What skills do students need to compete in today's global economy and how can our schools help prepare them for a work world that's becoming increasingly dependent on math and science knowledge? The U.S. Department of Education's monthly TV show, "Education News Parents Can Use," will address these and other questions, as well as provide tips for parents on how to encourage their children to learn math and science outside the classroom.

The program is available live from 8 to 9 p.m. EST Tuesday, February 21, on the Dish Network, some PBS stations and numerous cable outlets. Others will broadcast the show on a tape-delayed basis. A complete listing of viewing options is available at http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/index.html. In addition, the program will be webcast live and archived at www.connectlive.com/events/ednews/.

Tuesday's program, entitled, "Math and Science Education in Today's Global Economy," will feature a videotaped excerpt of a recent town hall meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and the students at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.

Thomas Luce, assistant secretary, office of planning, evaluation and policy development, will discuss the importance of math and science education in today's global economy and how the American Competitiveness Initiative and other programs are accelerating the math and science performance of all students.

In addition, the program will feature:

• A profile of the Science Academy of South Texas, a 2005 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School, located in Mercedes, Texas. The academy, with math and science at the core of its curriculum, is a public magnet high school that serves a mostly low-income and Hispanic community. Ninety-five percent of the academy's students go on to college.

• A conversation with Mel Riddile, principal of Jeb Stuart High School in Falls Church, Va., and named the 2006 Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals; Jo Anne Vasquez, National Science Board Member and former educator; and Tom Price, senior vice president of operations, at the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, about what parents need to know about math and science education.

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

###

Top

Back to February 2006