The U.S. Department of Education's monthly TV show, "Education News Parents Can Use," will devote an entire hour to focusing on the single most important factor in raising student achievement—the teacher. Techniques for recruiting, rewarding and developing a world-class teacher corps will be explored.

The program will be carried from 8 to 9 p.m. ET Tuesday on the Dish Network, dozens of PBS stations and numerous cable outlets. Others, including The Learning Channel, will broadcast the show on a tape-delayed basis. A complete listing of viewing options is available at www.ed.gov/edtv. In addition, the program will be webcast live and archived at www.connectlive.com/events/ednews/.

The program will feature:

• An interview with Deputy Assistant Secretary Farris on effective teaching and the impact that high performing teachers have on student achievement. She'll describe tools and resources available from the U.S. Department of Education.

• A conversation with national award winners: Kiara Hargrove, chemistry teacher at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute; Don Comeaux, forensic and environmental science teacher at Belle Chasse High School; and, Deirdra Grode, 7th/8th grade social studies and language arts teacher at Hoboken Charter School, about teacher excellence, success in the classroom and ways to improve the teaching profession.

• A dialogue with Michael Marder, co-director of UTeach at the University of Texas at Austin, and Janice Trinidad, a 2007 UTeach graduate and first-year teacher, about effective practices for preparing math, science and computer science teachers for the 21st century.

• A roundtable with Patrick Schuermann, director of technical assistance at the Center for Educator Compensation Reform, Brad Jupp, senior academic policy advisor to the superintendent of Denver Public Schools, and, Gary Stark, senior vice president of program development at the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching. They'll talk about the national "pay for performance" movement and strategies for rewarding teachers based on their performance and overall student achievement. And,

• A video profile of a unique math and science teacher preparation program at the University of Texas at Austin, along with a video news story on ProComp: Denver's teacher compensation reform model. And, a special conversation between U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and Michael Geisen, the 2008 National Teacher of the Year.

The "Education News Parents Can Use" TV series airs monthly during the school year.

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