The US Department of Education will be hosting a "satellite town
meeting" on May 18 (8 pm ET) titled counting the Stars: Math, Arts and
Space Science.  It's billed as "a live, interactive television program
about community efforts to improve teaching and learning."  Verbiage
from their flier follows this message.  We're hoping for museum
participation on the panel (no guarantees of course) but the program
should be interesting to list members in any case.

Andy Finch
American Association of Museums
[log in to unmask]

FLIER TEXT:  Children need to master challenging mathematics and science
to prepare them for college and careers in the 21st century.  The arts,
too, are playing an increasing role in strengthening schools. Around the
nation, schools and communities are discovering new, engaging ways to
teach these subjects - using hands-on approaches and project-based
learning.

Studying space and space travel is one of the most exciting and engaging
vehicles for teaching mathematics, science and creative processes in
today's classrooms.  With this theme, students can learn math and
science as they take virtual space voyages, chat online with space
experts, artists, engineers and researchers, design spacecraft, or
devise plans for colonies on distant planets. The study of space also
provides exciting opportunities for interdisciplinary learning, across
the arts, mathematics and sciences.

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley's May Satellite Town Meeting
will feature a panel of guests, including educators, scientists,
community leaders and parents who will discuss ways to...

*       Encourage schools to teach challenging mathematics, arts and
science using hands-on, project-
       based, and theme-based approaches such as space studies.
*       Foster the development of creativity and communications skills
by integrating the arts and
       humanities into math and science learning.
*       Support efforts to build a strong foundation in mathematics and
science in the middle grades.
*       Involve parents, business and the community in finding engaging
new approaches for the teaching
       of mathematics and science.
*       Find out more about the Mars Millennium project, a joint effort
of the U.S. Department of
      Education, NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the National Endowment
for the Arts, and the J.
      Paul Getty Trust.

Call in or e-mail us during the broadcast with your questions.

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: Telstar 5, transponder/channel 24; Orbital Location: 97* West;
Downlink Frequency 4180 mHz; Horizontal polarity; Audio 6.2 and 6.8

KU-BAND:  SBS-6 transponder/channel 4; Orbital Location: 74* West;
Downlink Frequency 11798 mHz; Vertical Polarity; Audio 6.2 and 6.8

To view the Satellite Town Meeting live via the Internet visit:
quest.arc.nasa.gov/ltc/stm/index.html

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, by e-mail at [log in to unmask], or
by visiting our web site at www.ed.gov/inits/stm  For satellite problems
on the day of the broadcast, call 703-284-3556.

The Satellite Town Meeting is produced in partnership with the National
Alliance of Business, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and  the Committee for
Economic Development, with support from the Bayer Foundation and the
Procter & Gamble Fund. Broadcast and cable partners include Discovery
Communications, the Public Broadcasting Service, NASA and Channel One
Connection.
Use of the Satellite Town Meeting is free and unrestricted.