Archived: Satellite Town Meeting -- Reading Together: Families, Schools and Communities

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

Family Involvement

Reading Together:
Families, Schools and Communities
Tuesday, May 20, 1997
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (ET)

"We ought to commit ourselves as a country to say that by the year 2000, 8-year-olds in America will be able to pick up an appropriate book and say 'I can read this all by myself.'"

Remarks by President Clinton to the Community of
Fresno, California, September 12, 1996

The May Satellite Town Meeting will present innovative ideas for summer reading activities for children, and explore how families, schools and communities can work together to create opportunities for students to improve their reading skills during school vacation. U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley will welcome parents, educators, business and community leaders from around the country who have organized quality community-wide summer reading programs for all children. The discussion will include:

How can families, schools, community groups and businesses work together to improve reading for all students and support summer reading programs?
How can libraries help students to continue to progress in reading during the summer months?
In what ways can college and university students and senior citizens serve as tutors and reading partners for younger students?
What is the America Reads Challenge and how can I get involved?

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 Galaxy 4 Transponder/Channel 9 Horizontal Polarity Downlink frequency 3880 MHZ Orbital location 99° West	Ku-Band SBS-6 Transponder/Channel 15 Horizontal Polarity Downlink frequency 12068 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.

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 of the Satellite Town Meeting is free and unrestricted.

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