WHERE WE STAND: America’s Schools in the 21st Century (PBS documentary) airing Monday, 9/15

Good morning all,

The PBS documentary “WHERE WE STAND: America’s Schools in the 21st Century” will be broadcast on Monday, September 15th, at 10:00 pm (check your local listings).  It features in interviews with students, parents, teachers and administrators at several Ohio schools. Here’s a quick snippet (Source: PBS):

In 1995, America’s college graduation rate was second in the world. Ten years later, it ranked 15th. As so many nations around the world continue to improve their systems of education, America can no longer afford to maintain the status quo. In an ever-changing, increasingly competitive global economy, is the U.S. doing all it can to prepare its students to win jobs and maintain a robust economy?  WHERE WE STAND: America’s Schools in the 21st Century, premiering Monday, September 15, 2008 at 10 p.m. (check your local listings) on PBS, presents a frank evaluation of our educational system’s strengths and weaknesses. Hosted by Judy Woodruff, Senior Correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, the documentary will visit schools throughout Ohio, an important swing state that represents a range of socioeconomic and geographic school districts. The program will feature schools in urban Cincinnati, suburban Columbus, and rural Belpre.

Here is a brief trailer that I found on WNET’s website:

As a fitting follow-up activity, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) will be hosting a free “Educator’s Social” in Second Life on Thursday, September 18th at 9:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Pacific).  Educators from around the country (and the world) will gather at  ISTE’s Second Life Island “Campfire Area” (http://slurl.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/213/150/22) to discuss the documentary. I’ll be moderating one of the discussion groups but there will be several others. If you have a Second Life avatar, please consider joining us!

If you don’t have a Second Life avatar, go to SecondLife.com and create one (it’s free), then click this link to teleport to ISTE’s brand-new “Experience Pathway,” a gathering of resources and tips designed to ease your entry into Second Life. You can also click here for a calendar listing days and times when ISTE “Docents” (real people … like me!) will be available to assist you personally!

Hope this helps,

-kj-