This month's U.S. Department of Education TV show will highlight the importance of teacher quality and how the Department supports and encourages innovation in teacher certification, training and effectiveness, and works to prepare all teachers and students for the 21st century through No Child Left Behind and other federal programs.

The program is available live from 8 to 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday, May 15, on the Dish Network, certain 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/.

The program, "Teacher Quality: Inspiring Excellence and Strengthening Innovation," will look at how we can prepare all teachers to lead our students toward success by showcasing award-winning teachers; exploring how effective teaching is at the core of America's long-term economic competitiveness; highlighting alternative strategies to recruit, train, and reward effective teachers; and offering tips and resources for teachers and parents on how to protect children from emergencies and counsel them in times of trauma.

Following is an outline of the show.

TEACHER QUALITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

• Kerri Briggs, acting assistant secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, will lead a discussion on how teachers are the single most important factor in raising student achievement and how the Department and other federal agencies are collaborating to help prepare all teachers and students for the 21st century.

INNOVATIVE PATHWAYS FOR TEACHER EXCELLENCE & STUDENT SUCCESS

This segment will be introduced by video profiles of a pioneering teacher recruitment and alternative certification project in New York City and an interview of the 57th National Teacher of the Year award recipient, Andrea Peterson, by Secretary Margaret Spellings.

• Kaya Henderson, vice president, The New Teacher Project
• Nicole Fulgham, vice president, Training and Support, Teach for America

They will discuss alternative routes to becoming a teacher in hard-to-staff schools.

HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS: PREPARING EVERY CHILD TO SUCCEED

• Myra Govea de Arce, Spanish Teacher, Snowden School, Memphis, Tenn.
• Mark Hannum, AP Physics Teacher, Benjamin Banneker High School, Washington, D.C.

How effective teachers are key in raising student achievement will be their focus.

TEACHERS AS LEADERS IN CHANGING TIMES: WHAT DO PARENTS NEED TO KNOW AND ASK?

• Kate Walsh, president, National Council on Teacher Quality
• Cindy Heine, associate executive director, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Heine and Walsh will talk about the resources available to parents regarding teacher effectiveness, including what parents should ask of their children's teachers.

TIPS FOR FAMILIES AN DTEACHERS TO HELP STUDENTS RECOVER FROM TRAUMATIC EVENTS

• Cathy Paine, psychologist, Springfield School District, Springfield, Ore., will provide tips for families and teachers to help students recover from traumatic events.

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

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