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SATELLITE TOWN MEETING.... a live, interactive television program about what works in schools and communities

About the Satellite Town Meeting

What is it?


The Satellite Town Meeting is just what the name implies -- a meeting, made possible by telecommunications technology, where thousands of people in sites all over the country get together and discuss the most critical and timely issues in education. Renowned national experts, local educators, and community leaders share ideas on what it takes to create successful school improvement programs and keep them going. They offer practical advice for your school and community.
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Who participates?


The Satellite Town Meeting audience includes parents, teachers, school administrators, business leaders, civic and community activists, college faculty, and others. The Secretary's guests have included teachers, principals, parents and community leaders from across the country and well-known figures in American education. You can participate too, by calling a toll-free telephone number with your questions or comments for the Secretary and his guests.
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What do we talk about?


Past topics include: strengthening family and school partnerships; enhancing mathematics and science education; creating safer schools; improving preschool programs; connecting schools to the Information Superhighway; expanding the arts in education; and creating the school-to-work transitions to prepare students for promising careers.
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How does your community benefit?


The Satellite Town Meeting offers an opportunity for networking with people across the nation who share a commitment to building community partnerships and a common vision of educational excellence for all children. It also provides a regular occasion for organizing a school or community's education improvement effort as parents, educators, and other citizens gather to take part in the program, extend discussions on the topic, and decide on their own approach to school improvement.
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How do you take part?


There are three ways to join us?
  1. Tune in: A number of state educational television systems, Public Broadcasting Service member stations, and scores of public access television channels broadcast the Satellite Town Meeting live and rebroadcast it in cities and towns around the United States. Major national cable outlets, including The Learning Channel and the Channel One networks, also rebroadcast the program. Check local listings for air times or search "viewing options" listed for each broadcast.

    If the Satellite Town Meeting does not air in your community, you call your local cable provider or public access channel to request it. The program is available free to television and cable outlets, including community cable access stations, school board stations, and government and public access stations. Many of these outlets will broadcast or cable-cast the Satellite Town Meeting if a community member requests it.

  2. Create a "downlink" site: You can take part in the Satellite Town Meeting as part of an organized group meeting at a "downlink" site. All it takes is for one person to invite the key people in the community, school or neighborhood who care about education, and then to find a site that has a satellite dish. 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 national organizations that encourage their local affiliates to serve as downlink facilities for the Satellite Town Meeting. These include Public Broadcasting System member stations and local chambers of commerce. Other possible downlink sites are public libraries, community colleges, television stations, government offices, businesses, hospitals, hotels, and even private homes with backyard satellite dishes.

  3. Join the Satellite Town Meeting online: The Apple Learning Interchange offers a live webcast of the program, plus archived versions of previously aired programs, and online discussions of Satellite Town Meeting topics. For more information, go to Apple Learning Interchange web site at http://ali.apple.com/.

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How can the Satellite Town Meeting work for you?


U.S. communities have found many creative ways to use the Satellite Town Meeting:
  • The college of education at a state university in Arizona downlinks the Town Meeting so that students and faculty can take part together.

  • A public television station in Western Pennsylvania provides its teleconferencing facility as a meeting site.

  • In South Carolina, a major employer partners with community institutions to offer the Town Meeting at the newly developed local aquarium.

  • A small town in Massachusetts broadcasts the Satellite Town Meeting on its local cable access channel and then offers its own local meeting featuring area community leaders and educators.
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What others are saying about the Satellite Town Meeting:


"The Satellite Town Meeting lets local people know there are people working on the same problems we have. Thanks for providing this service!"
Montgomery, Alabama

"I found this program to be excellent -- the ideas were invaluable! The possibilities for communities to incorporate these ideas into their current efforts are exciting!"

Crook County
School District, Oregon

"It is very beneficial to see what other school systems across the country are doing to improve education."

North Platte, Nebraska

"I appreciate the Secretary's remarks. It shows how we are all working on the same plan."

Rochester, New York

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Have questions?


For information about establishing a downlink site, satellite coordinates, ideas on organizing your community, a registration form, or other information about the Satellite Town Meeting, call:

1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327)

The Satellite Town Meeting is produced in partnership with the National Alliance of Business & the Center for Workforce Preparation, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Committee for Economic Development with support from The Bayer Foundation and The Procter & Gamble Fund and Target Stores. Broadcast & cable partners include Discovery Communication, the Public Broadcasting Service, Apple Learning Interchange and Channel One Connection.

The program is in the public domain. Use, duplication, or distribution of the Satellite Town Meeting is free and unrestricted... and encouraged!

If you have any questions or comments, please let us know!!

Satellite.Town.Meeting@ed.gov

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