Education Nation On-The-Road Comes to Philadelphia

Education Nation On-The-Road Comes to Philadelphia

Beginning June 5th, NBC News brings an education "power week" to Philadelphia with a series of education-focused events and programming

NBC News' Ann Curry and CNBC's Maria Bartiromo join NBC 10 in engaging Philadelphia in the national conversation about the future of America's education system

Mayor Michael Nutter to participate in ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, June 6th to open the "Education Nation Experience" at the National Constitution Center

NEW YORK, June 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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," said Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. "In order to serve the next generation, we need to think innovatively and invest in the education of our young people."

"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," said Michael Chen, President of the Strategic Initiatives Group at NBC News and "Education Nation."

"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," said Dennis Bianchi, President and General Manager of NBC 10 Philadelphia.

To kick off "Education Nation Philadelphia," on Sunday, June 5, at 1:00 p.m./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 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 1:00 p.m./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 7:00 p.m./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.

University of Phoenix is the title sponsor of "Education Nation On-The-Road." NBC News is also enlisting the support of several of its "Education Nation" sponsors and partners, including The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Scholastic, and Americas Promise Alliance in the development of these programs.

In addition to the "Education Nation On-The-Road" tour, NBC News recently announced its plans to host the 2011 "Education Nation" in New York City during the week of September 25th. For more information on "Education Nation" and "Education Nation On-The-Road," visit EducationNation.com, check us out on Facebook: facebook.com/EducationNation or follow us on Twitter @EducationNation. This week on Education Nation's The Learning Curve, read special guest posts from Delcenia Jones of the Parent Teacher Association and Gwen Samuel, founder of the Connecticut Parents Union. Check back on EducationNation.com next week for news from Philadelphia.

About Education Nation

"Education Nation" seeks to create a thoughtful dialogue with policymakers, thought-leaders, educators and the public, in pursuit of the shared goal of providing every American with an opportunity to pursue the best education in the world. These informed discussions will cover the challenges, potential solutions and innovations spanning the education landscape. By providing quality information to the public, NBC News hopes to help Americans make decisions about how best to improve our education system both in the near and long terms, with the goal of making America, once again, the "Education Nation" of the world.

SOURCE University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix

CONTACT: University of Phoenix Media Hotline, +1-602-254-0086, media@phoenix.edu; or Meghan Pianta at NBC News Communications, meghan.pianta@nbcuni.com

Web Site: http://www.NBCPhiladelphia.com

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