner Party. "We Are All Failing Them" is a new commission by Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum (teaser below). It’s a song cycle performed live to film. We talk with composer Robin Holcomb about the latest venture in her wide-ranging career.

Neal Thompson On Robert “Believe It Or Not!” Ripley
A 1936 newspaper poll declared Robert Ripley the most popular man in America. How did a young, awkward newspaper cartoonist become a worldwide adventurer synonymous with the strange and unusual? Official Ripley biographer  Neal Thompson joins us.

From where Mike McHenry stands he can see several gray, torpedo-shaped bodies moving slowly through the brown water of this side channel of the Elwha River, not too far from the site of the largest dam removal project in US history.

Thanh Tan says she was serious when she challenged former NBA star Dennis Rodman to get Kenneth Bae of Lynnwood, Wash. released from a 15-year hard labor sentence in North Korea.