In a recent speech during which he outlined priorities for Congress to consider in reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called for stakeholders to “build a law that respects the honored, noble status of educators, who should be valued as skilled professionals -- rather than mere practitioners -- and compensated accordingly.” 

To advance the discussion, Duncan will engage teachers in a national town hall meeting, during a “special edition” of the U.S. Department of Education’s “Education News Parents Can Use” television broadcast from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time next Tuesday, October 20, 2009.  He will take comments and questions from 50 teachers from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area in a studio audience and from others via telephone, email, and video. 

To contribute to the discussion, teachers and other viewers may:

·         Call the show during the live broadcast, at 1-888-493-9382, between 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET;

·         Submit comments, at http://www.edgovblogs.org/duncan/2009/09/town-hall-with-teachers-join-the-discussion/, by 6:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 14; or

·         Submit original video comments, at  http://www.dropio.com/ENPCU/, by Wednesday, October 14, 2009.

For more information, visit http://www.ed.gov/edtv/.