Archived: Satellite Town Meeting -- Charter Schools, Magnet Schools and Other Choices in Public Education

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

Family Involvement

Charter Schools, Magnet Schools
and Other Choices in Public Education
Tuesday, April 15, 1997
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (ET)

The April Satellite Town Meeting will focus on charter schools, magnet schools and other non-traditional choices within the nation's public school system. One focus of the program will be charter schools, which are public schools under contract or charter from a public agency to groups of parents, teachers, school administrators or others who want to create more alternatives and choices within the public school system. U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley will welcome a panel of educators, parents and community leaders who will discuss:

How parents, teachers, school administrators and communities can create innovative schools that can improve teaching and learning in the public school system;
How charter and magnet schools give parents and students more choices;
How decision-making and accountability in charter and magnet schools differ from traditional management;
What states, school districts and communities are doing to promote charter and magnet schools.

To participate, all you need is to locate a facility with satellite downlink capabilities. Or call your local cable access station or school board channel and give them the satellite coordinates:


C-Band GE1 Transponder/Channel 22 Vertical Polarity Downlink frequency 4140 MHZ Orbital location 103° West	Ku-Band SBS-6 Transponder/Channel 15 Horizontal Polarity Downlink frequency 12068 MHZ Orbital location 74° West
(Note: GE1 is where Telstar 3 used to be located) Audio Subcarriers 6.2 (Spanish) and 6.8 (English)

Please note that satellite coordinates are subject to change. Register your participation to ensure you will be notified of any changes by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN.

What is the Satellite Town Meeting?

Each month, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley hosts a live, interactive video teleconference for communities working together towards comprehensive school improvement. National experts, community leaders and educators discuss current issues in education, offer practical advice for community action and interact with participants throughout the nation. Major national television outlets including The Discovery Network, and Channel One, as well as public access stations and school board channels, carry the Satellite Town Meeting each month. The Satellite Town Meeting is also available on many local Public Broadcasting System stations. Past topics have included school violence, standards, arts in education, school-to-work, and parent involvement.

How can our community benefit from the Satellite Town Meeting?

The Satellite Town Meeting is an excellent opportunity to organize your community and involve new partners in your school improvement effort. You can also plan your own local community meeting prior to or after the Satellite Town Meeting to discuss your community's progress and challenges in relation to the current monthly topic. The Satellite Town Meeting brings together people from across the nation with the same commitment to building community partnerships for learning.

How do we participate?

Find a downlink facility
You can take part in the Satellite Town Meeting with a group or at home by contacting your local Public Broadcasting System member station or public access station. Call and give them the show's name and topic, date, time of the broadcast, and coordinates. Encourage them to air the program and, if they do, ask if the program will be aired live or rebroadcast at a later time. A number of national organizations encourage their local affiliates to serve as downlink sites for the Satellite Town Meeting. Contact your local Public Broadcasting System member station, or local Chambers of Commerce, and ask if your group can use the facility. Your local school system, public library, or community college may also have the satellite equipment necessary to provide downlink. Other possible sites are local cable television stations, universities or technical schools, local government offices, hospitals, businesses, hotels or even private residences with backyard satellite dishes.
Make a list of invitees
Invite those who are working on your community's reform effort: parents, members of the business community, educators, members of the local chamber of commerce, and other key community leaders. Invite everyone who is interested in learning more about school improvement. Notify participants as early as possible.
Call us
A 1-800 number is provided during the program for participants to call-in and talk with the Secretary and his guests.

Call 1-800-USA-LEARN to register your participation.
Send your comments or questions via e-mail to
Satellite_Town_Meeting@ed.gov

The Satellite Town Meeting is produced in partnership with the National Alliance of Business and the Center for Workforce Preparation with support from The Bayer Foundation, The Procter and Gamble Fund, Microsoft, Inc., and SC Johnson Wax. Broadcast and cable partners include Discovery Communications, the Public Broadcasting System, and Channel One. Use, duplication and distribution are free and unrestricted.

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Last Updated -- October 21, 1997, (smj)