U.S. Department of Education

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

Family Involvement

Back to School:
Families and Communities
Together for Learning
Tuesday, September 16, 1997
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (ET)

The September Satellite Town Meeting will focus on the exciting back-to-school time when all Americans can commit to improving education across the nation. As part of the America Goes Back to School initiative, the Satellite Town Meeting will feature ways that schools, families and communities can extend learning, especially in reading and math, before and after-school. U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley will welcome a panel of parents, educators, religious, community and business leaders from around the country who will emphasize the great need for community-wide partnerships to improve education, and share successful ideas for mentoring, tutoring and after-school programs with the satellite audience. Secretary Riley and his guests will discuss:

  • Why better education is everybody's business, and how all Americans can get involved with this year's America Goes Back to School initiative.

  • The importance of reading to and with a child so he or she can read well by the end of third-grade, and coaching a child in math so he or she is prepared to take algebra by the eighth-grade.

  • Ways to recruit and organize tutors for help after-school, weekends and during the summer.

  • Ways to encourage middle and high school students to take advantage of work-study, school-to-work, and internship opportunities.

  • How families can volunteer time to assist teachers and support good teaching.
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
    Galaxy 9
    Transponder/Channel 2
    Horizontal Polarity
    Downlink Frequency 3740 MHZ
    Orbital Location 123° West
Ku-Band
    SBS-6
    Transponder/Channel 14
    Vertical Polarity
    Downlink Frequency 12043.5 MHZ
    Orbital Location 74° West
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.

Here's your chance to join an exciting conversation with people who are doing what it takes to improve American education...

Across the country, partnerships of concerned citizens -- parents, teachers, college leaders, child-care providers, business people, community leaders, and others -- have come together to improve their local schools and help children learn more. One way these hundreds of communities are sharing ideas and keeping up-to-date with the latest information is through a unique service from the U.S. Department of Education: the Satellite Town Meeting.

On the third Tuesday of each month during the school year, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley hosts the Satellite Town Meeting, a free, live, interactive teleconference about community efforts to improve teaching and learning. This is your opportunity to ask a question of the Secretary and his guests -- drawn from communities like yours -- on what works in schools and communities.

Your community can join the Satellite Town Meeting as easy as A, B, C!

Arrange for a site with satellite capability;

Bring together people committed to education, including parents, teachers, business people, community leaders and others; and,

Call your local cable operator to broadcast the program throughout your community.

Join the discussion! The Satellite Town Meeting is available at no cost. We just ask that you register your participation.

For the satellite coordinates, ideas on organizing your community, a registration form, and other materials, call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327). Our information specialists can answer your questions on how to create your own local meeting in coordination with the Satellite Town Meeting.

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 & Gamble Fund, and The SC Johnson Wax Fund. 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)