U.S. Department of Education

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

Serving Students with Disabilities:
What Families, Schools
and Communities Need to Know
Tuesday, January 20, 1998
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (ET)

The Department of Education's January Satellite Town Meeting will look at ways that families, educators and communities can work together to improve the quality of education for students with disabilities and provide schools with the tools to assess what all children are learning. The discussion will include the recent amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which will provide children with disabilities an individualized education designed to meet their unique needs. U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley and his guests will discuss:

  • How can schools work effectively with families of students with disabilities?
  • How can children with disabilities succeed in school today?
  • What are the best ways to ensure that students with disabilities are included in regular preschools and classrooms, school-to-work programs, and all activities of school life to prepare them for the working world?
  • How does this help improve outcomes for all students?
  • How can schools, teachers and parents set high expectations for all students?
  • What are some of the ways to strengthen early intervention to help ensure that every child starts school ready to learn?
  • What is the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, and what does it mean for families, schools and communities?

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 1
    Vertical Polarity
    Downlink Frequency 3720 MHZ
    Orbital Location 123 degrees West

 Ku-Band
    SBS-6
    Transponder/Channel 11
    Horizontal Polarity
    Downlink Frequency 11970 MHZ
    Orbital Location 74 degrees 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, or by e-mail at Satellite_Town_Meeting@ed.gov.

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.

Satellite Town Meeting Home | About the Satellite Town Meeting | Satellite Town Meeting 1997-98 Schedule | Satellite Town Meeting Partners | Special teleconferences | Register for this month's Satellite Town Meeting | Satellite Town Meeting archives

Satellite_Town_Meeting@ed.gov


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Last Updated -- December 12, 1997, (mb)