The U.S. Department of Education's monthly TV show, "Education News Parents Can Use," concludes its 2007-08 season by examining how student service activities and volunteer efforts build good character, inspire civic responsibility and promote academic learning.

The program will be carried from 8-9 p.m. EDT tonight 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 available via archived webcast at www.connectlive.com/events/ednews/.

Educators, policymakers, and practitioners will discuss key questions such as:

• What can be done in school, the home and community to inspire a sense of civic pride among young people?
• What impact does service and civic education have on academic performance?
• What does research say about volunteerism and youth development?
• What is the USA Freedom Corps and how does it develop a culture of service in America?
• Where can I find more information on community and faith-based organizations dedicated to advancing the president's goals of volunteerism and service to country?

Among the guests will be Kristin McSwain, director of AmeriCorps, the largest program of the federal Corporation for National and Community Service, harnessing the talents of more than 70,000 each year. Also appearing, Kristen Allcorn, a recent graduate of Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia, Mo., and founder of The Community Café, a table-service soup kitchen that has served more than 15,000 meals to needy residents since December 2006.

In addition, Scott Peterson will discuss his work as executive director of The Prudential Spirit of Community Award program, an international effort to promote greater community involvement and volunteerism by young people. Stephanie Wu, senior vice president of Boston-based City Year, will talk about equipping young people with the skills and opportunities to change the world. Virgil Gulker, founder of KIDS HOPE USA, will describe his innovative intra-church mentoring program that has trained staff in nearly 700 churches in the U.S. and Australia to engage their membership in "one-to-one" relationships with at-risk elementary children.

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

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