In an effort to continue the national conversation sparked last fall with the launch of “Education Nation” in New York City, NBC News has launched “Education Nation On-The-Road.” The final stop of this three-city tour is Philadelphia, beginning on June 5th. The NBC News team will spend a week in the city, partnering with its owned and operated station, NBC 10 Philadelphia (WCAU), and its sister networks, MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo, to create a public dialogue around education issues faced by the region.
During the week, NBC News and its partner stations will air education-focused programming and host a series of special events that bring Philadelphia-area business leaders, elected officials, educators, parents and students together to share information, exchange ideas and inspire change.
NBC News’ on-air programming for the week will include reports on “Today,” “NBC Nightly News,” and MSNBC. NBC 10 Philadelphia is providing education-related reports leading up to and during the Philadelphia leg of the “Education Nation” tour (June 5-12), as well as coverage of the “Education Nation Philadelphia” events. Telemundo will present all “Education Nation” news coverage under the banner of “El Poder de Saber,” an annual long-standing Spanish-language initiative focused on promoting the educational advancement of young Latinos.
“Education is the cornerstone of the 21st century American dream. It touches Philadelphians and all Americans in every aspect of their lives–jobs, safety, family and community. In order to serve the next generation, we need to think innovatively and invest in the education of our young people,” said Mayor Nutter. “Education advocates and experts will gather to discuss where we need to go next. Our students are better prepared today than they were yesterday, but they need to be better still. With NBC’s Education Nation in Philadelphia, the birthplace of our country, America will be watching not for what we will say, but for how we will act.”
Michael Chen, President of the Strategic Initiatives Group at NBC News and “Education Nation said, “The ‘Education Nation On-The-Road’ tour has ignited the communities of Chicago and Los Angeles, bringing local and national education issues to the spotlight. We are very excited to partner with the NBC 10 Philadelphia team to increase the dialogue about how we can improve education in this great city.”
Dennis Bianchi, President and General Manager of NBC10 Philadelphia added, “We all must work together to try and improve education in America, and the ‘Education Nation’ initiative is designed to do just that. We are thrilled that NBC News is bringing this tour to Philadelphia and we look forward to engaging our viewers on this critical issue.”
To kick off “Education Nation Philadelphia,” on Sunday, June 5, at 1:00pm/pt, NBC News’ Ann Curry and NBC 10’s Aditi Roy will lead a live Teacher Town Hall forum from the Kimmel Theater at the Constitution Center that brings together local teachers of all levels for a frank and open discussion about what works in the classroom and how to address the top challenges facing the region’s education system.
Teachers will be invited to participate in-person or via webcast with the ability to provide comments and feedback through EducationNation.com and social media platforms. The Teacher Town Hall will be televised live on Philadelphia Nonstop (Digital Channel 10.2, Comcast 248, and Verizon 460) and streamed live on EducationNation.com and NBCPhiladelphia.com.
On Monday, June 6, Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Superintendent Arlene Ackerman will join Philadelphia-area students and the NBC News team at the official opening of the Education Nation Experience. The installation on the lawn of the National Constitution Center will be open to the public and school groups until Sunday, June 12th. The state-of-the-art exhibit is designed to engage school groups and the broader community by using video and interactive tools to explore the skills, knowledge and training required to succeed in the 21st Century.
On Wednesday, June 8th, at 1:00pm/et, MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” will air live from outside the “Education Nation Experience” on the lawn of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Later, at 7:00pm/et, MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews” will air from the same location. Both programs will feature a segment on education as part of the “Education Nation On-The-Road” tour. MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews” portion of the “Education Nation On-The-Road” tour is sponsored by America’s Promise Alliance.
On the evening of Thursday, June 9, Philadelphia-area leading business and civic leaders will gather at the Franklin Institute for Job One: Preparing America to Compete in the 21st Century, a moderated panel discussion led by CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo. NBC 10’s Lori Wilson and Telemundo Philadelphia’s Fernando Mendez will also be on-hand to help conduct the discussion.
Panelists and guests will share ideas and recommendations for ensuring the region’s students and workforce have a competitive edge in our global economy. The “Job One” event will be televised live on Philadelphia Nonstop (Digital Channel 10.2, Comcast 248, and Verizon 460) and streamed live on EducationNation.com and NBCPhiladelphia.com.
Leave a Comment