John Merrow

Who is John Merrow?

John Merrow is a broadcast journalist who has reported on education issues for more than three decades. He serves as the education correspondent for the PBS NewsHour program. These features - often under the umbrella heading of "The Merrow Report" - have become a staple of education reporting on public broadcasting. Additionally, he is currently the executive producer, host and president of Learning Matters, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that creates television, radio and online segments and documentaries, focusing primarily on education.

Merrow earned an A.B. from Dartmouth College in 1964, and received an M.A. degree in American Studies from Indiana University in 1968. In 1973, Merrow graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with a doctorate in Education and Social Policy. He began his career as an education reporter in 1974, when National Public Radio began airing his first investigative reports on the nation's schools. Merrow quickly developed a devoted following with his program "Options In Education," which aired for eight years. The weekly radio broadcast received the prestigious George Polk Award in 1981.