Archived: Ideas for Improving Reading and Writing

A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Family Involvement

Ideas for Improving Reading and Writing
Tuesday, May 21, 1996
8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. (ET)

The May Town Meeting will explore how families, schools and communities can work together to promote excellence in reading and writing as a foundation for learning and success in life. U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley and Deputy Secretary Madeleine Kunin will welcome educators and local leaders from around the country who have developed programs to strengthen reading and writing skills, emphasizing the family's central role in education. The national READ*WRITE*NOW! program will also be featured, which is jointly sponsored by the Education Department and partners including the American Association of School Librarians, Reading Is Fundamental, the National Associations of Elementary and Secondary School Principals, Hadassah, Pizza Hut, and Nickelodeon. The discussion will include:

How can reading and writing skills be strengthened in all academic subjects?
How can parents encourage continued development of reading and writing skills?
How can families, schools, employers, and communities and religious groups form partnerships to improve reading and writing for all students?
How can libraries help students to continue to progress in reading and writing during the summer months?

All you need to participate is to locate a facility with satellite downlink capabilities. Or, call your local cable access station and give them the satellite coordinates:


C-Band Telstar 401 Transponder/Channel 7 Vertical Polarity Downlink frequency 3840 MHz Orbital location 97° West	Ku-Band SBS-6 Transponder/Channel 17 Horizontal Polarity Downlink frequency 12120.0 MHz Orbital location 74° West
Audio subcarriers: 6.2 (Spanish) and 6.8 (English)

For technical assistance during or after the program please call 202-463-5912. For more information call 1-800-USA-LEARN.

The Satellite Town Meeting is produced in partnership with the National Alliance of Business and the Center for Workforce Preparation with funding from The Bayer Foundation, The Procter and Gamble Fund, Microsoft, Inc., and SC Johnson Wax.

How do we participate in the Satellite Town Meeting?

There are several ways you can take part in the Town Meeting. You can participate at a "downlink" site or at home. The Town Meeting also allows you the flexibility to participate in a group setting or alone, on the evening of the program or at a later date if you tape the program.

To participate at a downlink site, there are two things you will need to do: (1) locate a downlink site and (2) invite people from your community to participate.

Locating a downlink site
A local downlink site is a location with a satellite dish that is capable of receiving the program. In most communities, that site will often be a school building. If your local school or school district is not equipped with satellite capability, there are many national organizations that encourage their local affiliates to serve as downlink facilities. These include Public Broadcasting System member stations, local chambers of commerce, and Johnson Controls branch offices. Other possible downlink sites are public libraries, universities and community colleges, government offices, hospitals, hotels and even private homes. Be sure to provide satellite coordinates, the date, time, and length of the program. If you are unable to find a downlink site, having the Town Meeting broadcast on television in your community is an option. Community members can watch the Town Meeting as a group or at home.
Making a list of invitees
Invite the key people in the community, school or neighborhood who care about education. Invite those who are involved in your community school improvement effort: parents, educators, members of the business community, members of the local chamber of commerce, and other leaders. Locate your downlink site and identify participants as early as possible.

To arrange for a local television broadcast of the Town Meeting, you will need to locate and contact your local cable operator and/or local cable access stations.

Locating and contacting local cable access stations
Consult your local television guide to identify local Public Broadcasting System stations, public access (non-commercial programming created by a variety of local individuals and groups), government access (administered by government staff, usually covering government meetings, services, public safety, etc.), and education access stations (usually include programming about local schools and colleges and televised instructional courses). You can also call your local cable operator and ask for a listing of the public/government/education access stations they carry.
When contacting the station, make it clear that you would like to know if they are able to broadcast an education program either live or taped. In some areas, government and public access stations do not air educational programming, so be sure to let them know up front the type of programming you are requesting. Also provide the following information: (1) this is an educational program produced by the U.S. Department of Education; (2) the program's name and topic; and (3) the date, time, and length of the program.
If you are unsuccessful working through your local cable operator and/or cable access stations, contact your local chamber of commerce's education committee and explain the situation. Most local chambers have education committees that can work with you in the business community and achieve results.

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Last Updated -- October 20, 1997, (smj)

A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Ideas for Improving Reading and Writing Tuesday, May 21, 1996 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. (ET)

How do we participate in the Satellite Town Meeting?

Ideas for Improving Reading and Writing
Tuesday, May 21, 1996
8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. (ET)