shooting him in the back. >> woodruff: plus, ready, set, test. spring exams tied to the common core, schools cheer on students to boost confidence and results. >> testing can be a very anxiety filled time for students. it's an anxiety filled time for staff members for sure. >> it's really taking the stigma away from testing and not making it an event that they dread, but making it an event that we really build up and they actually look forward to. >> woodruff: those are some of the stories we're covering on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. at lincoln financial, we believe that you are the boss of your life. the chief life officer. in charge of providing for loved ones. growing your nest egg. and protecting what matters the most. lincoln financial is committed to helping you take charge of your future. life, income, retirement, group benefits, and advice. lincoln financial. you're in charge. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: after a day and half of deliberations, a federal jury convicted dzhokar tsarnaev on all 30 counts he was facing for the boston marathon bombing. a jury of seven women and five men convicted him on multiple charges that could be punishable by death, including deadly use of a weapon of mass destruction. the next phase of the trial will decide whether tsarnaev should be sentenced to death. the bombs that dzhokar then 19, set off with his now-dead older brother, tamerlan, killed three people and wounded more than 260 others nearly two years ago. after the verdict, karen brassard who was hurt in the attacks along with her family spoke for a group of survivors and family members. >> it's not something that will ever be over. you'll feel it forever. there will always be something that brings it to the forefront. but we're all going to move on with our lives and we're all going to get back to some sense of normalcy. hopefully when this is all done. so closure, i guess, i don't think so, just because it's forever a part of our life. we turn once again to adam reilly, who has been covering the trial for public television station wgbh. he was in the court today when the verdict came in. welcome back, adam. looking at the 30 counts handed in today, were there any surprises? were any of the counts anyone expected perhaps he might be found not guilty on? >> i don't know if there were any counts where we expected a not-guilty finding, but what the defense had really pushed on was, first off, the idea that dzhokhar tsarnaev played a key role in the murder of sean collier, the m.i.t. police officer fatally shot three days after the bombings. then there was also implicit pushback against the idea that dzhokhar was part of the bomb who killed krystle campbell. the defense said tamerlan was the bombmaker and dzhokhar followed his lead. the defense got absolutely nothing. >> ifill: still, no daylight at all. in the end, it was a unanimous clear verdict which perhaps speaks to what happens next. >> you really have to wonder if it doesn't speak to what comes next. it wasn't just the guilty findings on all 30 counts but a number in court were called aggravating factors. for example, if dzhokhar tsarnaev was found guilty of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and then did they result in the deaths. some of the aggravating factors were duplicative, the deaths of those four individuals came up on a few occasions. but there were more than 60 of the aggravating factors and again, in every single case the jury said yes these crimes resulted in these outcomes, all of which will bolster the government's case for the death penalty when we move into the next phase of the trial. what we'll hear which we haven't heard in a full and focused way as they wanted is the defense making their case that dzhokhar was pushed into this by tamerlan. tamerlan. judge o'toole said earlier they could not focus on this argument. they would have liked to have been talking about it every day and now they'll get their chance. >> ifill: you saw dzhokhar tsarnaev in the courtroom tad. what was his demeanor? how did he take it? >> his demeanor has been fascinating to all of us throughout the trial. he has been laconic from the beginning. a lot of people says he looks cocky when entering court frequently rubbing his goatee, stroking his hair to make sure it's okay. during the guilty findings, on two occasions he crossed his arms and hunched. that is not body language i've seen before in dzhokhar tsarnaev. it had almost a feeling of feeling threatened or vulnerable. so that was something new. no outbursts or weeping. those gestures or those stances were striking. >> ifill: how about the family members and survivors who were in the courtroom? >> they were very quiet, very stoic. the ones who i looked at, and you almost feel uneasy watching them because they have been through so much and they've had to relive it publicly, i was looking at the parents of martin richard, the 8-year-old boy standing right in front of the bomb dzhokhar tsarnaev placed and his body ravaged by the bomb, we heard about it in horrific detail a few days ago, i was watching his family as they came in. martin richard's father stared straight ahead, lips pursed. his mother was watching the findings being read, they looked as composed as they possibly could be, having gone through what they have. but there were no loud noises in the courtroom as the findings came in. there were no shouts of ex exaltation. there were family sympathizers, ones who thought dzhokhar tsarnaev were getting a raw deal from the legal system have been in court on occasion and we didn't hear from them. it was very quiet. >> ifill: dzhokhar tsarnaev's lawyer moving forward on the death penalty phase, does that start right away? >> it doesn't. a lot of people expected it to begin as soon as they had a verdict. the judge said it won't begin tomorrow or friday. it may begin monday. h he says he will move expeditiously but didn't commit to a monday start. i think the huge challenge for judy clarke and it may be insurmountable, is to try to make the jury feel a shred of sympathy or empathy for her client. she made a reference in her closing arguments to all the people whose lives were indelibly changed by the bombings including dzhokhar tsarnaev. it's asking a lot, i think of people to feel that kind of empathy toward him but she's going to give it a try. it will be very very difficult. >> it only takes one of those jurors to decide they don't want the death penalty. >> exactly right. just one. we don't know what evidence they can come up with. i think it remains to be seen whether dzhokhar tsarnaev will take the stand in his own defense. a lot of people think there is no way that will happen but i think the impact guilty findings may lead tsarnaev's team to think if he wants to plead for mercy and express contrition that may be the only way they can maybe spare his life. >> adam reilly, wbgh-tv boston. thank you. >> thank you. >> woodruff: in other news this day, an afghan soldier turned his gun on american troops today, killing one and wounding at least two before he was killed. it happened at a military compound in the eastern city of jalalabad. there was no word on a motive. this was the latest in a series of insider attacks in afghanistan recent years. >> ifill: tensions climbed higher in the persian gulf region today, over the fighting in yemen. iran announced it's deploying two warships near yemen, to patrol against pirates. the iranians deny arming yemen's shiite rebels, but the foreign minister of the united arab emirates today said iran is fomenting the trouble. >> ( translated ): every time we try to get closer to iran or work with iran we see that iran is trying to wreak havoc in the region. and i hope we don't fall for the idea that this issue is sectarian. this is an issue that our brothers in iran believe in exporting a revolution. it's part of their constitution, a part of their system. >> ifill: meanwhile, fighting raged in yemen's port city of aden, where the rebels are battling supporters of president abed rabbo mansour hadi. and saudi arabia carried out new air strikes in support of hadi. we'll hear from secretary of state john kerry-- on yemen, iran and other issues-- after the news summary. >> woodruff: in northern iraq, islamic state militants have released more than 200 minority yazidis who'd been held captive more than eight months. the group included 40 children, but most were elderly and in poor health. iraqi officials said today that many showed signs of abuse and neglect. they were taken away by ambulances and buses. the militants gave no reason why they released the prisoners. >> ifill: air traffic controllers in france walked off the job today in a two-day work stoppage. about 40% of flights across france were canceled. the french civil aviation agency said staff shortages mean about 50% of flights will be canceled tomorrow. the controllers want better working conditions, and they're protesting plans to raise the mandatory retirement age from 57 to 59. >> woodruff: police in britain have launched a manhunt in a jewelry heist of epic proportions. over easter weekend, a gang of thieves stole up to $300 million in cash and gems from a central repository. jane deith of independent television news reports. >> reporter: all day people slipped through the black doors looking for gold and diamonds, watches and rings. hatton garden safe deposit is where london puts its bling for safekeeping. now millions of it is gone. especially over the easter holiday. but how did the robbers get in? a lot of attention and speculation has focussed on the roof. its thought they abseiled down the lift shaft to the vault in the basement. police say they used heavy cutting equipment to get inside. it is possible they spent the whole easter weekend in there. the police weren't called until tuesday morning. apparently the alarm did go off on friday. it's been suggested a security guard checked the front door, but no one went inside. this vault's been hit before in 1975 by armed robbers. they got away with loot worth a million pounds. this time it will be a lot, lot more. >> if the diamond merchants' boxes have been broken into and goods were stolen, then we will be talking about individual boxes containing millions of pounds worth of stock. here they believe the valuables were stolen to order and the gang and their bounty are long gone. >> woodruff: the robbery could turn out to be the largest in british history. >> ifill: back in this country, ferguson, missouri will now have a city council that's evenly divided along racial lines. two new black members were elected tuesday in the city's first election since the killing of black teenager michael brown by a white policeman. the city's population is majority black. and in chicago, mayor rahm emanuel easily won re-election in a runoff with jesus "chuy" garcia, a cook county commissioner. >> woodruff: in economic news, energy giant royal dutch shell announced it's buying british rival b.g. group for nearly $70 billion. while on wall street, the dow jones industrial average gained 27 points to close back above 17,900. the nasdaq rose 40 points and the s&p 500 added five. >> ifill: and, for the first time, the national football league has hired a woman as a full-time game official. sarah thomas will be a line judge for the 2015 season. in 2007, she became the first woman to officiate college football games. still to come on the newshour: secretary kerry on next steps for a final nuclear deal with iran. a murder charge for the police officer caught on video shooting an unarmed man in south carolina. cheering students on, to boost standardized test scores. and, the legendary college basketball coaches who won the ncaa championships. >> woodruff: it's been six days since the u.s., five other world powers, and iran agreed to a framework deal on that country's nuclear program. the announcement in lausanne, switzerland, came as a surprise to many who thought much less would be agreed upon. but some critics including republican members of congress, and the prime minister of israel, say it's a bad deal and doesn't do enough to stop iran as a nuclear weapons threat. secretary of state john kerry took the lead for the u.s. including spending many late nights to finally secure the agreement with other leaders. in his first television interview since returning to washington, i spoke with secretary kerry about the road ahead and criticism over working with a longtime enemy. secretary kerry, welcome. thank you for talking with us. >> my pleasure. >> woodruff: you put a lot of effort into negotiating this framework agreement. spent months if not years on this. people look at this and they see all that effort and i think one question is, is it going to take even more work to get the remaining unresolved issues figured out, or is it is the hardest part behind you? >> it's going to take more work but it may also be that the hardest part is behind us because the framework has really crossed a barrier, if you will. but the details are going to be tough and coming down to the last come marks the last crossed -- the last comma, the last crossed t i'm confident will be as difficult as the last couple of days of the framework. >> woodruff: a couple of details to clarify for the american people what this is. is it correct to say this is really about -- not about denying iran a nuclear weapon but delaying the way when they can have one and delaying it really only by a party matter of months? >> absolutely not. not in the least. no, it is not about that. it is about denying them a nuclear weapon. the reason i can say that with canconfidence is we will have a sufficient level of transparency, of inspections, of accountability of tracing uranium, of following production of centrifuges of knowing what is happening in their program that if they begin enriching to create a nuclear weapon, we would know immediately and be able to take actions. so i don't agree with that assessment. this is a guarantee that for the next 15 to 20 years, they won't possibly be able to advance that program and then, when they become a more legitimate member of the nonproliferation community and subject to lifetime inspections and investigation, we will have accountability. >> woodruff: but it is said now they have a breakout capacity of three to four months and at the end of this agreement, it would be a year. meanwhile, they have enrichment capacity, they have the ability to do research and development on these so-called advanced centrifuges and enriching uranium where they could even potentially and the president himself has acknowledged this, create a weapon almost instantly. >> let me describe where we are. it's important for people to think about where's the starting point. when i began secretary of state, they had 20,000 centrifuges, a large stockpile of enriched uranium at 20% and were moving in the direction of really threatening to perhaps go down and get a bomb. now they no long very that 20% enriched uranium. it's been reduced to zero. they no longer enrich above a small percentage, 3 4%. they no longer have the ability to break out in the same period of time as when we started this. when president obama became president they already had enrichment, they already had mastered the fuel cycle. so in the years preceding that, they were edging up and up and up constantly. now we're going the other way. we're rolling the program back and putting in place a very strict set of transparency and accountability measures that will allow us to know what is happening, and it is not accurate to say it's only ten years. some measures that are in this deal go for 15 years, some go for 20 years some go for 25 years like the tracking of uranium. that's a 25-year tracking of uranium from mining to milling to the yellow cake to the gas to the centrifuge to waste, we'll follow every part of that, and there are lifetime provisions here forever provisions they have to adhere to. >> woodruff: let me ask you about some of the details which you mentioned. inspections. the president has said these will be the most intrusive rough best inspections ever. others have said it will be anywhere, anytime. the iranians are saying, no, it won't be on military bases and there will be limits. which is it? >> we will have a very robust inspection system. we have a means of dispute resolution that will permit us to be able to resolve questions if there are any unresolved issues of access. they have agreed to abide by what else called the additional protocol of the non-proliferation treaty. that protocol requires participating states to adhere to a higher standard and if they don't judy, then the sanctions can and will come back. for a certain number of years, that will happen automatically but i can assure you that if iran were then to suddenly move to try to advance this program beyond what would be normal for peaceful nuclear power, the whole world will respond just as we have now and sanctions will be reimposed. >> woodruff: but aren't there real questions about that? the administration is calling them snap-back sanctions. you have to go back. >> no there's no veto power capable. it's an automatic process under a specific procedure which will be spelled out into the final deal. i won't go into it all now except to say to you that we're not going to sit there and carve out a pretense here. we have told people and we're serious about it that there will be an ability to have accountability in this inspection regimen, and there will be. >> woodruff: still another issue, the international atomic energy agency has said for a long time that it wants iran to disclose past military-related nuclear activities. >> right. >> woodruff: iran is increasingly looking like it's not going to do this. is the u.s. prepared to accept that? >> no, they have to do it. it will be done. if there's going to be a deal it will be done. >> woodruff: because it's not there now. >> it will be done. >> woodruff: so that information will be released before june 30th? >> it will be part of a final agreement. it has to be. >> woodruff: congress. president obama is now saying there may be a role for congress in signing off on the deal as long as congress doesn't materially change anything. my question to you if you were senator kerry, chairing the senate foreign relations committee and there were a different president wouldn't you be insisting that congress have an up or down say on this? >> one of the things i learned a long time ago and i particularly know now is don't answer hypothetical questions, so i'm not going where i don't have to be, and i left the senate. i'm not there now. i'm secretary of state. and the president is absolutely correct in making sure that what congress does does not assault presidential authority and the constitution and doesn't destroy his ability to be able to negotiate this final deal. that's critical. and the president has said, if the bill is what it is today, written the same way it is today, then he'd veto it. but if it's changed and adjusted reflects the respect for the constitution and the president's prerogatives while at the same time embracing congressional oversight and review, fine. one other thing i would say to you is congress is going to vote. congress can vote any day it wants to. you know, the majority leader has the right to bring something to the floor and have a vote. so this is really, i think, a little bit excessive. the truth is, also, congress will have to vote to lift ultimately, some of the sanctions which are congressionally mandated. so we all understand the process here and i just think we need to be serious in a way that does not interfere with the president's ability to pursue the foreign policy interests of our nation. >> woodruff: some of the other concerns now being raised, assuming this deal is finalized at the end of june and the u.s. embarks on this new way forward doesn't this raise expectations -- and there's already a lot of talk about this, that the u.s. is going to have to increasingly show its support for those in the region who fear iran not just israel but the arab nation -- saudi arabia, the u.a.e., the others egypt -- in other words that the u.s. is increasingly obligated to have the back of more nations than it already is supporting and backing militarily? >> judy, let me make it clear -- it doesn't take this negotiation to prompt this administration to be there for our friends and our allies. we are there. we have been there. no administration -- this is not an exaggeration -- no administration has ever done as much as president obama has done in order to help provide equipment and munitions and defensive mechanisms other things to israel. the president has said that's a lead pipe total guarantee. at the same time, all our other gulf state allies and friends in the region, we have already long before the discussions with iran, been talking with them about pushing back against iran's behavior in yemen, in iraq, in syria, lebanon and other places and that will continue. >> woodruff: today's news yemen, iran announced sending two warships to the gulf of aden off the coast. iran said it is not providing military assistance to the houthi rebels who helped depose the president. is that something the administration accepts? >> no. >> woodruff: how concerned is the administration about what's going on there? >> well, we're very concerned about what's going on there. it's just not a fact. there have been -- there there there are, obviously, flights coming from iran. every single week there are flights from iran and we've traced it and know this. we're well aware the support iran has been giving to yemen and iran needs to recognize that the united states is not going to stand by while the region is destabilized or while people engage in overt warfare across lines, international boundaries in other countries. so we're very concerned about it and we will -- what we've made clear to our friends and allies is we can do two things at the same time. we have an ability to understand that an iran with a nuclear weapon is a greater threat than an iran without one and, at the same time, we have an ability to be able to stand up to interference that is inappropriate or against international law or contrary to the region's stability and interest and those of our friends, and we're not, you know, looking for confrontation, obviously, but we're not going to step away from our alliances and our friendships and the need to stand with those who feel threatened as a consequence of the choices that iran might be making. >> woodruff: secretary john kerry, we thank you very much for talking with us. >> thank you. >> ifill: now, the police shooting in south carolina that made national headlines today. americans everywhere watched video of a white officer killing a black suspect, in the city of north charleston. if you haven't seen it yet, a warning: the images are disturbing. >> ifill: the chilling footage, from a bystander captured saturday's fatal confrontation. patrolman michael slager fired eight times as 50-year-old walter scott ran away. slager later claimed scott had grabbed for his taser during a traffic stop. but after the shooting, the officer walked over and handcuffed scott's motionless form. then he walked back to where he'd opened fire, picked up a black object-- apparently the taser-- returned to where scott lay... and dropped the object there. the initial police statement relied on slager's account. but once the video surfaced, he was charged with murder and fired from the force. police chief eddie driggers spoke at a briefing today. >> i have watched the video. and i was sickened by what i saw. and i have not watched it since. >> ifill: scott's mother also spoke, on abc's "good morning america." >> when i looked at that tape, that was the most horrible thing i've ever seen. to see my son running defenselessly being shot, it just tore my heart to pieces. and i pray that this never happens to another person. this has got to stop. >> this is what democracy looks like. >> ifill: that same demand was echoed by protesters outside city hall. >> a police culture has existed for a long time in which an officer can feel comfortable shooting, can feel comfortable shooting somebody eight times in the back! >> ifill: mayor keith summey struggled to be heard at today's briefing as protesters repeatedly demanded more answers. the mayor said he could not answer most of the questions because state investigators have taken over the case. the f.b.i. and the justice department are also investigating for possible civil rights violations. joining me to talk about this story's resonance in the wake of similar incidents around the country are: brian hicks, a columnist for the "post and courier" newspaper in charleston, jessica pierce, the national co-chair of the black youth project, and philip stinson, a professor of criminal justice at bowling green university. brian hicks, there a history of racial tensions that we should know about especially in north charleston? >> yes, this has been going on for years, gwen. several members of the community, the naacp, they have claimed for well over a decade that north charleston police use racial profiling to pick on black citizens and what they do, their standard m.o. according to their critics, is to stop a black man on some minor traffic violation and then harass him, use it to detain him to see if there's an arrest wawrnt for him or search him in his car. this is a charge that's been made, the police department refused the charge and slager with this action has gone and proved exactly what the critics said has been happening. >> woodruff: so how unusual is it for officers in general to be charged with this sort of crime and this sort of offense? we saw it happen very rapidly here. >> i'm sorry -- there are a lot of shootings but it's rare an officer is actually charged with an on-duty shooting. we see it four times a year in my research where an officer is charged with an on-duty shooting charged with murder or manslaughter and typically in those cases similar to this case in that we have a completely unjustified shooting. most of the time in cases we've studied, other officers have come forward that have witnessed the shooting and have said that the officer who shot someone wasn't justified, that there was no imminent threat of deadly force or serious bodily injury. it simply wasn't justified. here we have a different situation. we're starting to see in a few cases where we have someone with a smartphone able to take a video. >> let me ask you that, we have been doing a lot of research on this topic and wonder whether you believe the difference in this case is the smartphone, is the existence to have the video. >> well, absolutely. it is no question about that. i'm not so sure that we had the same result eventually because forensic investigation would have found that the man was shot in the back seven or eight times and it completely is under the law in the united states, he can't shoot somebody in this type of circumstance in the back if they're fleeing. there is two things that trouble me about this case. one is that the officer's first thought when the man that's running away from him is not to run after him and tackle him but to shoot him as if it were on target practice, a very casual type thing. and the second thing is that his second thought was to immediately try to cover it up, to tell the dispatcher that the man had grabbed his taser as if he had the taser when he was shot and then to place the taser next to the body and the officer's intent was to cover it up. >> ifill: the black youth project is speak out about this in new york, cleveland and around the country. how different is the discussion now since ferguson about these kind of issues? >> the discussion isn't different for us at this point in time. it's a continued discussion. we still look at the fact that every 28 hours we know that a black person is going to be killed by police force in this country. so you know, for us, it's a day-to-day issue that we're looking at in the same way. i think for us, in this case, you know we're happy that an officer is being indicted, or i should say former officer at this point but for us when we talk about justice justice is not indicting one officer it's not the conviction even of one officer. justice for us is an indictment of the entire system at this point, and i think that that's what we really need at this point is not to look at this one individual case, but to look at the intersystem and say what type of changes do we need on a system-wide level. >> ifill: brian hicks said there had been complaints about this before but the video made the difference. does that make you feel better that video exists that some citizens feel empowered to videotape these kinds of incidents? >> yes, that's the great thing especially on social media is people have been sharing it and it's completely legal in all 50 states of this country as a citizen to take a video of interaction with a police officer as long as it doesn't impede with them doing their jobs. i can before people might have been nervous or scared and i think it's helpful people are feeling empowered to do it, that it is happening and contrary to our belief that body cameras will make the difference. the mayor talked about he's ordering body cameras. for us, this wasn't a body camera situation. it was a civilian capture. for us it makes it a little bit better. i think that feeling is temporary. >> ifill: i want to get back to you on the body camera issue. brian hicks, i want to ask you about something you wrote today in your column. you said officer slager didn't just wound or kill walter scott he wounded the community. tell me what you mean by that. >> well, he set back community relations with the -- between the neighborhoods and the police by years. he's proven critics of the police department to be correct, at least in this instance and he's created an atmosphere of distrust that was already there. he's basically fanned the flames. i think that most people would say that the city acted swiftly and decisively here when they saw the video and i agree that i think the forensics were such that the state law enforcement division probably would have called foul in this case but still the residents today at a rally a at a press conference very upset, still upset with the city because this this just confirms the pattern many have seen for years. >> ifill: jessica pierce said this is systemic not individual failure. what do you think about that? >> i can't speak for any other police departments. i know a lot of police officers in north charleston. i think they're, by and large, good people who are risking their lives doing rough jobs for a very modest pay for what they have to do. but when you have 343 people you're going to have people of different viewpoints and people who do things wrong. i'm not saying that any of the charges that have been leveled against the police department earlier weren't true. certainly nothing like this has happened before with north charleston. >> ifill: philip stinson, i want to ask you about the body camera issue. have you discovered whether body cam roos are a beginning of a solution for this sort of activity? >> i think they are -- >> ifill: i'm sorry. go ahead. >> however, you know it's just another tool that's available for investigators to use. i think it's important not only we have body cameras but we have citizen videographers, people using smartphones to film these types of incidents because it's important to get this from different angles. you know, you see a different picture from the officer's vantage point with a body-worn camera than you would with the smartphone. i think body-worn cameras are important and ought to be standard equipment for officers. we don't even have best practices in place yet in terms of how body cameras ought to be used, when they should be turned on, turned off and those things need to be flushed out and that's something that's happening across the country. >> ifill: jessica pierce what about what's not caught on tape? >> i think that's the bigger question. even when we look in this case, now we're looking back in history as a police officer and we found there is one area, he was interviewing a suspect around a burglary and that person said they were tased for absolutely no reason and beaten and dragged on the floor, right, so i think that's really the question is we don't find out about some of these situations until it's too late. so i think that's why it's a systemic issue. eth not just about these individual police officers because we can humanize the story of anyone. we all know stories of good and bad people in every single institution, i think. that's why we have to indict the institutions and say we need to pass the end racial profiling act. we need to talk about publicly elected, independent police review boards that have some level of hire and fire power as an accountability system. it's not to say we want to have all oversight at all times over police officers but i think it's more than police officers' responsibilities to keep our community safe. >> jessica pierce of the black youth project, national coordinator co-chair. brian hicks of the charleston post and courier, and philip stinson of bowling green university, thank you all much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: public schools in 29 states are taking the same common core standardized tests for the first time this spring. slammed by the right as federal overreach, and by the left as too much testing, the roll out of common core has been bumpy, to say the least. special correspondent kavitha cardoza visited one school in washington, d.c. that has made great academic strides in recent years to see how they are handling a new, more challenging test. her report is part of our "american graduate" series. >> reporter: it's pep rally day at jefferson middle school washington d.c. >> who deserves a gift card? is it riggins or is it troden? >> reporter: there are prizes and gift certificates and lots of cheering, all meant to get children psyched about the high stakes tests they're about to take. sixth grader nazar harper says it works. >> it makes me really pumped up and feel like i can do the test and i can really ace it! >> reporter: principal natalie gordon and assistant principal greg dohmann do this every year. >> testing can be a very anxiety filled time for students. it's an anxiety filled time for staff members for sure. >> it's really taking the stigma away from testing and not making it an event that they dread, but making it an event that we really build up and they actually look forward to. >> reporter: and this strategy has worked. just four years ago, jefferson was struggling with low morale and equally low test scores. then principal gordon took over. she hired new teachers, changed the curricula and implemented home visits. that resulted in enviable double digit gains in both math and reading on the d.c.-c.a.s., the test the district used to measure whether students were on grade level. now she's hoping all that ground work will help students conquer the new, more difficult national tests based on the common core state standards. >> remember, i'm giving out gift cards for those who are ready to rock this test! to show not only d.c., not only this school, but the world how smart jefferson trojans are! >> reporter: the common core standards were created by states as an attempt to set unified, high expectations about what students should know and be able to do at each grade level, to be prepared for college and work. the district of columbia was an early adopter, but until now what students knew, was measured by the locally-developed test. this year 29 states and d.c. approximately 12 million children, will take one of two tests: smarter balanced or parcc. sixth grader nevaeh edwards has high expectations for herself. >> i'm a little nervous because we're probably going to be compared to other states like ohio and new york. but i'm really happy at the same time because we do have really really smart children at jefferson and we can show what we know to the rest of the country. >> reporter: another difference- - this test is computerized, and timed. >> and with the d.c. c.a.s., everything was on paper and i could visually see everything and it wasn't timed. >> reporter: her classmate nazar harper agrees. >> i think testing on the computer is more difficult because some people might not have a computer at home and they're new to technology. >> reporter: the school got 60 additional computers this year and staff has restructured classes so that children have more opportunities to practice basic keyboarding skills. math teacher latisha nero has been working with students all year on the tougher standards that focus on complex problem- solving. >> i think we're all worried about it only because we understand that it is a very very big jump for our students. it's a completely different way of thinking. >> reporter: she says in the past, students were asked a question that focused on one skill. >> so they may have to do a word problem where they're using decimal computation to then go ahead and find the area of a different shape or figure. it's really testing their understanding of the concept versus just the skill. >> it's test time. >> reporter: testing coordinator brittani ogden spent the day making sure children could log in. >> when you are the testing coordinator, you do a lot of moving around the building. so for instance, today i've already taken 15,000 steps! >> reporter: while it went fairly smoothly, the first day was stressful-- there were lots of computer glitches. >> just being unfamiliar with how long it would take students to get into their testing locations, how long it would take us to read directions and so everything got kind of pushed back. we had to alter our schedule and i think overall students and staff being nervous. >> reporter: nevaeh ran out of time. >> i did not finish on time because i had one question unanswered. i felt bad because i was wondering how it was going to affect my score on the test. >> reporter: are you worried about that happening with the parcc tests? >> to some degree it's a little unavoidable. now of course we don't want to resign ourselves to saying our scores are going to be low. we know that next year when they take the parcc we're going to see significant growth and every year after that we're going to see significant growth. so this year is really giving us a baseline. we want that baseline to be as high as possible but it's going to be what it's going to be and then we're going to push on from there. >> ditto! >> reporter: there are concerns among educators that testing takes away time from teaching. but nero says it can serve a purpose. >> so if we are giving students tests, we need to make sure that we are looking at the data we're analyzing that, that we are identifying areas of weakness, areas of strength and we're using that to inform our instruction. if we're just giving tests just to get one score and move on then that's more of a concern. >> reporter: principal gordon and dohmann say they're on board with the parcc test because in some way it is leveling the playing field, making sure children from all different backgrounds have access to a high quality education. >> i want my kids to know that they are as smart as the best kids in new york or california or wherever else they're taking the parcc. i want them to know that and, and right now, there's no way to know that they're going to be able to compete when they go to harvard or university of pennsylvania or dartmouth. like they, right now, they don't have a way to prove that. so if not the parcc, something else. >> reporter: and the students seem to have picked up on that attitude. >> if i do really good, i would feel really happy. but if i didn't do so good, i would say, "i still tried," and that's the important thing. >> reporter: students at jefferson middle school academy will take the second half of the test in may and the results are expected late fall. for the pbs newshour, i'm kavitha cardoza in washington,d.c. >> ifill: finally tonight, a pair of coaching legends add to their hall of fame resumes. jeffrey brown looks at what sets them apart, and how they've adapted to a new era. >> brown: last night, it was the university of connecticut women's basketball team claiming their third title in a row, and tenth overall for their coach geno auriemma. that matched him with the game's most famous coach, john wooden. on monday night, duke university won its fifth title for coach mike krzyewski. in the men's game, no other coach has won as many-- other than, again, john wooden. we're joined now by two who know the game well. danielle donehew, executive director of the women's basketball coaches assocation and a former collegiate player. and, john feinstein, author of several books about college basketball and columnist for the "washington post." he joins us from augusta, georgia for the masters golf tournament. let's start with you, danielle donehew. ten championships for coach geno auriemma. what has been his secret? >> i'll tell you, jeff, geno constantly pursues perfection and he's a master at knowing how to motivate his players. i think geno is one of the greatest masterminds, also in terms of his offensive and defensive philosophies to really take advantage of the talents and strengths of his players. >> brown: has he had to change over time? >> he has. i think he's modeled a lot of his basic core principles from the teachings of john wooden but certainly evolved over time with other recommendations from other friends and certainly his own concepts he's created throughout his coaching career. he is one of -- he's very consistent he felt's one -- he's one of the best teachers of the game that i've seen. he is incredible to watch also in practices. when you see his teams play, it's almost poetry in motion. they're great passers. >> brown: john feinstein, mike krzyewski certainly had to adjust several times to games winning in several different eras. >> absolutely. he first coached at west point in 1976 and a lot of who he was as a coach was shaped as being cadet flag for bob knight by coaching there. when you're a pleb at west point there are three answer you're allowed, yes sir, no sir and no excuse, sir. that's what krzyewski has done when he's failed. he never blamed anybody but himself. in the past year, when duke lost to mercer last year, he didn't blame anybody but himself. he went back reinvented himself as a coach, he learned to text with his players -- sounds like a small thing but it's important -- and this year he played zone which is one of the things he hates most in life but realized his young team couldn't quite grasp his man to man defense early in the season he incorporated zone into what they were doing and let them learn slowly to play man to man defense which won them atite joule you have watched the chronicling of coaching over a long time. the pressure cooking offing with a coach at this level. what's that like? >> well, when you are the target the way krzyewski is every year because he went to his first final four in 1986, you have to be able to adapt to the game and you have to understand you are everybody's biggest game. the three-point shot didn't exist when mike krzyewski went to his first final four. one and done didn't exist till eight years ago. that changed coaching tremendously because you have to recruit and rerecruit. he'll have the whole new team next year rather than the freshman stars coming back for three more years. so he's had to change recruiting, the way he approaches relationship with his players and the way he approaches the notion that he is everybody's target on and off the basketball court. >> brown: danielle donehew, same pressures on the women's side? >> i think they're very complementary, yes. geno constantly is seeing everyone's best effort every time uconn steps on the floor. i would add these coaches in men and women's basketball, they have to hone in on great business skills. they have to be great coachons the basketball court but also great business people. it's a corporate -- it's like a corporation now. you have to be good at marketing and financial management. you've got to be able to recruit. you've got to be able to hire and fire your staff. these coaches are asked to do so many things and they're talented in all these areas. >> i was wondering about that because we've done a number of stories on this program for good and ill in the sports world now. john, i'll stirt start with you on. this these coaches can be more on campus than the president, bowled power and are the brand in a sense of their college. >> that's why mike krzyewski is by far the highest paid employee at duke university. makes $6 million a year. why? because he's their chief fundraiser. when the basketball team does well, people give more money to the school. he's asked to take part in fundraising activities. it'sna constant part of his job and he's under constant pressure because duke doesn't have a very good football program though better in the last few years but krzyewski is the guy at duke. geno at least has a good men's program to help him out at uconn. >> brown: danielle a last word from you on that? >> i would agree. geno plays a very big role on campus, in the community and comacially in terms of elevating our game and being the standard bearer for the women's game but he does a great deal of fundraising for uconn and exposing their brand to all markets around the country. >> brown: they won three in a row. will it continue? >> that's up to geno, i look forward to watching. >> brown: danielle donehew and john feinstein, thank you both very much. >> thanks, jeff. >> woodruff: again, the major developments of the day: a federal jury convicted dzokhar tsarnaev on all charges in the boston marathon bombing. and in a newshour interview, secretary of state kerry said congress should play a role in reviewing the iran nuclear deal. but he said it has to respect the constitution and the president's prerogatives. >> ifill: on the newshour online, a cambodian dancer brings a thousand-year-old tradition, once suppressed by the khmer rouge, to life on stage. watch a video of that performance, from our partner station kqed, on our home page. that's at pbs.org/newshour. >> woodruff: tune in later this evening. charlie rose gets reaction to the boston bombing verdict. and that's the newshour for tonight. on thursday, we'll talk with christine lagarde, head of the international monetary fund, on challenges facing the global economy. i'm judy woodruff >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. we'll see you on-line, and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us here at the pbs newshour, thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> lincoln financial-- committed to helping you take charge of your life and become you're own chief life officer. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org this is "nightly busines report" with sue herera. wheeling and dealing. two deals, one done and the other possibly totaling a staggering $100 billion. off and running. alcoa kicks off earnings season. the expectations and the realities of this always crucial time period for companies and for investors. and health rewards. how one insurance company is trying to revive sales and get people into better shape. all that and much more tonight for wednesday, april 8th. good evening everybody. i'm bill griffeth in for tyler mathisen. sue herera is also off tonight. so it's just you and me tonight. let's get to it shall we? it was a day of

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